Mutant boys and their dogs.

Chris Cunningham is one sick bastard. And for that, I love him.

His latest foray in mindfuckery is Rubber Johnny, a six minute film set to Aphex Twin's "AFX237 V7," which tells the sad tale of a mutant boy and his faithful dog. The two are locked away in the basement, as young Johnny's parents suck and he's prone to epic freak-outs*. Perfectly synched to the music, violently edited, and disturbing beyond words, it's a classic slice of Cunningham. Sure Johnny is a melding of Lynchian (horrifying-but-entirely-innocent freak children) and Cronenbergian (fetishizing of body decay/mutation/dysmorphia) sensibilities, but aesthetically who else could be responsible for it?

Best of all, when pieces of the film surfaced on the interwebs, people actually thought the film was legit and were apparently very concerned for the well-being of poor Johnny. (In their defense, the film is shot on infrared DV, giving it a Blair Witch/One Night In Paris sheen of realism.)

Check out the sickness here or order the DVD here.
(A warning: best viewed if (1) you're not epileptic and (2) have an empty stomach.)

*Cunningham's official summary:
Rubber Johnny documents a 16-year-old, inbred mutant's solitary existence, locked in a pitch-black basement by his ashamed parents. They are TV addict rednecks who occasionally feed Johnny and yell at him for making noise. Johnny's only company in the basement is his little dog. His dog's I.Q. far outstrips Johnny's, who is a completely insane, bi-polar imbecile.