A trippy 35mm fever dream is bringing its hairy monsters to Canadian screens. “Lucid,” the debut feature from directors Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall, kicks off its theatrical run May 29 in Vancouver before expanding across North America this summer.

The film follows Mia, an art student facing expulsion, who downs a magical elixir to break through creative block. It works, but also unleashes dark creatures from her subconscious, including her mother transformed into a hairy beast. Shot on 35mm and Super 8 in Victoria, it’s got strong 90s art-punk energy.

“Lucid” made waves at Fantasia, where Ebert.com called it one of their 10 most anticipated films and dubbed it “darkly psychedelic.” It went on to screen at Brooklyn Horror, Sitges, and Fantaspoa, then took home Best First Canadian Feature at Victoria Film Festival.

The cast includes Caitlin Acken Taylor, Georgia Acken, and Vivian Vanderpuss from RuPaul’s Drag Race, who also designed and wears the hair monster costume. Acclaimed genre producer Peter Phok (Pearl) joined as executive producer earlier this year.

Filmoption is handling the Canadian release, while Dark Star Pictures will bring it to U.S. theaters and digital platforms. For indie filmmakers shooting on film stock and practical effects, this is what breaking through looks like.