Fried Barry – Shudder Review (4/5)

FRIED BARRY on Shudder is a horror movie with elements of sci-fi and comedy. The perfect combination for this CRAZY story – which I loved in many ways. It’s a South African movie and you do not want to miss this one. Read our full Fried Barry movie review here!

FRIED BARRY is a new Shudder horror-comedy. It also has a lot of sci-fi elements since the title character is abducted by aliens. Yes, really! Also, it’s from South Africa, which offers other interesting insights than your typical US-based movie.

If you’ve watched the trailer and read the plot, then you’ll have a good idea of what to expect. And yet, I found this movie to be a lot better than I ever expected. If you like it when things go a little (or a lot) crazy, then you’ll definitely want to check out this movie on Shudder.

Continue reading our Fried Barry movie review below and watch it on Shudder from May 7, 2021.

Gary Green is brilliant as Barry

The title role of Barry is played by Gary Green, who is brilliant in this role. He has a quirky look that works perfectly for this character. This is the first starring role for Gary Green, who has worked with the Fried Barry director before – in bit roles and as a stunt man. In many ways, he reminded me of all the things I love about 13 Cameras Neville Archambault.

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Our feature about the awesome horror actor Neville Archambault >

In this movie, Gary Green almost plays two characters. First, the “real” human Barry, who is a real douche. He’s constantly drunk or on drugs and is abusive to everyone. Including his wife and son.

Then he’s the Barry being controlled by an alien, who is discovering our Planet through his eyes. A pretty crazy way to see Earth, but Alien Barry also manages to do some good. In fact, Alien Barry is on an adventure that Human Barry would never experience.

Genre film from South Africa

It’s not often that we get to review (or even watch) genre movies from South Africa, but we have actually reviewed a few already. Sometimes, they really strike gold as was the case with District 9 (2009) by Neill Blomkamp, who has the horror movie Demonic coming out later this year.

Also, there’s the movie 8 with the full title 8: A South African Horror Story which we reviewed at Fantasia 2019. Or how about Die Ontwaking on Netflix about a serial killer. There’s actually quite a lot of genre films from South Africa that you should check out.

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Our review of the South African thriller Die Ontwaking on Netflix >

With Fried Barry, you’ll get a movie that is unlike any of the movies mentioned above. Or actually, it’s closest to District 9 but still nowhere near the same.

Watch Fried Barry on Shudder – seriously, watch it!

Ryan Kruger is the writer and director of Fried Barry and I am an instant fan of his. This is the first feature film for Ryan Kruger, but I am so ready for more from him. I should also mention that the story was by Ryan Kruger and James C. Williamson, so he wasn’t alone in coming up with all this wackiness.

This is the only writing credit for James C. Williamson who usually produces marketing content for movies such as Monster Hunter and the upcoming Escape Room 2.

It’s difficult to explain Fried Barry without giving away too much or not doing it justice. However, let me say this: Think about the craziest Nicolas Cage movies of recent years. Then expect something at least that crazy! In fact, Nicolas Cage would be the obvious choice for a US remake. His Willy’s Wonderland performance could be an audition to play Barry!

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Our review of Willy’s Wonderland starring a speechless Nicolas Cage >

I can’t really say anything bad about Fried Barry, but I do definitely recognize that this isn’t a movie for everyone. Then again, if you watch the trailer, you’ll know if it’s for you or not. To me, it’s an instant cult classic and I am sure Shudder viewers will love that craziness of this movie. And especially Gary Green as Barry!

Fried Barry will stream exclusively to Shudder on May 7, 2021, in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand and via the Shudder offering within the AMC+ bundle where available.

Details

Director: Ryan Kruger
Writers: Ryan Kruger, James C. Williamson
Cast: Gary Green, Bianka Hartenstein, Sean Cameron Michael, Chanelle de Jager, Joey Cramer, Jonathan Pienaar