Eldritch USA

I was lucky enough to see this movie at Alamo Drafthouse in May 2023. The movie is a mix of genres - part comedy, part horror, part musical.

The cast and direction are all superb. Nobody ever puts a foot wrong, performance-wise. With the exception of a fight scene at the end and some small technical issues that most non-filmmakers will never pick up on, this never feels like a homegrown indie movie. It punches way above its weight. I actually thought the majority of the film's sound had been ADR'd as the sound quality was so good.

The comedy was better than most so-called comedy films. It's genuinely funny and had a few really good laugh-out-loud moments.

The movie is part musical, and all of the songs are superb and you'll find yourself foot-tapping and singing along.

You will enjoy this film if you are looking for something different and fun and you appreciate creative and original ideas in a movie. It really is a breath of fresh air and I hope the filmmakers and cast of this film go onto greater things as they absolutely deserve it!

Highly recommended.

It occurred to me while suffering through this that maybe the people who made it thought they were making the next Rocky Horror Picture Show, something that would become a cult hit. Well imagine if Rocky Horror had been created by loads of people with no talent and you'd have this film. There are so many things wrong here, I'll start with the one positive, it was shot well, as in the photography was razor sharp. It also seemed as if the entire film were shot and then every ounce of dialogue was dubbed later, the sound was just unnatural. The songs are mercifully short and none are good. If this has a soundtrack CD you won't be buying it. While there is one actress who is actually appealing and can carry a tune, the cast here is bottom of the barrel. The entire film has all the appeal of a really badly written, poorly put together dinner theatre production. At 1 hour 40 minutes it felt much longer. Lots of boring talk trying to be witty and I didn't chuckle once. While at first I was hoping it might get better, eventually it became annoying and then I just wanted it to end already. There just is no talent here at all. I have no idea how some of these actors got their roles, but honestly the dialogue and songs are so bad it didn't even matter. At best this is worth watching as some sort of oddity, but I doubt you will do what I did, make it through to the end.

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.

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.