Some midnight movies don’t just invite you in, they dare you to stick with them. The Greasy Strangler fits right into that category. It’s an aggressively odd, deliberately off-putting comedy that seems made to push the limits of what viewers can handle. Directed by Jim Hosking, the film clearly aims for cult status, but while it gets people talking, it rarely justifies its over-the-top moments.

Hosking’s film is built on a simple idea: Big Ronnie and his son Big Brayden run bizarre disco tours, telling made-up stories to bored tourists. Their uneasy relationship is shaken when Janet appears, sparking a strange, messy rivalry. But the plot isn’t really the focus. Instead, the movie is more about keeping up a constant, uneasy sense of weirdness.

Michael St. Michaels as Big Ronnie is both the film’s centrepiece and its blunt instrument. He plays the character with a slack-jawed, confrontational energy that veers between unsettling and monotonous. Sky Elobar’s Brayden, permanently infantilised and simmering with resentment, provides a counterpoint that’s more petulant than poignant. Elizabeth De Razzo’s Janet, meanwhile, is given little to do beyond existing as an object of desire, her character as thinly sketched as the film’s story.

Hosking’s direction is all about making the audience uncomfortable. Scenes drag on, jokes go on too long, and the dialogue repeats itself in a way that feels intentionally awkward. It’s as if the film wants you to laugh, then makes you regret it. Sometimes this approach works, leading to real, if confused, laughter. But more often, the humour just becomes repetitive.

Visually, the film looks grimy and almost touchable. The bright colours and cheap look give it a homemade feel, but they also make it seem like you’re stuck in a joke that never changes. The ever-present “grease” stops being funny and becomes a challenge, showing how the film refuses to change things up.

Some might say The Greasy Strangler is a kind of satire, maybe about masculinity, immaturity, or even cult movies themselves. But if there’s a deeper message, it gets lost under all the repetition and attempts to provoke. The film’s dedication to being gross is impressive in its own way, but it also holds the movie back. What starts out bold soon becomes predictable because it’s always trying to shock.

Even though it’s only 93 minutes, the movie feels longer. That’s not because nothing happens, but because there’s little variety. The same moments repeat, the same jokes get less funny each time, and the visual style starts to feel more like a fallback than a real choice. There’s a difference between being committed and being stubborn, and Hosking crosses that line more than once.

Still, some viewers will love this movie. If you’re on its wavelength, you might find its over-the-top style exciting instead of tiring. There’s no question it stands out; in a world full of familiar movies, The Greasy Strangler is determined to be different.

But just being unique isn’t enough. Trying to shock without moving forward can feel empty, and here, the movie’s focus on being weird ends up working against it. It’s like a joke that’s repeated too many times, until it stops being funny.

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