by Rufus, a Five-Story Horror Anthology from Acclaimed Filmmaker Mars Roberge – Five Tales of “Really Unusual F***ed Up Sh*t’”
Breaking Glass Pictures proudly announces the worldwide release of Rufus, the daring new horror anthology film from Canadian-American director Mars Roberge that premiered at six film festivals, winning three awards (Best Horror Film at the Los Angeles IFS Film Festival and L.A. Punk Film Festival, Best Supernatural Feature at The New York Science Fiction and Horror Film Festival) and receiving two nominations (Best Picture at Los Angeles IFS Film Festival and Best Feature Film at Atlanta Horrorfest). Mars Roberge’s previous works include the Rotterdam premiered Scumbag, the heartfelt dramedy Mister Sister, the arthouse play adaptation Stars (winner of the $25,000 We Make Movies Feature contest), and the documentary The Little House That Could, which premiered at Frameline and went on to win Audience Choice for Best Film at NewFilmmakers Los Angeles. Known for his unpredictably bold storytelling and refusal to play it safe, Roberge now turns to horror for the first time with a project that is both deeply unsettling and darkly entertaining.
At the heart of the anthology is Rufus, played by legendary former drug kingpin turned motivational speaker Freeway Rick Ross. Living in South Central Los Angeles, Rufus entertains friends and children against his wife’s wishes by telling them five strange and disturbing stories. These tales, described by Roberge as explorations of body horror, range from a mortician working on the wrong night to a singer who discovers the rot beneath the entertainment industry, to unsettling visions of adoption, medical malpractice, and the human cost of war. Each story is laced with bizarre imagery and biting social commentary, earning Rufus comparisons to The Twilight Zone, Creepshow, and Phantom of the Paradise. “Rufus also stands for ‘Really Unusual F***ed Up Shit,’” explains Roberge. “It’s what he says after every story. He’s a man telling campfire-style tales from the hood, but he’s also a mirror for the strange realities we all wrestle with.”
The cast features an extraordinary blend of musical legends, underground icons, and cult film favorites. Alongside Rick Ross are David J of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets, Angelo Moore of Fishbone, Rah Digga, Spookey Ruben, Jim Sclavunos of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Debra Haden, Verona Blue, Monique Parent, and many more. Angelo Moore not only delivers a standout performance as Stanley but also composed the original score for the film, which is complemented by original music from Michael Cashmore of Current 93. Roberge notes that Moore, who stepped into the role last minute, surprised him with a talent for slapstick comedy: “Only he could have pulled it off the way he did.” The film also includes a story adapted from the play Climbing Vegetables by Berlin-based playwright Erez Majerantz, which Roberge daringly reimagined half-in Spanish despite not speaking the language.
The director’s approach to writing Rufus was as unusual as the film itself. After being inspired by attending the Lund International Fantastic Film Festival in 2017, he began forcing himself into surreal nightmares as creative fuel. “I purposely froze myself at night so I could conjure nightmares and write them down in the morning,” he explains. “That became the formula for this film.” His background in horror stems from a childhood obsession with monsters, wax museums, and the cult Canadian television show The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. Though he grew up more drawn to the fun of horror than the scares, films like Jaws, The Shining, Poltergeist, and Fright Night left a deep impression on him, particularly in their commitment to character depth. Combined with his studies of American Gothic literature and admiration for Edgar Allan Poe, these influences shaped the character-driven, surreal horror of Rufus.
Early response to the film has been overwhelmingly positive. Film Threat praised it as “messed up campfire tales for an urban audience,” while Morbidly Beautiful described it as “campy, chaotic, and proudly weird – a midnight movie fever dream.” London’s OriginalRock.net described it as a film that “rarely sits still; it zig-zags demanding your attention,” and MovieReviews101 and OneFilmFan.com called Roberge a “master storyteller” of “the unpredictably bold.”
With Rufus, Mars Roberge cements his reputation as a fearless voice in independent cinema, unafraid to experiment with form, tone, and subject matter. He describes the core message of the film’s five tales simply: “Get a grip—both mentally and physically. Everyone in Rufus is fighting to hold on to reality.” He adds with a grin, “I hope it fucks their heads for life. That’s the point of horror, isn’t it?”
