Review: ‘The Wheel of Heaven’ is a bonkers mind-melter
Joe Badon takes no prisoners with his new film.
A horror film that takes big swings is far better than one that’s just plain boring. Director Joe Badon comfortably fits into the first category with his latest film. The Wheel of Heaven (now streaming on Cranked Up) lives in the same realm as KUSO and HeBGB TV; they are all strikingly similar yet wildly different (and would make a killer triple feature). Badon, who co-wrote the script with Jason Kruppa, works the senses into a hyper-kinetic overdrive as he erratically flips through images that’s not unlike brain freeze (complementary). Billed as a “mini-series,” the film mashes together many cultural touchstones (Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Star Trek, and Elvis Presley among them) and references several iconic horror films, including Alice Sweet Alice and Carnival of Souls.
And the story? Well, hmm, it’s best described as: an acid-fueled night of the worst insomnia you’ve ever had. Kali Russell carries the entire film on her back. Primarily portraying a woman named Purity, she’s put through the wringer with too many characters to name, giving her a chance to dig her teeth into the material. It’s an actor’s perfect dream, really—and she easily slips into various oddball roles like a chameleon. In the film’s intro, the audience hears an interview Badon did to promote his work, and he mentions films like Kentucky Fried Movie that feel like you’re “watching TV, and they were just changing channels for you… but then still using the touchstones of like the old world, you know, mini-series and commercials and credits. It gives us that comfort of… binging a television show.”
The Wheel of Heaven works best if you leave logic at the door. “What the hell is your movie about?” asks Russell in the opening “scene.” It’s unclear whether Russell is playing a fictionalized version of herself here or if she’s honestly asking that question. And it’s a question every viewer will be asking by the film’s final moment. Split into chapters and vignettes, the film leans hard into an esoteric kind of humor—maybe like Monty Python, but you’ve just taken shrooms. That’s not to say there aren’t cornels of thematic elements sprinkled throughout, including the notion of picking your own destiny. As promotional artwork (above) claims: “Over 257 possible endings!” You can pick and choose the nonsense stories, images, and moments that resonate most with you, much like life itself.
Joe Badon’s The Wheel of Heaven makes bold choices and invites the audience to take the plunge into the mind of a maniac. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but you can’t argue that it’s not interesting. The visual storytelling is total chaos, going from 0 to 360 in the blink of an eye. Badon has a deep love and appreciation for horror cinema, that much is clear. While paying homage to the past, he puts the pedal to the metal into the future. And we all should go along for the ride.
