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Wow. SAVAGE HARVEST really takes the cake as the most visually stunning
shot-on-video movie I've seen. It's got an aesthetic quality not often
found at budgets this low, and it doesn't disappoint as a good ol'
gorefest, either. This one should definitely please fans of EVIL
DEAD-style horror who don't mind the micro budget.
A group of teenagers (don't all horror movie plots start like that?) go
down to a girl's uncle's lakeside house for the weekend to help clear
out an old storage shed. The uncle tells the kids some old Indian
folklore about the Trail of Tears, and shows them some rocks that a
recent
flood has just washed up. The rocks have strange markings on them, and
they supposedly contain demonic spirits that can possess the living only
if a descendent of the Cherokee elder comes onto the land. Since none
of them are Cherokee, they have nothing to worry about, right?
Yeah, uh-huh. Right.
As soon as night falls, they'll each be struggling to survive against
their fang-sprouting friends who suddenly have an appetite for human
flesh. And even though we've seen dozens of flicks like this one
before, this one outshines many of its bigger budgeted peers in terms of
pure style and fun. You get all the flesh-eating, throat-ripping,
screwdriver-stabbing, chainsaw-roaring entertainment you could possibly
want -- all in a nice, efficient micro-budget package.
Yes, SAVAGE HARVEST even has some effective scares in store.
Writer-director Eric Stanze obviously knows his craft, and he gives us
some very creative camerawork to boot. Stylish and extremely
well-directed, SAVAGE HARVEST boasts some cool gore effects as well.
The effects are even more impressive considering the shoestring budget.
Even the soundtrack, with songs by St. Louis pop-folk-rock band Hotel
Faux Pas, is great.
I only wish the characters had been more than cardboard cutouts. If
this had been made on a bigger budget with better developed characters
(and perhaps a more experienced cast), this one could have been even
better. Maybe I'm nit-picking here, since I really did enjoy this
movie. And, boy, that Eric Stanze has a lot of talent -- I'll be
keeping an eye on this guy. And now I'm all hyped-up to see his 1999
release, ICE FROM THE SUN. If you loved the EVIL DEAD movies, I think
you just might like SAVAGE HARVEST. But, sorry, there's no bad-ass
one-liner spouting character named Ash in this one.
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