Craving is a 2023 American horror film about a group of drug addicts besieged by a group of mysterious figures inside a rural bar. As withdrawal starts to set in, a secret one of them is carrying threatens to destroy them all.
Directed by J. Horton (VHS Violence; The Campus; The Other Side; Monsters in the Woods; Rise of the Undead) from a screenplay co-written with Gregory Blair.
The movie stars Felissa Rose, Al Gomez, Holly Rockwell, Kevin Caliber, Ashley Undercuffler, Xavier Roe, Likun Jing, Rachel Amanda Bryant, Toya Morman, Gregory Blair, Frankie Guzman, Miranda Bourke, Scott Alan Ward, Greg Tally, Zera Lynd, Robert C. Pullman, Kelsie Mathews, Michael Turner Tucker and Matt Weinglass.
Reviews:
“Craving has a large cast, which is good and bad. But what it lacks in character specificity, it more than makes up for in sheer thrills and chills. The players are all good to excellent, and the lighting is simply remarkable. Plus, the creature design at the end is absolutely killer!” 8 out of 10, Film Threat
” …Craving is a slow character drama for most of its runtime, and as such won’t appeal to everyone. By the time the movie actually fulfills its promise of being “a monster movie,” all bets are off and the action is breakneck and bloody. If you’re a fan of movies like Feast and you like a little more drama with your horror, this one is likely to be right up your alley.” The Horror Revolution
“With the vast majority of the film set in one space, Holly Rockwell’s production design serves up an atmosphere simultaneously comfortable and claustrophobic […] J. Horton’s Craving serves up creepy thrills and monsters chills and mixes them all into the genre mashup you may not know you need but, oh man, you absolutely need it.” 3.5 out of 5, The Independent Critic
“Horton does an admirable job directing the large ensemble cast, keeping the characters interesting, and maintaining a fast-paced story that never gets bogged down in the multitude of characters […] When the monster does finally emerge, Craving is a rewarding blood-soaked extravaganza that sinks every dollar of its budget into the splatters and spills, spewing across the screen.” Grade: B Influx magazine
“There is a great reveal of what they are up against but it is getting there which takes too long. The movie can’t be denied with its commitment to the gore effects we get. It just would have been nicer to get there earlier and keep the story a little bit simpler.” 3 out of 5, Movie Reviews 101
“When the horror does come it was quite unexpected with the angle they went for, I had expected something far more traditional than the Stranger Things-esque direction this went in. I did enjoy watching this, especially with the great special effects, but it did feel at times like there was only such a large cast in order to give a larger body count.” 7 out of 10, The Rotting Zombie
“Many horror directors are no longer after simple story lines. With the search for less metaphorical approaches to filmmaking, directors are after a clear and direct connection to modern day societal woes. Craving is no different. By chipping away at rather personnel stories that impact most Americans, Craving gets at some very real and very monstrous ailments that we all face.” 3 out of 5, The Scariest Things
“With such a large cast list and a running time of eighty-three minutes including credits, there’s little time for anything but rudimentary character development and I’m not a fan of starting at the end story presentation, but that’s really all I have for complaints […] It’s an enjoyable film with a solid buildup and a satisfying payoff that should take care of your creature feature cravings.” 4 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony
Trailer:
Free to watch online on YouTube:
Release:
In the US, Craving premiered on March 8, 2023, at the Laemmle NoHo 7 and was released by Indie Rights Movie On-Demand (VOD) and Digital Platforms on the same day.
Cast and characters:
Felissa Rose … Les; Al Gomez … Hunter; Holly Rockwell … Gail; Kevin Caliber … Mac; Ashley Undercuffler … Frenzy; Xavier Roe … Will; Likun Jing … Lo; Rachel Amanda Bryant … Shiloh; Toya Morman … CeCe; Gregory Blair … Travis; Frankie Guzman … Rudy; Miranda Bourke … Rylee; Scott Alan Ward … Jared Scott; Greg Tally … Red; Zera Lynd … Lori; Robert C. Pullman … Gerry
Kelsie Mathews … Simone; Michael Turner Tucker … Carl; Matt Weinglass … Kent; Kim Estes … Officer Shaw; Thomas Haley … Officer Washington; Brook Hubbs … Frank; Joseph D. Webb … John; Jake Bucher … Paul; Sage Mayer … Young Will
Technical specs:
1 hour 23 minutes
Audio: Dolby Surround 7.1
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