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Possibly the strangest film to premiere at TIFF this year was Dust Bunny. The feature debut of acclaimed showrunner Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies) is a mix of horror, heart, and balls-to-the-walls filmmaking. The film is about Aurora (Sophie Sloan), a young girl whose family has been eaten by the monster under her bed. She enlists the help of her mysterious hitman neighbour (Mads Mikkelsen) to kill it. A whimsical premise that is carried by a breakout performance from 10-year-old Sloan. Not only does she hold strong against Mikkelsen and co-star Sigourney Weaver, but she steals the show.
The film leans heavily into nostalgia for '80s kid horror. Think Gremlins or Ghostbusters. The appreciation for this bygone era and the films that came before it is a heavy presence. So much so that you can look at it and see hints of everything from Beetlejuice to Labyrinth and directors such as Luc Besson, Terry Gilliam, and John Carpenter. It reads like a love letter to a VHS collection. Unlike some of these films, Dust Bunny doesn't shy from violence. One of the most absurd moments is when Aurora learns how to dismember a body in a bathtub from her neighbour. Surprisingly amusing, it constantly pushes the boundary of family film and regular horror.
The technical vision is particularly dynamic. Fuller seems to be pulling out every trick in the book. The camera refuses to sit still and glides its way through the film. Director of Photography Nicole Hirsh Whitaker does an exceptional job of adding control to the chaos. All of the shots are wonderfully done and weave through the action with precision and purpose. Visually, Dust Bunny is at its strongest. Each moment is awash with a Victorian palette that takes over the set dressing and costumes. All of which match and complement each other in a very Peter Greenaway move.
The film keeps in sync with itself. By that, the score lines up with the moments of movement, mixing the music into the sounds of the on-screen action. Moments such as these, along with the singular colour of each scene, make it seem all the more dreamlike.
Obviously bold, Dust Bunny begins to falter when it comes to some of its own ideas. The film tries to juggle the brutal beat-em-up with the pacing and morals of a children's movie. Great in theory, it can begin to feel bloated and confusing at times as it tries to establish both of these identities in conjunction. It starts off without giving all of the rules of its universe, but soon settles in once Sloan and Mikkelsen get to show off their endearing on-screen chemistry.
Despite the sheer insanity of its premise, Dust Bunny pulls it off. It ends on a feel-good note, reminding us that some of the worst monsters are those of our own making. Balancing the sincere and the sinister, it's a sweet film with real heart. There are those who may resonate with the concept of turning trauma into man-eating monsters, but some may get left behind by the boldness of the genre-mashing. If anything, Dust Bunny reminds us what Midnight Madness here at TIFF is all about, and does so with appreciation.
