Andrew Zappin’s King of Black Goo follows Arthur, a man so profoundly lonely he’s practically translucent. He spends his days cataloging the mundane, only to find solace in the promise of a clandestine medical procedure known as the Black Goo treatment. It’s marketed as a personality-reconstruction therapy, a way to liquefy the jagged edges of a bitter soul and recast them into something palatable, something lovable.

As the procedure takes hold, Arthur doesn’t just change; he unspools. The film transitions from a somber, muted drama into a claustrophobic body-horror descent. The Black Goo is an encroaching, viscous reality that consumes Arthur’s apartment, his memories, and eventually, the very people he tries to woo. It’s a classic cautionary tale of be careful what you wish for, served with a side of industrial grime.

This has quite a cast: DJ Qualls, Kathleen Wilhoite, Margaret Cho, Harriet Sansom Harris and more. A fun, quirky watch!

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You can watch this either in-person or virtually at the Chattanooga Film Festival. For more info, visit the official site.