If you ever wanted to watch a mash-up of Wallace & Gromit and Evil Dead II, writer/director Adam Ciolfi has made all your dreams come true. I did not know I needed such a mashup in my life, but I did and do.  A Claymation/stop motion short about a man discovering a horrific Lovecraftian/Creature from the Black Lagoonish monster in his kitchen drainpipe, It Came From Beyond the Drain is a first-rate example of the form and a fun, silly story that even had a few effective jump scares.  I know, right? I don’t believe it either. But it is true.

After a pre-credit sequence of a plumber being devoured as he repairs a sink, the story begins with a man and his dog (of course) getting ready for bed on a night after storms have raised the local water level to dangerous highs. The monster then emerges from sink drains at night, and is finally confronted by man and dog.

What starts off as a seemingly serious (if somewhat silly) series of clashes between creature and man and dog, rapidly escalates to a basement brawl with a chainsaw and the man pursuing the creature down into the pipes. Water and green ichor spray everywhere and before you can say “Holy Bruce Campbell!” we are soundly in the world of splatstick – “Wallace & Gromit vs. the Army of Darkness.”

The sets, the characters, the action are flawless. This is nothing short of some of the best Claymation I have ever seen, all in the service of a fun horror story that provides fan service, chills and thrills. I have to admit, when it was over, I watched it again, then I called the wife in to watch. Then I sent it to some friends to watch.  This is a fun, well-made film that I sense will be revisited in the future when I think of it and think, “I should watch that again.”  My advice: stop reading this review and go watch It Came from Beyond the Drain. It’s just a good time.

10 out of 10