Something happens either within Sean, right off camera, or in a barely legible fashion in frame. At a liberal estimate, 15% of the film is willing to give any plot details.The film gets its biggest scares, or generally moody moments, when the threat is unseen. Fans of modern riffs on French New Wave and Italian Neorealism, welcome aboard. The rest involves dipping its toes in abstract psychological horror, juxtaposed with quiet observance. Most of it is held up by potent and patient character beats, simmering like a slightly more believable NAPOLEON DYNAMITE. It feels a little reductive, but one could describe THE ALCHEMIST COOKBOOK as a horror comedy if that’s the case, it’s still an incredibly weird one. NOW I’LL NEVER GET LETTUCE STUCK IN THERE He attempts to speed up the process of his alchemy, calling out the attention of some supernatural force, which he may later regret. He slowly begins to suspect there’s someone out in the woods stalking him. Sean takes medication for an unknown reason, but the opening of the film finds him just about empty. His friend Cortez brings him groceries, but forgets the refill, leaving Sean on his own…or at least that’s what he assumes. This book is Sean’s guide to supposed wealth, teaching him how to conjure gold through abuse of science and potentially black magic. He clutches a small book to his chest, only revealing key pages to the audience, among which is an illustration of a terrifying beast with flowing teeth and beady eyes.

A borderline steampunk leg brace anchors him as he sets up shop in a ramshackle trailer, making contraptions out of plastic and old chemistry sets. Sean has retreated to the woods with his cat Kaspar. It’s what made Kevin Smith interesting in the first place, and carried Jim Jarmusch throughout the years. He’s refreshing, and is exactly the right measurement of outlandish. He’s into video games, lame pop culture, punk music, and extending his weirdness into his cinematic voice. It’s no masterpiece, but a solid example of cinematic confidence breeding unique, exciting results worth remembering.

In these specifics, Joel Potrykus is such a director, and presents a tiny but daring genre-defying outing in THE ALCHEMIST COOKBOOK. Perhaps even a reverence for slightly shoddy, but dedicated efforts of yesteryear’s horror/thriller cinema is necessary in the process. It requires a filmmaker so assured in their own tone and craft to pull off a steady, deadly crescendo with actual effect, content be damned. Yet most of the time, the Lovecraftian notion of the horrifyingly gargantuan and uncontrollable bubbling up as the mind does all the dirty work goes wasted. Scarier than any other cinematic trick is what’s merely implied: “the unknown.” Independent filmmakers can do this for crafty purposes, such as THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (not its sequel), or the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY penchant for keeping its audience in the dark until the last second.

The alchemist cookbook film