What Is It?

So I finally got a chance to see Crispin Hellion Glover's fabled (and reportedly rare) film (the first of a proposed trilogy) called 'What Is It?', courtesy of my longtime comrade in crime, Pauly R. (thanx brother!), and wow! Imagine a hallucinogenic, surrealist mixture of Jodorowsky and Fellini, with a hint of Korine, and maybe even a dash of Lynch, too. This one is beyond description (too fucked-up/beautiful for words), but I see it as a tale of a young man (with Down's Syndrome, no less), who loves snails and has a wickedly troubled inner dialogue, and some pretty hideous demons to be confronted. That said, it's also a really dark comedy. I knew there was a reason I always liked Fairuza Balk (who portrays the voice of a screaming snail, believe it or not, as well as a predatory praying mantis), and the respected Adam Parfrey is also in it, as well as 'appearances' by Shirley Temple (I think they were phoned in, hah!), and music by Charlie Manson AND the mighty Anton LaVey. Oi vey! It isn't easy to find, but if these names mean anything to you, Glover's artistic vision may be something you need to invest in. Definitely NOT for the squeamish, as there's some graphic stuff here (which I won't go into). Open minds only, please! Check Glover's site for more info.