When you hear "body horror," your mind might jump to David Cronenberg's visceral classics. But at this year's Fantastic Fest, writer-director Rocko Zevenbergen is flipping the genre on its head with a dose of absurdity. Known for I Need You Dead! and producing The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs, Zevenbergen returns with Flapjax, a sci-fi horror-comedy that follows "the most enthusiastic restaurant manager you have ever seen" as he unwittingly becomes a pawn in an alien conspiracy. Ahead of its world premiere, we're thrilled to debut an exclusive image featuring the film's unlikely hero, Arrow Bentley.
Arrow, played by Gabriel Cagan, is a man who lives and breathes his job at Hamudders, a pork-themed fast food joint in New York. He's so dedicated that he sleeps in a spare room next to the kitchen and volunteers for every extra shift. Despite his zeal, the job is far from glamorous—the food is terrible, and the tacky pig mascot doesn't help. But his dedication hasn't gone unnoticed. The higher-ups trust him with a monumental task: bringing back the long-discontinued Flapjax item. As Arrow scrambles to relaunch the product, he starts to suspect there's more to the Flapjax than meets the eye—and why it was pulled from the menu in the first place.
Our exclusive still captures Arrow sprinting through a dilapidated restaurant, still in his full uniform, complete with an udder cap. Behind him, a Flapjax promotional sign hints at another Hamudders location that once sold the item—and suffered the consequences. His panicked expression suggests he's stumbled upon something horrifying, exposing his corporate overlords' sinister intentions. It's a perfect snapshot of how Flapjax balances eerie dread with laugh-out-loud humor, thanks to its over-the-top protagonist navigating a world filled with gnarly practical effects and silly sight gags.
According to the official description, Flapjax is a wild mashup of "Looney Tunes, a dash of Troma, and a hint of Brian Yuzna," resulting in something unique, gross, and delightfully homemade. Zevenbergen also packs the film with sharp satire about the modern American workforce, where greedy corporations—possibly alien ones—exploit their employees. Arrow isn't alone in this chaos; he's joined by his one-hit-wonder mother and a coworker who's ready to quit. Estevan Muñoz co-wrote the script with Zevenbergen and also appears on-screen.
For fans of genre-bending horror, Flapjax is shaping up to be a must-see. If you're looking for more terrifying recommendations, check out our list of underrated horror gems on Netflix. And if you're curious about other Fantastic Fest entries, we've got a look at a new analog horror film that's sure to chill you.
Flapjax world premieres at Fantastic Fest on September 17 at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas. Stay tuned for more exclusive previews from the festival, and check the official film guide for the full lineup from September 17 through 24.
