I recently had the opportunity to attend the venerable (29th year) H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Ore. The HPLFF prides itself on showing features and shorts produced by individual filmmakers and small production companies. What they present over a two and one-half day program is definitely of mixed quality, but then, even the finest wine has its dregs.
One of the full length features presented – definitely not the dregs – was “Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire,” which had its regional premiere at the festival.
The conceit here is that the material is presented as a “true crime” documentary – and beautifully done at that. The actors portraying police detectives have their everyday, deadpan, “I am not an actor” portrayals down pat thanks to director/writer Stuart Ortiz (“Extraterrestrial”).
A serial killer is terrorizing San Bernardino County, Calif. This huge county makes up a part of the state known as the “inland empire,” and stretches east of Los Angeles all the way to the Nevada border.
At first, the police don’t realize a serial killer is at work, especially because of a 15-year hiatus between a previous set of killings and the current ones. The killer is dubbed “Mr. Shiny,” because one of the clues is the last name he used on a motel register. The killings are methodical and brutal, and bizarre symbols are left at some of them. Even worse, Mr. Shiny sends poorly written notes, taunting the police.
I won’t go through the process they use, or the results of their investigation – that would spoil your enjoyment should you see the film. Just let me say it is beautifully and convincingly written and directed by Ortiz and stars Peter Zizzo (“Impulse”) and Terri Apple (“Me Too Nice”) as the detectives, and Jessee J. Clarkson (“The Vault”) as the methodical, relentlessly terrifying Mr. Shiny.
Ultimately, the story reveals the cosmic madness behind all the murders – sacrifices would be a better description – but in Lovecraftian fashion, there is always more to reveal.
This film will be enjoyed by those who favor police procedurals, well-crafted stories, and the supernatural. However, the latter, while definitely present, is kept to a minimum. The blood, gore, and staging of murder victims may be too much for some viewers, especially given the verisimilitude of the film. The trick is to remember this is a documentary homage – and an excellent one – with all the twists and turns, ups and downs, of a real investigation.
Highly recommended.
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