Todd Tarantula is a slice of psychedelic, L.A. noir, stitched together with time-tripping, Faustian threads. It's writer/director Ansel (Loon Lake/The Mabuse Trilogy) Faraj's latest, avant-garde creation from Hollinsworth Productions. Though it carries the omniverse traits of the filmmaker's prior endeavors, it's unlike anything in his quality queue.
One could argue that Todd Tarantula is Lisa and the Devil and Angel Heart meets Timerider and Bicycle Thieves, with ample Twilight Zone and Outer Limits to spare. It's an enigma that presents a modern pact that clutches the past, swirled with occult tones and premonitions; but most of all, it's the tale of a lost, hallucination-prone, young man, trying to find himself through the substantial (and sometimes dangerous) situations that comprise his life.
The fable commences with Todd, portrayed by amiable newcomer, Ethan Walker, discovering a bloody corpse in a parking complex. The corpse then vanishes, along with Todd's trusty motorbike, but a mysterious man in white soon surfaces, offering Todd indirect information on the circumstance's causes and effects.
The man is played by David (Dark Shadows) Selby, and the glib gent so happens to be named Lucifer...Lucifer Grey, that is, which more than hints at the devilish shape of things to come...perhaps.
In truth, it's hard to categorize Todd Tarantula. That's what makes the movie so special. As Todd wanders through dimensions (skidding through his memories. as well as veritable, historic passages), he's granted the chance to fix that which has gone awry. Through his journeys, he faces matters of morality, and the lessons he learns hold meaning, teaching as they tease.
Todd Tarantula is also a visual tour de force, with Faraj's sequences emblazoned by a lurid palette that rivals Creepshow '82 and Invaders From Mars '53. Its parts (accompanied by Tai Vare's cool, kinetic score) stream like high-tech animation, but never to the degree of stampeding the film's emotional depth, and that essential element extends beyond Walker and Selby's charisma. (Incidentally, Mr. Selby won the Hollywood Reel Independent Award for best supporting actor for his Lucifer portrayal.)
Viewers are treated to such interesting co-characters as Douglas M. Eames' Wallander Tarantula, Todd's enigmatic, entrepreneur dad; Nathan Wilson's unrefined but affable Barracuda; Brittany Hoza's fortune-telling Andromeda Stone; Emma West's telephone-projected servant, Jabez; and Kelly Kitko's eloquent and prepossessing Lady Salome, who bestows Todd a mystical knife and communicates with her husband's skull, when he's not depicted in flashback by the dashing Fernando Alvarez.
There's no question that Todd Tarantula mirrors Faraj's Mabuse homages, if only in its cerebral context, but it's not as linear in its expressionistic approach as the mad-doctor trilogy, darting across genre styles: mystery, science fiction and fantasy via intersecting eccentrics and their reality-challenging vantages. None of it should blend, but Faraj defies the odds and by golly, succeeds.
For certain, Todd Tarantula isn't a run-of-the-mill experience. It pushes and pulls at the senses, proving troubling and uplifting at the same time. For those who enjoy experimental sojourns, this one is worth the indulgence. But don't be surprised if, after a thought-provoking taste, the urge to revisit strikes. As such, this ambitious effort implores sequelization. I do hope that Faraj and his capable troupe consider that option. Though Todd Tarantula works as a satisfying stand-alone, its potential to open (and expand) the mind holds many paths in wait.
(Todd Tarantula can be experienced at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/toddtarantula and https://tubitv.com/movies/100000932/todd-tarantula?fbclid=IwAR0jlsmB9RbE-Ez2OvKopErOiP4VBLmdY5C8DVI0_UN-otmJLy_OpFXMiBs.)
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