DUST BUNNY (2025)
New streaming on HBOMax from Thunder Road Pictures and Entertainment One!
Directed/Written by Bryan Fuller.
DUST BUNNY (2025)
A young girl named Aurora (Sophie Sloan) is haunted by a monster under her bed. When the monster eats her parents, Aurora hires an Intriguing Neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen) who she believes to be a monster killer. Turns out, this neighbor really is a killer, and he believes the “monster” Aurora is talking about are people who wanted him dead and mistook her apartment for his own, resulting in her parents death. But the monster is real and it’s hungry for anyone who touches the floor of Aurora’s room.
How the hell did I miss this movie? I remember seeing trailers for it, but man, did they just not sell the movie I just saw. I know Bryan Fuller had a vibrant imagination from his previous work, specifically HANNIBAL. But I had no idea he could make something like this!
DUST BUNNY is THE PROFESSIONAL by way of PETE’S DRAGON. It’s one of those movies I would have loved as a kid. There isn’t a scene that hasn’t been worked on with vibrant colors, creative camera angles, and wall-to-wall creativity. This movie plays as if Luc Besson had a one-night stand with Terry Gilliam and Salvadore Dali. It’s a feast for the eyes. So much work went into the look of the different locations in DUST BUNNY. From the shark tanks in a sushi restaurant to the wallpaper and gilded decor of the apartment building most of the action happens, the set designer and effects team went above and beyond.
DUST BUNNY (2025)
Yes, this film is derivative as all get out. Beat for beat, the first half plays out like Luc Besson’s THE PROFESSIONAL. But wow! This is one gorgeous looking movie. While I wouldn’t necessarily categorize DUST BUNNY as horror, it has horrifying elements. It deftly utilizes the concept of the monster under the bed and some of the scenes of the monster eating people can get intense, but this is a film that makes the viewing fun for both adults and kids. There’s a LEMONY SNICKET/MATILDA/CORALINE vibe going on here. It’s all ages, but with an edge. Yes, there’s lots of gunplay and some death, but not a drop of blood is spilled. Ok, maybe a drop or two, but don’t worry, Mads Mickelsen will clean it up with his sock (See the film to get that joke).
This cast is awesome as well. You see Mads Mikkelsen being a total badass. He channels Jean Reno in every scene, never believing Aurora about the monster, and calmly looking death in the eye at every turn. Mads is an actor who is simply mesmerizing to watch and Fuller makes sure he looks cool in every scene. Little Sophie Sloan as Aurora is cute as a button but never given cutesy lines. Her adult-like responses to Mads’ questions are hilarious. We see this film through her giant eyes, and they see the world in a dazzling spectacle that I want to live in. Rounding out the cast is Sigourney Weaver as Mads’ handler who gives him his gigs. She’s surprisingly goofy in this role saying and doing all kinds of quirky things and turns out to be quite good at it. Finally, David Dastmalchian is given another offbeat role as a rivel hitman. I’ll watch anything with Mads, but with a cast like that to back him up, this movie sells itself.
DUST BUNNY (2025)
The dust bunny itself is quite horrifying and the way it comes together during the opening credits is genius. I love the way it swims through the floorboards like some kind of shark. And when it finally grows to full size, its fury as it attempts to swallow every person in its path is every kid’s nightmare come to life. Fuller somehow taps into those primal, youthful fears and makes them thrilling and gorgeous.
We all slept on this one, but now it’s more accessible streaming, so rectify that mistake and check this visual feast out. I wish there were more filmmakers out there with Fuller’s bottomless well of creativity. DUST BUNNY feels like early Tim Burton but also kicks all sorts of ass. Don’t miss this amazing film about a little girl, a big monster, and Mads being Mads. It’s not full-on horror, but this is the type of gateway genre film that got me loving horror as a kid. If you’re sick of Disney crap and want to see something you and your little one can both enjoy, watch DUST BUNNY. Just do it.
