Strange Harvest

True-crime programs on TV wish they could be this good.

Like Fenómeno siniestro (2011) before it, Strange Harvest dissects a type of TV program and creates an imitation even better than the original. This is El silencio de los inocentes (1991) as an episode of Forensic Files (1996), a sinister episode of La ley y el orden (1990) taken to its horrific logical extreme.

I saw Strange Harvest at the Nevermore Film Festival. It's a simple, low budget portrayal of a straightforward premise (at least until the end), yet masterfully executed. Peter Zizzo and Terri Apple are quite believable as average suburban police detectives pursuing what they uncover to be an extraordinary crime spree. By telling the story in chronological order, the audience knows what the detectives knew at the time and share their confusion in trying to make sense of the crimes, the lack of evidence, and their frustration in trying to identify the perpetrator and track him down because he disappears like a ghost. Each crime is different, and one in particular in a swimming pool is as diabolical as the traps in the Juego macabro (2004) movies.

El proyecto de la bruja de Blair (1999), the mother of all found footage films, used its documentary film style to seem totally real. Strange Harvest creates a similar fake reality that makes the audience feel like they're learning about an incident that really happened. The story's simplicity and its streamlined portrayal make it all the more convincing. I've watched a lot of big budget horror movies that aren't nearly as compelling as Strange Harvest.

There's an extra scene after the credits, be sure to stay for that.

The trailer made this look like it was a hardcore, disturbing horror film. It was not. It's all framed within a fake true crime episode and we truly don't get to see much of the action, more so we have it described to us. Color me disappointed, but not entirely.

I will give the film props. It does the true crime bit pretty well. The acting is mostly good, there's a certain authenticity that's upheld throughout. They did a fine job of making this fake mocumentary look as real as possible. I appreciated that.

On the flipside, the film delivers some great unintentional comedy along the way. Things definitely intended to be scary made my whole theater crack up at how silly it was and some of the dialog was outright bad. Not a deal breaker though.

The story also becomes a snoozer about two thirds of the way through. For a film that's only about 90 or so minutes long, that's not great. It felt like the story really goes nowhere at the end. I would elaborate but spoilers.

Overall, I couldn't recommend spending money on it, but it wasn't the worst thing I've seen and it was creative on a few fronts. With some tighter writing and editing, I'm positive they could come out with a sequel to this and it would be a good flick. As it stands though, the film was just ok for me.

2.5 sacrifices out of 5.

Saw this at Nevermore Film Festival in Durham, NC. This film nails the true-crime documentary format, with two hard-boiled detectives relating the story of how they worked to track down a serial killer in San Bernardino County, CA. It's like an extended edition of Dateline crossed with horror, and that's a grand compliment.

There are a lot of killings for the detectives to describe, but leads Peter Zizzo (Det. Joe Kirby) and Terri Apple (Det. Alexis 'Lexi' Taylor) keep it intensely interesting. Their sincere performance helps ground the film, which has a lot of pretty horrifying details to relate.

Although their testimony are mostly filmed seated (separately) in a studio, there are plenty of on-site details of the murders, and insightful and realistic interviews with the people who knew the victims.

The identity of the killer, who calls himself Mr. Shiny, and his reason for his killing spree is kept partially unknown to us until late in the film, which helps slowly ratchet up the suspense from beginning to end.

The film is quite gory, as it doesn't shy away from showing us the aftermath of the murders, each grisly in its own warped way.

When you realize the real reason for the murders (which you might guess sooner than I), the film takes on another dimension of fright.

To finish, if you like police procedurals, but find them too tame, this fictional account is a remarkable likeness of the format, as long as you're ready for some disturbing images.

This film is everything horror fans could ask for. Strange Harvest kept me on edge with brutal killings and psychological horror. This feels like a fresh take on the mockumentary style - bodycams shots etc adding to the realism, pulled me into the story. The supernatural elements are woven in seamlessly, and the film's unsettling atmosphere grips you from start to finish. The performances are incredible, especially from the non-actors who make the documentary feel so real. This movie is an absolute must-watch for fans of horror, true crime, and found footage-it's one of the best in recent years, and in the time where every man and his dog has a "Found-footage-style horror" TikTok account; this is every bit worth the watch.

Strange Harvest is a fascinating hybrid on paper a horror mockumentary that merges the unsettling realism of true crime with the creeping dread of a slasher film. Directed by Stuart Ortiz (Grave Encounters), the film chronicles the return of a long-dormant serial killer known as "Mr. Shiny," who resurfaces in Southern California's Inland Empire after a 20-year absence. Told through interviews with detectives, witnesses, and survivors, the story unfolds much like a Netflix docuseries or an Investigation Discovery special, but with the menace of a fictional monster lurking between the lines.

If you're a fan of the ID Channel or Netflix crime documentaries especially those built on talking head interviews, crime scene photos, and slow burn narrative reveals this movie is squarely in your wheelhouse. Ortiz nails the structure of a prestige docuseries, right down to the ominous voiceovers, grainy police footage, and staged reenactments that look just believable enough to make you forget you're watching a scripted film. The two lead detectives, played with grit and weary realism, give the story a grounded center, and the Inland Empire setting brings a sun-bleached, suburban eeriness to the proceedings.

That said, while the format is well executed, it's also limiting. There's a compelling protagonist here, and Mr. Shiny himself is an intriguing, cryptic villain-but the rigid docu-style storytelling keeps them both at arm's length. We're always watching them through someone else's filter, rather than fully inhabiting their world. The horror elements, when they arrive, are effective but sparse, sometimes feeling like they're spliced in rather than organically growing from the story.

This is where Strange Harvest may divide audiences. For true crime devotees, the authenticity and attention to procedural detail will be a treat. For horror fans looking for immersive tension or sustained scares, the docu-style pacing might feel like a slow drip that never fully erupts. And for viewers like me, who see the potential in the premise but want more than just a convincing imitation of a streaming documentary, it's hard not to wish the film broke free of its own structure.

Ultimately, Strange Harvest is a well crafted experiment that succeeds at what it's trying to do-recreate the feeling of a prestige true-crime do, but in doing so, it may have boxed itself in. It's a film that feels almost too convincing for its own good, leaving you wondering if the same story might have worked better told without the mockumentary constraints.