When Black Birds Fly(2016)(Review)

Animated horror is always a fascinating subject. The limitations of the human form, resources, and proper special effects are lifted, and we are allowed the freedom to let the imagination run wild. This is especially exciting when we get an animated horror from the mind of Jimmy ScreamerClauz (‘Where the Dead Go to Die’, ‘Ascetic’).

In the beautiful black & white town of Heaven, a charismatic leader named Caine runs the community with an iron fist. He demands obedience, enforcing it through persistent propaganda and an aggressive police force. It’s the sort of town where in order to have a child, you must be pre-approved to go to the church and have a child-seed selected for you from trees in the underground gardens, and seeing your lover naked is a punishable crime. It’s also surrounded by a giant wall that is littered with posters reminding the citizens of the one golden rule: DO NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THE EVIL BEYOND THIS WALL.

Two young children, Marius & Eden, are infatuated with the numerous flocks of black birds that are all over the city. While chasing one on an ordinary day, they find a hole in the wall – and beyond it they hear the cries of a kitten with a broken leg whose pleading for help. Little do they understand the Hell they will unleash when they decide to break the one golden rule… Entering a colorful world of horrific creatures, demented landscapes, and divine sin.

This movie… I hardly have words for. It soothed and elevated my soul during a month-long depression that was really killing me. The story is bizarre and beautiful, disturbing and sadistic, blasphemous and philosophical, and strangely peaceful all at once.

The animation is similar to the director’s previous film, ‘Where the Dead Go to Die’, but much more refined. It’s truly breathtaking how impressive this film is – animation, art design, music, voice acting, etc. – especially considering that one man did a large majority of it by himself. It has an Adult Swim-like aesthetic but with a very unique voice. I’ll once again say that the director’s tone and direction heavily remind me of ‘Xavier: Renegade Angel’ – where understanding what you’re looking at is half the battle, and interpreting it is an intellectual experience.

The voice actors include some recurring guests, and even David Firth (‘Salad Fingers’) has a part to play. The story is brilliant in a sadistically philosophical way. It’s the movie I absolutely needed to see when I saw it, and is probably my favorite thing I’ve seen all year. It’s extremely dark and humorous in a particular way that’s hard to explain (because comparing it to other things doesn’t really do it any justice), but a majority of people would definitely be offended by this. It’s not nearly as offensive as ‘Where the Dead Go to Die’, but it feels like the more mature older brother – where it’s anger is pure, and it has a heavy message it’d like to discuss.

I adore Jimmy ScreamerClauz, and I anxiously wait for his next project to be unleashed.

5/5
“When Black Birds Fly” is available to purchase/stream directly from the director’s website: https://screamerclauz.com/store/product-category/movies/

‘Til Next Time,
Mike Cleopatra

The Gruesome Gazette

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