Here's a great one that may have slid by your cinematic radar. This film is just the kind of cinematic lunacy that really strikes a chord with me, and I bet if you are in the mood for a slice of something off-kilter topped off with tons of b-movie reverence it will with you too! Picture if you will a film that is equal parts Broadway show and Ed Wood film and you are getting close to just what this film has in store for you! Intergalactic juvenile delinquent Johnny X (Will Keenan) is banished to earth with his gang of hoodlums, where his prized possession, The Resurrection Suit (a wardrobe that allows the wearer to control the bodies of others) is nixed by his girlfriend Bliss (De Anna Joy Brooks), and what follows is a madcap chase punctuated by zombie rock stars, UFOs, appearances by genre legends such as Reggie Bannister (Phantasm), Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and musical genius Paul Williams (Phantom of the Paradise) and a ton of catchy tunes! Check this one out today folks, it could easily be the next Rocky Horror!

When I saw the trailer for this over a year ago I had to watch it. Unfortunately, living in rural America, it never came to any theaters near me. When it hit Vudu for purchase I snagged it almost immediately. Anyway, here goes.If you love campy sci-fi humor you will love this movie. The musical aspect also give a nice touch and is well done. The choreography is also top notch. If you appreciate odes to an era gone by where campy sci-fi flicks were plentiful then you cannot go wrong with this film. When comparing this to modern flicks in the same vein, it holds up well. While Repo The Genetic Opera remains my favorite indie musical, The Ghastly Love of Johnny X holds up well. I give it a solid 9/10 stars with zero reservations.

Ripe to bursting with a gloriously kooky, vibrant, and unbridled vigor and creativity, this wonderfully offbeat and imaginative tale of brooding intergalactic bad boy Johnny X (a delightfully puckish performance by Will Keenan) and his band of merry juvenile delinquents comes complete with a terrific femme fatale named Bliss (smoothly essayed with saucy aplomb by slinky marvel De Anna Joy Brooks), a fancy piece of alien technology that can resurrect the dead, several snazzy song and dance numbers, a loving affection for 50's kitsch that never degenerates into smug and smirking low camp, loads of zingy hepcat slang ("Let's scramble"), an uproarious sense of off the wall humor, and even a few moments of surprisingly touching pathos amid all the jaw-dropping lunacy. Director/co-writer Paul Bunnell brings a splendidly idiosyncratic sensibility that mixes elements of so many different genres into a remarkably cohesive and entertaining whole that's both unclassifiable and irresistible in equal measure. Moreover, it's acted with tremendous zest by a top-rate cast, with particularly praiseworthy work from Creed Bratton as groovy undead rock singer Mickey O'Flynn, Reggie Bannister as sleazy and shameless rock'n'roll music promoter King Clayton, Les Williams as square nice guy soda jerk Chip, Jed Rowen as angry lackey Sluggo, and Kate Maberly as fawning groupie Dandi Conners. Popping up in neat bits are Paul Williams as smarmy talk show host Cousin Quilty and Kevin McCarthy in his final film role as the stern The Grand Inquisitor. Crisply shot in gorgeous black and white by Francisco Bulgarelli, further galvanized by Ego Plum's robust'n'rollicking score, and done with a winning feeling of pure heart and sweet sincerity, it's a stone gas that's eminently deserving of cult classic status.

A decade in-the-making, The Ghastly Love of Johnny X really comes together in the details. In order to make such a concept pop, this one needed as much research as guts and gumption to see it over the line, and filmmaker Paul Bunnell has obviously invested a significant amount of time and money into making sure his film rises to its many, many sources of inspiration. I can see John Waters in here; I can see alien invasion films; I can see the big monster movies of the atomic age; I can see West Wide Story; I can see James Dean's oeuvre; I can even see a bit of Frankenstein and Re-Animator. The fact that Bunnell has managed to rope all these influences together into one cohesive package is a feat that deserves 'high five' recognition. The songs by Ego Plum and lyricist Scott Martin aren't quite that of Bacharach or Leiber & Stoller, but they're tight, finger-snapping ditties that recall the show tunes of a bygone era and ornament the film perfectly without overwhelming it. Ultimately, The Ghastly Love of Johnny X is just too unique and beautiful not to recommend. You may like it, you may not. Either way, I guarantee it will be unlike anything you have seen before.