Movie Review: Strange Harvest

Strange Harvest, by its very nature, was walking a tightrope from the start. Which makes it even more impressive when you consider the absolute classic that it turned out to be.

Pitching itself as a mockumentary true crime drama that follows the story of a serial killer in Los Angeles whose ritualistic crimes spanned decades, Stuart Ortiz (one half of the Vicious Brothers, the people behind my beloved Grave Encounters) had one hell of a job on his hands with Strange Harvest. A mockumentary is a tough kind of movie to pull off at the best of times; to balance compelling storytelling with an immersive world that doesn’t pull the viewer out of the narrative with too-obviously-fictional contrivances is a big ask, let alone doing a version of it set against the backdrop of the true crime genre which has become such a huge part of pop culture in the last few years. And then, on top of that, Strange Harvest promises horror, too – frankly, there’s so much that could go wrong here, I couldn’t help but go into it with a little scepticism.

But, frankly, I think this movie might be one of the most singularly impressive achievements I’ve seen in film this year. The movie is a marvel of meticulousness, not a detail of place in creating that real-life feel; from the cameras used in the 90s home video flashbacks to the pitch-perfect styling of the characters to their respective time periods to the editing and music that could have been plucked from any Netflix true crime show, what Oritz has done in creating this complete immersion allows for his story to shine without a moment of second-guessing. There wasn’t a second in this movie where I thought “hmm, well, that doesn’t seem quite right” – ten minutes in, and you could swear that this is real, and he never lets that drop for an instant.

I was especially impressed at the deftness with which the horror was woven through this story. The horror could well have come just from the exceptional violence and cruelty exhibited by the villain, and it’s hard to imagine genuine scares not serving as something of an immersion-breaker. Oritz makes scant and careful use of found footage to deliver a few profoundly unsettling moments, even touching on some cosmic horror in the story’s third act (and makes use of some excellent real effects to give us the gore when the time is right – if I never have to see a leech again, it’ll be too soon).

And the story that we get – of Leslie Sykes, the so-called Mr Shiny killer, and the bizarre nature of his violent and ritualistic killings – is one that I found really compelling. Peter Zizzo and Terri Apple star as the two cops who led the investigation into the case, and their often-regretful guidance through the series of crimes build up the presence of Sykes long before he arrives on-screen (played with a dominating and eerie presence by Jessee J. Clarkson). I appreciate the restraint on the more oblique parts of the narrative, leaving plenty of room for interpretation based on the juicy esoterica that Skyes scatters through his crimes.

Strange Harvest is probably one of my favourite films of the year so far, and without a doubt the most impressive release this Halloween season – accomplished, confident, and polished, it delivers complete immersion into a story that’s equal parts dark, horrifying, and compelling. I would love to hear your take on it (or your interpretations!) in the comments below, so jump in and let’s get to reaping!

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By Lou MacGregor

(header image via Variety)