I am one of the curmudgeonly and disaffected asshats who would be completely satisfied if 90% of Disney’s output over the last 80 years just ceased to exist, though I have oodles of admiration for old Walt himself. And while I don’t have any heartstrings directly tied to the company, even I can’t deny the magical feeling that its theme parks impart upon its visitors. As such, it is quite possible that Randy Moore’s bizarre and demented directorial debut, Escape From Tomorrow, will become one of my favorite films of the year, as the trailer above (via TrailerAddict) hones in on the dark side of the “Happiest Place on Earth,” where the smiles stretch out longer than the faces. I got a warm feeling in my heart when I first heard that this movie existed, and the trailer absolutely justifies my every expectation.
The film follows the last day of a family vacation for Jim White (Roy Abramsohn) and his family. The morning starts with Jim’s boss calling to tell him he’s laid off, but he chooses to keep the information to himself and spare his family’s good time. Unfortunately, his day takes a downward spiral, and the park starts to become a stream of disturbing encounters and visions. Jim becomes slightly infatuated with two French girls (Annet Mahendru and Danielle Safady) whose paths he keeps crossing, but even they eventually fall prey to Jim’s increasingly oddball hallucinations. Or are they hallucinations?
And while I was expecting to see some strange things, the trailer kicks it up two notches past my expectations. A large chunk of the film takes place inside various Disney parks, filmed without the company’s permission, while the rest was filmed using green screens, the blending actually looks crazy good. From the shapeshifting faces to the man with a disassembled Epcot Center for a head, I’m thinking this will be a hard movie to watch without first imbibing on whatever intoxicants are available. Disembodied android faces, huge firework displays, and “Jesus” written in the clouds. This flick has everything one needs to ensure a nightmare-filled sleep. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t also enjoy the fanciful fonts given to all the complimentary blurbs used.
You will be able to find Escape From Tomorrow in theaters and VOD on October 11th. You can make it a double feature with Machete Kills for quite possible the best theater experience this side of a sexual romp. Enjoy the on-the-nose poster below.
