Kylgor in the Grisly Abyss (2026) Film Review – Many Puppets were Harmed in the Making of this Film [Fantastic Fest]

Posted on by Jim Cox

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Kylgor in the Grisly Abyss is a 2026 Canadian stop-motion/puppet horror film written and directed by Mason Newton DeRushie. Working mostly as a special effects assistant, Mason has provided practical special effects work on several horror films, including Monster Brawl (2011), Septic Man (2013), and What Keeps You Alive (2018), to name a few. Outside of special effects, Mason has also written and directed some short segments for the anthology films Horrorthon Volume 2 (2020), Grindsploitation 9 (2021), and 60 Seconds to Live (2022).

After the evil King Kath orders the death of his people, Kylgor the Conqueror and his band of surviving barbarians set out for revenge. Succeeding in their quest, with the king’s severed head in their possession, the gang flees the kingdom with enemy soldiers close behind. But before they can escape, the barbarians plummet into a giant underground abyss filled with horrific creatures, dangerous terrain, and a deep darkness lurking within.

Blending the serious high-fantasy tones of Conan the Barbarian (1982) with the insanity of Meet the Feebles (1989), Kylgor in the Grisly Abyss successfully integrates these two opposing elements into one cohesive narrative. While the film employs caricature-esque puppets as characters, it lacks self-reflection on this fact—delivering its dark and violent themes earnestly throughout. While there can be an air of comedy at times, this derives from the absurdity of a situation, which works in the film’s favour more than any interjected attempt at humour.

Composed of a whole host of different media, Kylgor in the Grisly Abyss fuses this amalgam into a coherent visual design. From latex-moulded hand puppets, stop-motion animation, and pencil-line images brought to life through the Ken Burns Effect, to a mixture of real locations, miniature effect sets, and matte-painted backgrounds, the use of differing techniques is similar to Mad God (2021). However, considering this film had a budget seven times smaller, costing only $17,000 CAD, Kylgor in the Grisly Abyss surprisingly navigates this merging of styles more efficiently—lacking the incongruity of Mad God’s jarring transitions.

While using hand puppets, the cinematography can be limiting at times. Having to utilise tight upper-body shots, this close-up camera work can be somewhat disorientating during fight scenes. With the character’s main articulation being shaken side to side, this vigorous movement, twinned with the detail shots, can be slightly overwhelming at points.

Full to the brim with viscerally graphic depictions of fantasy violence, Kylgor in the Grisly Abyss harkens back to the unabashed gore and inventive monster designs of 80s horror films. The visual design is exceedingly varied from creature to creature, displaying fantastically grisly and unique details. Additionally, with all these creatures, and the characters themselves, being latex-moulded hand puppets, the ability to make their deaths as gruesome as possible was fairly easy to achieve. And the film certainly does this with gusto, delivering a torrent of bloody disembowelling, decapitations, and general mutilation—all achieved through practical means where possible. Outside of this, there are a few instances of CGI effects utilised, but in instances that would be unobtainable practically.

Featuring remarkable performances from the entire cast, the voice work in Kylgor in the Grisly Abyss does a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life. With each actor imbuing their role with a distinctive characterisation, their respective voice acting gives these mere puppets substance—with their imminent danger carrying actual weight. And while all performances were superb, the standout comes from the titular Kylgor, played by veteran actor Timothy Paul McCarthy. His blunt, gruff delivery feels reminiscent of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s depiction of Conan the Barbarian.

An intrepid love letter to high fantasy and 80s horror films, Kylgor in the Grisly Abyss is an alacritous blend of puppetry and stop-motion with explicit bloody carnage. With a fantastically written narrative, outstanding performances, and impressive practical effects, the film is highly engrossing and sure to be relished by anyone who enjoys either genre, and those who crave atypical film mediums.

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We watched Kylgor in the Grisly Abyss (2026) at this year’s Fantastic Fest.

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