Friend of the World

Friend of the World
Official poster
Directed byBrian Patrick Butler
Screenplay byBrian Patrick Butler
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRay Gallardo
Edited byBrian Patrick Butler
Music byStefan Krut
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
Running time
50 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Friend of the World is a 2020 American independent black-and-white film written and directed by Brian Patrick Butler in his feature film debut, starring Nick Young and Alexandra Slade. The surreal experimental film takes place post-apocalypse and tells the story of a young filmmaker (Slade) and a military general (Young) trapped in a bunker with a mysterious threat.

Written as a dark comedy body horror film in 2016, the film was produced by Charybdis Pictures. Inspired by the threat of nuclear war and current political events, Butler also cited the works of Samuel Beckett, Jean-Paul Sartre, John Carpenter, and David Cronenberg as influences.

Filming took place at Gray Area Multimedia and other parts of San Diego County in May, 2017. It premiered August 15, 2020 at the Oceanside International Film Festival and was released on video on demand in 2021. The film was distributed by Cineverse and Troma Entertainment.

Film critics compared it to Night of the Living Dead, Dr. Strangelove, The Lighthouse, and 10 Cloverfield Lane. It has a 91% approval rating from 23 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, ranking in their best horror and science fiction films of 2021 and their 100 Best Zombie Movies.

  1. ^ Milkowski, Jenny (August 13, 2020). Enjoy the Oceanside International Film Festival from your own couch. CBS 8. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  2. ^ Halen, Adrian (December 23, 2021). "'Friend of the World' streaming and on demand Nov 22nd". Horror News Net. Retrieved February 26, 2022.