Strange Harvest

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.

I went in completely blind, didn't know much about this movie, other than the few trailers I seen at the theater. I was interested in it, cause it was an indy horror movie, and lately indy movies been turning out better storyline than big budget blockbuster. As soon as the started , man this is true crime documentary and I started to lose interest, then I was thinking this was a docudrama. I was oddly invested in this movie by staying watching it to the end. A serial killer named mr.shiny reeked havoc on a city for decades without being caught and 2 homicide detective doing everything in their power to bring justice to these hurting families. As it turns out this movie was shot in a documentary style, but it is a mockumentry. Kudos to the creative team behind this movie.

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

Like ESP - Fenomeni paranormali (2011) before it, Strange Harvest dissects a type of TV program and creates an imitation even better than the original. This is Il silenzio degli innocenti (1991) as an episode of Forensic Files (1996), a sinister episode of Law & Order - I due volti della giustizia (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 Saw - L'enigmista (2004) movies.

The Blair Witch Project - Il mistero della strega di 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 vibes of Fincher's Zodiac combined with Lovecraftian cosmic horror, expertly presented in a found footage/true crime documentary format. It's unsettling, interesting, and compelling, with some great practical effects and an intriguing antagonist. I absolutely love found footage horror, I think it's a sub-genre that, when put in the right hands, can lead to some truly creative filmmaking. This is now a new favorite of mine, and has the potential to become a classic of the genre.

Strange Harvest had so much promise, blending its true crime element seamlessly into an eerie, gripping story. For most of the runtime, I was hooked with the pacing, atmosphere, and slow-burn tension were top notch. Unfortunately, the ending completely fizzled. There's barely any satisfying conclusion, and not even a clever final twist to leave on a high note. It's such a shame, because the rest was so strong. A 6/10 for me. Worth watching, but the final moments left me more frustrated than thrilled.