Shudder and IFC Midnight have announced that Mad God, the stop-motion horror film by SFX legen Phil Tippett, will receive a U.S. theatrical run starting on June 10. The theatrical release is ahead of the film’s streaming debut on June 16, with a national rollout on June 17.
Mad God is a surreal stop-motion horror movie filmed over a span of 30 years. The plot follows The Assassin as he takes a dive into the chaotic world of the film. His journey consists of monsters, zombie-like creatures, captive electronic torture victims, and a suitcase holding a bomb. The desolate landscape and horrific scenarios throughout the film make for a confusing ride that has more than its fair share of twists, turns, bends, and snaps for the main character. Why is he here? What is his mission? What did he do to deserve this?
Upon its release, it received amazing reviews and great ratings from critics. The time and artistry were commended as well as the bleak atmosphere. The simplistic narrative was, for the most part, praised as well. The film has won several awards, with the most notable wins for Most Groundbreaking Film and Best Animated Feature at the Fantasia Film Festival in 2021.
Mad God features the voice acting talents of Alex Cox, Niketa Roman, Satish Ratakonda, Harper Taylor, Brynn Taylor, and more. The film is directed by Oscar and Emmy Award-winning stop-motion animator and special effects supervisor Tippett. He also founded Tippett Studio, a production company behind classics such as RoboCop, Starship Troopers, Jurassic Park, Star Wars: A New Hope, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Tippett’s groundbreaking work has been praised by several A-list Hollywood creatives, such as Steven Spielberg, Paul Verhooven, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, and more.
Mad God is a 30-year labor of love and that alone is enough to make it worthy of a look. Stop-motion is a rarely used art form in film and always manages to be jarring and creepy to watch, which in this case, is a good thing. With so much time, effort, and thought put into the film, it has to be on every horror lover's watch list. Information on up-to-date screenings can be found on the official website for the film.
Check out the trailer for Mad God below: