'Onyx the Fortuitous' Movie Trailer: Andrew Bowser Fulfils a Wild Prophecy

Andrew Bowser's horror comedy premieres in theaters for a one-night-only special event on October 19.

Earlier this year, Andrew Bowser brought his viral fledgling occultist Onyx the Fortuitous to Sundance with his feature Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls. Billed as a gateway into horror, the film follows so-called loser Marcus J. Trillbury, aka Onyx, who finally gets a chance to be something more when he earns a coveted invitation to the home of his idol Bartok the Great for a night he won't soon forget. The film now has a new trailer courtesy of Cineverse that sees Onyx go from patty slinger to prophesied hero.

Marcus begins the trailer as a nobody. He works a soul-crushing job at a fast-food joint where nobody can even get his name right, his boss is downright hostile, and his customers revel in making his life hell. At home, his mother has no love for him, and his stepfather could not care less. Everything changes when he gets invited to Bartok's manor for a once-in-a-lifetime ritual to summon the ancient demon Abaddon alongside Bartok's mysterious delegation and a few fellow followers. Much to his dismay, he discovers his role is that of "The Virgin," though it's clear he has a grander part to play in this horror comedy. The prophecy itself forewarns of the "fortuitous one" which can only refer to the hapless Onyx. In over his head with danger not foreseen, he and his new friends must fight for their souls while he weighs the cost of fulfilling his destiny.

Onyx the Fortuitous was a major Kickstarter success driven by the love for Bowser's original character. Online, Onyx has garnered over 300 million views and over one million TikTok followers for playing the internet's sidesplitting "Weird Guy." Bowser brings that same comedy to the film in what he's described as a throwback to 80s classics like Beetlejuice and Pee-Wee's Big Adventure complete with practical effects galore and ghoulish monsters aplenty courtesy of Adam Dougherty of Kreature Kid.

Collider's Steve Weintraub got the chance to speak with the internet star and his castmates at Sundance during which they expressed how much they enjoyed making the film in the first place. Olivia Taylor Dudley, who plays Bartok's delegate Farrah, said of the experience:

"I mean, of all the other projects I've ever worked on as an actor, or a producer, this was the most fun anyone's ever had on a set. And I think the vibe, even from the moment we met everybody, everyone knew this was something special that they poured their hearts into. So everyone on set was willing to help every department and know that everything should go on screen. We didn't have any divas, or anything like that. Everyone had so much fun that I think it just really comes through on the screen."

Bowser writes, directs, and stars in the film alongside a host of horror veterans. Bartok the Great is played by Jeffrey Combs who's well known for playing the re-animator himself, Herbert West, in the cult-classic Re-Animator films. With Onyx the Fortuitous, he reunites with genre icon Barbara Crampton and is joined by Ralph Ineson, Terrence Carson, Rivkah Reyes, TC Carson, Arden Myrin, and Melanie Chandra.

Though the movie wasn't universally loved – Collider's Chase Hutchinson gave the film a D in his review – Onyx the Fortuitous was a major success out of Sundance with solid reviews giving it a 68% Rotten Tomatoes score. Much like Terrifier 2 before it, the film is being brought to theaters by Bloody Disgusting and SCREAMBOX via Fathom Events for a one-night-only event across the country on October 19. Two screenings of the film will come at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. with an introduction from Bowser.

Check out the trailer below.

Ryan O'Rourke is a senior news writer for Collider and lifelong gamer. A diehard Cubs fan, he contributes to a FanSided blog on the side and can be found glued to a baseball game or his Switch during his spare time.