A Sinister Satanic Serial Killing Spree is Documented in Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire (FANTASTIC)
Title: Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire
First Non-Festival Release: TBD
Director: Stuart Ortiz
Writer: Stuart Ortiz
Runtime: 94 Minutes
Starring: Peter Zizzo, Terri Apple, Jessee J. Clarkson
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2024.
In 2010, Homicide Detectives Joe Kirby (Peter Zizzo) and Lexi Taylor (Terri Apple) are called to the crime scene of a butchered family and discover that it is linked back to a series of unrelated slayings from the 90s. Realizing they have a serial killer on their hands, the detectives work overtime to uncover his identity. With each passing day and more lives claimed, bringing Mr. Shiny (Jessee J. Clarkson) to justice before he can kill again is their top priority.
Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire is an effective faux documentary that unsettles with its captivating story and disturbing imagery.
Much like a real documentary that might play on a premiere streaming service, Strange Harvest meticulously plots its story in a way for viewers to discover the horrors that await them. Starting with the aftermath of a brutal family homicide, Strange Harvest hooks the viewer in with an intoxicating story of devil worship, a seemingly unsolvable string of intricately connected serial murders, and the harrowing search for justice. The mystery unfurls through a series of interviews with eyewitnesses and the detectives working the case explaining just how terrifying it was to live at the height of the murders. As the pieces fall together, the reign of terror led by Mr. Shiny gets clearer, and downright terrifying.
Mr. Shiny works as a believable serial killer because of his creepy backstory and Jessee J. Clarkson’s skin-crawling performance. Presented more as a man than a mythical being, Strange Harvest gives Mr. Shiny depth as a villain. While his rationale for killing may be a bit out there, his reaction to being pursued is not. Calculated, vindictive, and unsettlingly creative, Mr. Shiny is a nightmare for anyone trying to stop him. Covering his tracks while still carrying out his mission of destruction, Mr. Shiny anticipates almost every move of the police. When he does slip up or when he’s confronted by someone tampering with his plans, he strikes mercilessly cultivating an environment where few want to take chances and face his wrath. Knowing the brutality of the crime scenes he leaves in his wake, it’s understandable no one wants to be the next victim. Clarkson’s performance elevates Mr. Shiny’s mythology. Balancing the unassuming nature of a rather forgettable man with a deep capacity for cruelty, Clarkson inspires fear through his uncanny voice and dead-eye stare.
Fake documentaries and found footage films are difficult to get right due to the challenges of believability. Strange Harvest does a great job of making its reality feel like ours. Focusing on details that are sure to inspire intrigue and outrage, Strange Harvest takes on the same trappings that befall its industry. Revealing as many visceral details of the crimes themselves, implying police incompetence, and neglecting to make the victims more than the lurid details of their deaths, Strange Harvest copies the formula exceptionally well. Sensationalism sells. It’s clear that Strange Harvest understands this as it promises something other-worldly in its finale.
The one thing separating Strange Harvest from real documentaries is understanding that some footage shown would never be suitable for public knowledge in real life. Or at least one would think. Who knows where the industry will be after 5-10 more years of the forever blood-thirsty true crime crowd as it continues to bloom.
Through all of this, Strange Harvest pulsates this dark energy that never relents as it shows an unflinching portrayal of the violence left in the wake of its killer. While most of the murders are detailed in their aftermath rather than as they happen, Strange Harvest isn’t shy with its depiction of violence. Each crime scene is strewn with lurid details that will make most cringe in fear at how impossibly terrifying a fate like that would be. Gory and upsetting, the violence feels real in its depiction while remaining fantastic in its creativity. Footage of Mr. Shiny interacting with his victims or the public at large creates this sense of unease at his inexplicable ability to blend in and stand out at the same time.
Its only downfall comes in the form of the film’s egregious use of generative artificial intelligence to create a series of victim photos. More than a slap in the face of other creatives, this choice to feature AI slop for something that easily could have been created by humans signals a lack of consideration to audiences. Another example of the slippery slope getting slipperier, Strange Harvest falls short of absolute greatness because of its decision to prop up this lazy technology.
Easily one of the best of its kind, Strange Harvest is brutal, unnerving, and addictive in the way it tells its story. One of the scariest films of the festival and featuring some of the most shocking depictions of violence in this format, Strange Harvest succeeds in its desire to terrify its viewers. There is, however, no excuse for implementing job stealing, poorly rendered technology into a creative project. Beyond its ethical concerns, the generative AI looks bad! Let’s hope the sequel, or expansion of the universe, learns from this mistake. Strange Harvest is too interesting and fun to let the carnage stop here.
Overall Score? 8/10
