Writer/Director Stuart Ortiz, one half of the filmmaking duo known as The Vicious Brothers (Grave Encounters, Extraterrestrial), is no stranger to blurring fact and fiction. The filmmaker used a reality TV show to send a film crew to their doom in the 2011 found footage gem Grave Encounters. Ortiz’s latest, Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire, makes for an exciting evolution in his craft.
Framed entirely as a grisly true crime documentary, Strange Harvest tracks two detectives’ pursuit of a grisly serial killer’s murder spree across San Bernardino County. Talking heads and case detectives Joe Kirby (Peter Zizzo) and Lexi Taylor (Terri Apple) investigate the mysterious and elusive “Mr. Shiny,” a serial killer who leaves little in the way of clues despite the ghastly, horrific nature of his crimes spanning from the early ‘90s to the early aughts.
Ortiz weaves an impressive, almost dizzying level of mythology that unfurls slowly, befitting of a decades-long case that’s continued to stump authorities. The clues come piecemeal, as enigmatic as Mr. Shiny, made all the more fascinating by the shocking crime scenes. How those clues eventually come together is only one part of the equation for the horror.
While true crime does get gnarly in general, Ortiz dials up the intensity further to horror movie-worthy levels that would rival the “Hannibal” TV series. Strange Harvest casts an unflinching eye at Mr. Shiny’s handiwork, and Josh Russell’s special makeup effects go far in capturing the killer’s ruthless, ritualistic carnage. The corpses look real, lending a skin-crawling factor the more creative Mr. Shiny gets. Look to a particularly icky use of leeches, a favorite murder tool of this bizarre killer, to bring both clues and dread in equal measure. It’s not just dead bodies, either. The documentary crew interviews a rare survivor of Mr. Shiny and his disfigured appearance startles.
Matching the high quality of the special makeup and gore effects is the overall production value. Ortiz meticulously recreates the true crime documentary in every facet, fully immersing viewers and adding a layer of authenticity. That’s matched by its lead detectives. Zizzo and Apple carry themselves like hardened detectives, delivering naturalistic performances that further sells the documentary format.
The closer the detectives get to finally catching their killer and getting answers, the more Ortiz increases the fear factor. The killer finally stops being so elusive, and his masked, boogeyman-like modus operandi yields a few potent chills. It’s a steady escalation of horror, layering in subtle clues that the horror extends beyond serial killer thrills, teasing a cosmic nightmare.
Ortiz is so committed to the documentary format, splicing in news and police body cam footage, that the climax falters slightly. While fitting and appropriate for the story’s dense lore, the footage breaks up and gets spotty as the detectives venture into the woods at night, leaving viewers to fill in a few blanks with their imagination and the sound design. The less flashy finale, compared to some of the grisly crime scenes, might make for a polarizing payoff.
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.
Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire made its world premiere at Fantastic Fest and is awaiting distribution.
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