It is completely coincidental, but Rufus is the second horror anthology film I have watched for review this week after Rampo Noir. Directed and mainly written by Mars Roberge, this indie horror brings together five stories of madness that each have a B-movie feel that gave them an endearing feel, and featured a variety of famous names.
Rufus ('Freeway' Ricky Ross) is a man in the hood known for his wild and frequently disturbing stories. The anthology features five of these that he is telling to various people such as neighbourhood kids and his wife (Rah Digga - Thir13en Ghosts). It begins with a fifteen minute short about a mortician named Stanley (Angelo Moore from the band Fishbone) whose hands accidentally get infected with the blood of a recently deceased criminal. He soon finds to his horror that he is no longer able to control what his hands do, leading him on a path of increasingly serious crime that he is powerless to prevent. I imagine it can be quite hard to make it look like your hands are possessed, while Moore doesn't reach the lofty heights of Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead II, he still brings an angle to it that was amusing. I loved how the character was just out for a peaceful and friendly visit to town before events spiral into increasing chaos. None of this was done as a serious horror, there is a real B-movie feel to the action going on, from generic sound effects to obviously CG blood. That just added to the charm. As simple as the story was, it was a fun entry point for Rufus.
Next up was a a very twisted tale that was really enjoyable to watch. Emily (Debra Haden) has recently arrived in New York and despite limited acting experience has landed the lead role in a play. To say anymore would ruin the surprise, but needless to say, her fellow cast members may not be exactly who they appear to be. Again there are obvious CG effects used, and it is assumed you will be able to piece together what has happened as certain transitions play out off screen. Roughly ten minutes long, this was very memorable and the highlight of Rufus for me.
The third short has Rufus telling someone on their way to a doctor's appointment about a story set at a hospital. At eighteen minutes long this one felt very stretched out, it did drag in places. Due to unusual brain patterns when two comatose patients (played by David Scott Greene and Princess Frank) are left together, their doctor, Dr. Saul (played to amazingly entertaining effect by Spookey Ruben, a Canadian musician) has isolated them in their own room. He may not know what is going on with their brains, but it turns out that the two men are able to communicate with each other via thoughts alone. The problem for these men is that they don't really like each other that much. The unexpected happens when a new nurse from Mexico - Luciana (Annalisa Guidone) arrives, she just happens to be the ex-girlfriend of one of the men, and more importantly, is able to read his thoughts and carry on conversations with the man. This short finishes on a 'to be continued' message which made me hope the later part would be have more variation in what was happening.
Next was a surreal one about a couple who are talking about the child they have adopted, hoping he fitted in with new friends. Around three minutes long, this had a fun pay-off that really demonstrates the silly stories that the character Rufus is able to come up with, seemingly off the top of his head. This is followed by one of the more bright and surface level cheery. It had a miserable veteran - Roger (Jim Sclavunos) discovering a series of exploding dolls in the area where he lived, though there was more to it than was expected. This was silly, had a great soundtrack and at five minutes did not outstay its welcome.
Finally was a return to the long hospital drama that picks up where the first one ended, bringing an additional half hour of surreal. Again, I thought Ruben was great here, but it just went on too long without there seeming to be much of an aim.
Rufus was quite entertaining, despite my personal least enjoyable of the shorts taking the space of half of the overall anthology. That one did have some fun ideas, and the general set-up was decent, it just felt a bit overlong. I thought the second short set in New York with the stage actors was excellent, and the rest all had their good parts. The wraparound segment was also decent, sure, not much might happen in it, but the characters featured in that part all came across as likeable. With anthologies there is usually always something worth watching, and with this one there are a good few. Rufus has not yet had its world premiere, but is planned to be shown at a film festival by the time March comes around.
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