Eldritch USA

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but found it was a great mixture of horror/comedy (my favorite genre) with the addition of some great music! Picture Army of Darkness meets Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I did catch a few small mistakes in the film, (one scene accidentally showed the name of the town they were filming in instead of Eldritch, and the lip syncing on the songs wasn't right on a few songs), but they weren't enough to distract from the plot.

My granddaughter and I watched it together, and we both agreed it was fun, so it's definitely a film for young and old alike!

Right, well I didn't know that this was a musical, and had I known, I would most likely not have opted to watch it. Musicals is not really my cup of tea, aside from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Grease". But coming to learn that it was a zombie musical, I must admit that I buckled in and opted to check it out.

But writer Ryan Smith utterly failed to conjure up a script that entertained me. And I have to say that I am very perplexed that his 2023 musical titled "Eldritch USA" has managed to snag an 8.2 rating here on IMDb, as of this very moment while I am reviewing it.

I managed to suffer through a staggering 42 minutes of absolute boredom and pointlessness before tossing the towel in the right. It was painfully obvious by then that the contents of the musical would not improve for the better. And in those 42 minutes there wasn't anything even remotely zombiesque to be found anywhere.

Needless to say that I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in "Eldritch USA", but I was not particularly impressed. Sure, the performances were adequate, but it was nothing memorable or outstanding.

This is not something that I would recommend anyone to waste 99 minutes on watching. And it most certainly is not something I will return to attempt finish watching.

My rating of directors Ryan Smith and Tyler Foreman's 2023 musical "Eldritch USA" lands on a generous two out of ten stars.

The story, sans, musicals, COULD be decent. The problem is it's exceptionally slow to progress because every 5 to 7 minutes there's another way-too-long musical interlude.

They've basically created their own distractions by adding musical to break up any tension, comedy, suspense, etc.

The audio, to me, all sounds like it's a looped 100%. As if there is little no actual live filmed audio and it was all added in post. That would make sense for the musicals (even though I disliked them) but even when characters are merely speaking to each other, it sounds looped.

Meh.. I lost interest QUICKLY due to the musical interludes. Ended up fast forwarding through most of it after roughly 30 minutes and the 4th musical number.

Acting was passable, not bad. And singing was good however misguided the idea was.

But ultimately..... ------- PASS ------

This is camp horror at its finest. Great writing, acting, and you can tell a lot of effort went into its production. It's also a musical, which makes it that much better, in my opinion.

All the actors have great chemistry and timing, and you could tell they were having fun.

The story really plays with tricky family dynamics, and sibling rivalry, as well as the lengths people are willing to go for their family.

All in all, I definitely enjoyed watching this movie with my friends. It was just the right amount of horror, wit, and music.

Highly recommend for those who enjoy the horror/comedy genre.

I laughed so much watching this. It's nerdy and fun! It's Eldritch horror meets the American Midwest and they pulled it off with the perfect touch. Even tho it is comedy horror, I'd say it's safe for most of the family. There's a musical element that elevates the experience of the film, however I wouldn't call this a musical. I still have the "spell" they sing stuck in my head months after watching it. I'd love to see more from this creator. It's a smaller budget film but that doesn't take away from how enjoyable it is. You'll be glad you watched this. Bonus: If you're from the Springfield, Missouri area, you'll also have the pleasure of spotting familiar places and faces.