Indie Film Podcast Review: The Yellow Balloon

A weekend cabin getaway becomes a surreal nightmare when a sinister ringmaster and a swarm of malevolent yellow balloons turn a group of friends against each other. The Yellow Balloon is a horror-comedy about panic, possession, and surviving the show.

Written by Chuck Norton.

Balloons, Prophylactics, and Goo: Oh My!

Before I sat down to watch Jason Morris’s The Yellow Balloon, I thought I would revisit a balloon-focused cinema classic Le Ballon Rouge or The Red Balloon directed by Albert Lamorisse. As I rewatched this timeless film short, I was reminded how satisfying the concept of animism in everyday objects can be. A balloon can be more than a balloon. It can be! After the crimson latex appetizer and before witnessing the saffron polymer main course, I contemplated the limits of anthropomorphizing inflatables. I found myself wondering, “Is there a world in which sentient balloons are both terrifying and sexually objectified in a way that satisfies both globophobics and globophilics? Is it possible to tell their bobbing and meandering story in a way that includes creepy clowns, balloon artists, cabin-in-the-woods tropes, innuendos and puns that run the spectrum from groanworthy to hilariously groanworthy, cheesy dialogue, hypnotism, ominous carnival tickets, prosthetic genitals, dizzying camera rolls, soul binding, helium speech, murder, stalking, goo, and countless yellow balloons in an hour and a half?” Fortunately, after watching The Yellow Balloon, I’m happy to report, yes, all those things are possible.

The opening scene introduces the frightening antagonist, Ringmaster Vincent Vile, brought to life by Scott Somers, and builds the balloon-filled universe with meat, murder, and mayhem. After this introduction the plot of The Yellow Balloon begins to unfold. Mia, played by the talented Justine Leverett, is on the rebound after a tough breakup. To take her mind off the stress of the fresh split, her friends Travis (Robert Carrera), Harper (Shelby Broadnax), and Eli (Justin Jobe) coax her into time away at a remote cabin in the woods. The audiences’ anticipation of horrifically interrupted relaxation-time is quickly satisfied as foreshadowed by the ominous greeting by the balloon battling Rusty, played by Tony Sommers. With little delay, the cabin occupiers are assaulted by an army of hypnotizing, soul consuming, murderous carnival accessories. Will they survive the assault? I will not divulge!

I want to start by first sharing what I enjoyed about The Yellow Balloon. First and foremost (in case you didn’t put it together in my opening paragraph), this film is WEIRD. Each time one of the “list of inclusions” came on screen, I was legitimately surprised. I really don’t want to give too much away, but I can honestly say I’ve never watched a scene in any movie that includes a yellow prophylactic-covered prosthetic exploding penis, and if I ever see one again, odds are, it’ll be in The Yellow Balloon 2. I give serious kudos to this production team for putting together a fairly cogent story that connects so many outrageous ideas. This cast and crew swung for the fences on this film, and I personally love it when indie films go for something totally original. Not to say that there weren’t plenty of references to a wide variety of horror classics, but the mix of references, use of classic tropes, and completely absurd original ideas kept me entertained AND inspired. I was further inspired to learn that this film is a micro-micro-micro budget passion project. The quality they managed to obtain was impressive. 

This cast and crew swung for the fences... I give serious kudos to this production team for putting together a fairly cogent story that connects so many outrageous ideas.

The criticism I have for The Yellow Balloon has to do with the less absurdly hilarious scenes, what I found to be attempted hilarious scenes. When I mention innuendos and puns that were groanworthy, I definitely meant it. The low-brow humor in this film often drops to the grade of average US reading ability…7th or 8th. The adolescent jokes pulled me out of the absurdity I enjoyed. Unfortunately, some of those jokes (and scenes) dragged on a bit too long for my liking.

Indie Film Podcast Recommends: Rent This Film!

If you get a laugh out of unrefined vulgarities, you will definitely love this film. AND, even if you struggle, like me, with intentional campiness, this movie is still definitely worth a watch. The unequivocally unique idea is something you rarely see in theatres or on streaming. I recommend you rent The Yellow Balloon for your next movie night.