Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire is a 2024 true crime mockumentary film about a serial killer named Mr Shiny who terrorised Southern California for almost two decades.
The movie was written and directed by Stuart Ortiz (Grave Encounters; Far West; co-writer of It Stains the Sands Red; Extraterrestrial; Grave Encounters 2).
The movie stars Peter Zizzo, Terri Apple, Andy Lauer, Matthew Peschio, Janna Cardia, Thomas Wolfe Jr, Tim Shelburne, Christina Helene Bra and LA Williams
Plot:
In July 2010, the San Bernardino County authorities faced one of the most bizarre crime scenes they’d ever encountered. Alerted by a concerned friend, local police arrived at the victims’ home, and the murders they discovered shook them to the ground. The crime scene showed ritualistic aspects, and quickly, one of the detectives recognized a symbol painted on the ceiling in the victims’ blood linking back to a serial killer they’d chased in 1995 before the killer seemingly took a fifteen-year break…
Reviews:
“Strange Harvest brings the creep factor, an impressively gruesome display of crime scenes, and a skin-crawling villain with cosmic machinations in mind. Ortiz pushes the subgenre forward with a heady and unsettling immersion into the realm of true crime, with a distinctly horror twist. A post-credits scene only adds to the intrigue, instilling hope that Ortiz will continue to test the boundaries of found footage and faux documentary-styled horror.” ★★★★ Bloody Disgusting
“Yes, the film shocks and some of the sequences are tough to stomach, but at least the victims are given a story. Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the inland Empire contains plenty of disturbing moments that showcase Mr. Shiny’s heinous crimes. Yet, at its best moments, Ortiz’s latest film critiques the culture’s obsession with serial killers.” 7/10 Horror Buzz
” …Ortiz steps in, broadening the horizons of the documentary form both to accommodate cosmic horror via his own, more uncanny filmmaking, and to show a struggle between cop and killer that, as the stars align, might span multiple, parallel dimensions. It as though here, like in Michael Hurst’s recent Transmission (2023), beneath all television’s slick packaging, something Lovecraftian lurks in the darkness just off-screen, biding its time to reemerge into our world and to leech off its reality.” Projected Figures
“Despite some slower pacing in the middle and perhaps slightly too much exposition, Strange Harvest succeeds as a found footage experience. Pulling from the true crime playbook, Ortiz crafts some memorable images. In other moments, it’s a scary experience, allowing us to feel the gravity of the violence on screen. Many horror films do not succeed at this aspect, but Strange Harvest seemingly starts every scene with this idea.” 8/10 Sunshine State Cineplex
Teaser trailer:
Release:
Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire has its world premiere at the 2024 Fantastic Fest.
Country of origin:
United States
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