GLORIOUS is a new Shudder horror movie with thriller and sci-fi as the supporting genres. Is that a thing? Supporting genres? Well, it should be, and this new Shudder Original is a good example of why.

This movie has the most amazing Lovecraftian vibes. Glorious stars Ryan Kwanten as Wes. A man who seems to be losing his mind even before the things he’s challenged with in this story. Basically, he has the power to save the universe. Or let it all implode and be responsible for that.

When Wes (Ryan Kwanten) finds himself locked inside the bathroom at a remote rest stop, things go from bad to worse. While locked in the bathroom rest stop, there is a mysterious figure speaking from an adjacent stall.

Voicing the mysterious figure hiding in the bathroom stall, is none other than J.K. Simmons, who we also saw recently in the Night Sky series). While I adore watching the man on screen, this kind of role really does remind you of the brilliant voice this man has. He is simply perfect as the voice of “Ghat”.

In a small, but very important, role we see Sylvia Grace Crim as the girl Wes can’t forget. You might recognize Sylvia Grace Crim from Body Cam (2020) or small roles in Unhinged (2020) or The Hunt (2020).

The ending of the Lovecraftian Glorious on Shudder
I really don’t want to give away too much about Glorious. However, the Lovecraftian vibe should be obvious whether you watch the trailer or look at the PR images. In other words, if you’re a fan of Lovecraft (or Lovecraft-inspired stories and movies), you’ll want to watch this.

Also, that ending!

Oh yes, even the ending of Glorious on Shudder works really well. In fact, while I did find it to be maybe just a good ten minutes too long, I could forgive everything when the ending came around. There are both plot twists and amazing visuals. Not really combined, but as separate elements of the Glorious movie ending.

And yes, the pun was very much intended in that previous sentence!

Watch Glorious on Shudder!
Rebekah McKendry is the director of this Shudder Original horror movie. Previously, she’s done many short films and co-wrote and co-directed the Christmas horror anthology All the Creatures Were Stirring.

Also, she has another horror movie in post-production titled Elevator Game (2023), so we have that to look forward to. The screenplay for Glorious was written by David Ian McKendry, Joshua Hull, and Todd Rigney.

Between the gorgeous visuals and watching Ryan Kwanten’s character be absolutely mindf**ked by a creature voiced by J.K. Simmons, I have to recommend this. While I don’t expect to watch the movie again, I would absolutely recommend that you check out this deliciously crazy story on Shudder.

Glorious premieres on Shudder on August 18, 2022.