CONTENT WARNING: DEATH, BODY HORROR. ALSO SPOILERS FOR THE FILM!!
Spotlight on Horror is a new segment where I take a look at moments in media that have truly stuck with me because of their over-the-top, disgusting or terrifying nature.
I wasn’t particularly interested in seeing a random, middle of the road sounding Nic Cage movie – mainly because the poster, featuring Cage and some kids standing around in front of a classic clawmark, was generic as hell.
Tells you nothing about the film. I’m guessing Arcadian serves a dual purpose as a cool, short word but also the literal meaning of a chill life among nature.
And I would have totally ignored the film- if not for a couple of friends mentioning the wild creature design. The trailer image had my interest peaked – and honestly, this image doesn’t convey half of what these dudes are.
I genuinely don’t know if these guys have a name, but considering their inspirations (which I will get into) I’m calling them Goofy Goobers.
In Arcadian, it’s clear some kind of apocalypse has happened – although we don’t know if the Goobers caused it (like a Quiet Place situation for eg.) or are a natural evolution in the aftermath. They just exist, and we have to deal with them. I really like this. The “big event” is not what’s important in this story, so literally just get it out of the way as soon as possible. (Later, two characters play a game where they make up how the world ended, and this COULD be a clue, or just bullshit.)
We know they come out at night, so making sure the house is secure and locked is pretty important. They seem to have a basic level of intelligence, and hunt in packs. We get our first real tease at the Goobers in a frankly terrifying scene: A long, thin arm reaching through a peephole in a door. Uncurling. Stretching. And stretching. It just keeps going, until a finger is basically reaching across the entire room to poke at this kid. It’s almost a relief when he catches it, so we can get a better glimpse at it.
Okay. We’ve backed it into a corner, and it’s midday. So what is this? What the fuck am I looking at? It’s got fur like a gorilla, but those eyes, and those teeth… They feel off. Every new detail leaves me scratching my head. There is a climactic showdown between a pack of Goobers and our characters, and when we finally see what they can do, it’s like they threw the whole kitchen sink making these bitches – yet it somehow works.
It seems like to survive in this world, Goobers have taken every advantageous trait, from threat displays to mimicry to their hunting methods. Director/writer Ben Brewer described them as a combination of organisms- and the original inspiration being a dream sequence from A Goofy Movie, where Max imagines transforming into his father Goofy. The stick limbs, the teeth – it’s all there. Thus…the Goofy Goobers.
So let’s break down every detail.
Firstly, those red eyes are a decoy. When we see the “true face” later, the Goobers eyes are much darker, fitting with their origins and environment. They live underground and are adept diggers, at some points straight up snatching people through the floor Tremors style. Here you can see both “sets” of eyes, along with the large, equine nostrils.
Although they have a full set of square teeth, they don’t appear to eat like a mammal, but rather use them entirely for intimidation. Opening their jaws to comical proportions and “snapping” them together, creating a sound like a Shoebill, or a gun going off (we hear what we assume are gunshots in the woods at one point – although it could be just these guys). It’s awful in motion.
The most insane bit is how they eat: after subduing their prey, the Goobers have a sort of proboscis, that unfurls like a flower in the middle of their abdomen. (Or possibly inspired by a snakes jaw unhinging?) This stretches over the soon-to-be-food, and I’m assuming dissolves them or at least breaks their bones so it can be squished in there for the Goober to move on and digest. Mid-feed, their skin is stretched taut, the fur split to reveal pinkish flesh as they are hunched completely over.
Nic Cage apparently (after proclaiming, “I can’t kill that, it’s too cute”) went into different animals on set and how they work as a community to survive, and ant colonies in specific are mentioned – Which makes sense because we see the Goobers swarm together, a giant mass of teeth and fur that tramples through anything in its path. Even after being set on fire, they keep going, chasing the kids by chaining their bodies together into a giant flaming WHEEL. Ants have been known to create living “rafts” to cross rivers – a group working together for a singular purpose.
Overall, Arcadian’s critters are some of the most outlandish and creative designs I’ve seen in years. This letterboxd review sums it up well:
If you like these short articles, please let me know! I’d be down for doing more!
LORMAGGOT 