Just how far can a horror film push the boundaries of what audiences can stomach? Stuart Ortiz’s upcoming “Strange Harvest” seems determined to find out, delivering what early reviewers call a “skin-crawling,” “hair-raising rollercoaster” of horror that blends true crime documentary aesthetics with unrelenting cosmic dread.
Set in California’s sprawling Inland Empire, the R-rated film chronicles a series of ritualistic murders attributed to a killer known only as “Mr. Shiny,” who leaves victims exsanguinated, mutilated, and arranged with cryptic occult symbols. The clinical description alone is enough to make casual viewers squirm, but Ortiz, known for the “Grave Encounters” franchise, apparently cranks the visual disturbance to eleven with graphic crime scenes that would make even “Mindhunter” fans reach for their remotes. Following the tradition of German Expressionism, the film uses stark shadows and distorted angles to heighten the psychological impact of each scene.
Ortiz’s “Mr. Shiny” brings exsanguinated corpses and occult arrangements that make “Mindhunter” look like bedtime reading.
The movie’s found-footage approach, once a tired horror trope that peaked somewhere between “Blair Witch” and “Paranormal Activity 4,” gets a fresh injection of nightmare fuel by grounding its cosmic horror elements in the familiar suburban landscape of 2010. It’s basically what would happen if “True Detective” season one had a baby with “Hereditary,” and then that baby grew up watching too many episodes of “Forensic Files.” The film’s overall supernatural and occult elements add a terrifying dimension to an already chilling story of serial murder.
Saban Films’ marketing isn’t shying away from the film’s disturbing content, practically daring horror aficionados to test their mettle against what they’re positioning as 2025’s most unsettling cinematic experience. The film has already gained recognition, winning the prestigious Audience Choice Award at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. The strategy seems solid—after all, nothing attracts hardcore genre fans like the promise of being genuinely disturbed.
Will “Strange Harvest” actually claim the crown of most disturbing film of 2025? That remains to be seen, but with its blend of occult symbolism, ritualistic violence, and cosmic horror wrapped in documentary realism, it’s certainly coming out swinging.
One thing’s certain: this isn’t the feel-good movie of the summer, and for horror fans chasing that next level of disturbance, that’s exactly the point.