Fantasia International Film Festival (FIFF) – Oh, where to begin with writer/director Joe Badon‘s third short, The Blood of the Dinosaurs. Weird, trippy, and unsettling feel like adjectives way too inadequate to describe this child’s program from hell. Let’s just say Uncle Bobbo’s (Vincent Stalba) uncanny little world sure isn’t Sesame Street or Barney.

First, the short features an interview with Badon about his latest film, before suddenly cutting to dino extinction, complete with toys and fireworks galore, reenacting that doom and gloom moment. Suddenly, it cuts again, this time to the creepy world of Uncle Bobbo, complete with bright color palates and Christmas-themed miniature sets. This looks like your grandma’s house in December circa 1975. There’s also something so offputting about Uncle Bobbo, though it’s hard to pinpoint. Maybe it’s his voice, mannerisms, or both. It wouldn’t be surprising if the public access TV host murdered someone at any moment. He doesn’t have the niceties of Mr. Rogers. That’s for sure. He does, however, have a young assistant, Purity (Stella Creel). She helps Uncle Bobbo explain fossil fuels and human consumption, using a tire as a prop.

There are so many layers and quick cuts within 12 minutes that in the hands of a lesser filmmaker and crew, this really could have failed. But as the short drives forward, it somehow works, even the giallo references, odd sequences about sex education, and a Count Orlok puppet. The director describes the film as an “Adult Swim style surrealist Kids’ Show for deranged adults.” That’s accurate. There’s sheer lunacy on display here, along with a heck of a lot of talent and eagerness to push boundaries.

The Blood of Dinosaurs is dubbed as a prologue to Badon’s next film, The Wheel of Heaven. I hope someone gives this director a lot of money and time to make the films he wants to make. Let Bradon loose to experiment even further and continue pushing genre filmmaking. Even the turns of chaos and surreal dives feel sharp here. This short is a demented 12 minutes, a public broadcasting nightmare.

The film screened at the Fantasia International Film Festival, happening July 14-August. 3.

7.5 Out of 10