Onyx is, apparently, a viral-video character who has attracted a cult following, and now has his own feature film, boosted by a KickStart funding campaign.
As created by star/writer/director Andrew Bowser, Onyx (real name Marcus Trillbury) is a satanist nerd who looks like a cousin of Silent Bob and sounds like he was nurtured in the womb by music from the B-52s.
Onyx has the chance to escape his dreary fast-food job when he receives, in effect, a Golden Ticket to join four other strangers at the spooky old mansion of Bartok the Great. However, they’re not aware of the purpose they’re playing in Bartok’s evil plan.
“Onyx” is a fun throw-back to the 80s of Tim Burton, Pee Wee Herman, cartoonish ghouls, and stormy Danny Elfman-style music. Although Onyx can be an acquired taste (like Pee Wee) he can have charms, and even a little pathos, all his own.
The cast includes Bowser’s producing partner Olivia Taylor Dudley as a femme fatale, and key supporting roles are played by Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton, stars of the 1985 cult classic “Re-Animator.”