moviefansme

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

Like Grave Encounters (2011) before it, Strange Harvest dissects a type of TV program and creates an imitation even better than the original. This is The Silence of the Lambs (1991) as an episode of Forensic Files (1996), a sinister episode of Law & Order (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 (2004) movies.

The Blair Witch Project (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.

After the movie, Joe Bob explains his theory of what the Babadook is, and his theory is brilliant. The Babadook is a terrific movie, and Joe Bob's commentary enhances it greatly. His trivia about the movie and the moviemaking is super interesting for fans, as is his analysis of the characters' actions and motivations.

The story reminds me of The Sixth Sense (1999), a tragic tale of a misunderstood kid and the mother who is trying to manage her child as well as her own situation. Joe Bob explains that this, Jennifer Kent's first movie, took a long time to make, had a very limited budget, and wasn't promoted well with a limited theatrical distribution. The Babadook is a hidden gem, well worth checking out. Thanks Joe Bob for helping more fans discover it.

What a disappointment of a movie. Longlegs (2024) wants to be The Silence of the Lambs (1991) crossed with Zodiac (2007) but instead is an imitation of horror made by people who don't really get horror. It's not scary (although it has a few scary moments), the evil is cookie cutter and lacks motivation, and the ending is predictable, lackluster, and inconsequential. The twists and surprises lack plausibly, they seem like the writer wrote himself into corners and had to find easy ways out. People who say this is scary probably scare easily and don't really like horror movies. People expecting to see an amazing performance by Nicolas Cage should know that he is intense but has very little screen time, and his titular character ultimately has limited impact on the overall plot. Maika Monroe gives a very good performance for a character who isn't written very well. Blair Underwood is back and gives a good performance of a character who should be steady but ricochets randomly. The movie has some good qualities but ultimately loses its way.