Strange Nature

This only had a rating of about 5 when I watched it. I was bemused at the extremely low score because the movie had some strong acting performances with the main female lead and her father. Decent script and cinematography. Also a quite heartwarming and engaging sub plots involving deformed residents and eventually a red neck showdown.

I didn't actually realise this was meant to be a full blown horror movie until the end. It was a decent environmental conspiracy film that I thought was based on real events. I would have scored the movie as an 8 but for one appallingly bad final scene that was just completely out of place with the rest of the film and ruined its credibility for me. I wont spoil it but it was a cheap shock tactic right at the end. I can't believe none of the writing or production crew said "No" to that because it was so ridiculous.

Anyway, definitely worth a watch.

"Strange Nature" sets up an eco-horror with classic tropes, exaggerated outcomes, and a sense environmental awareness that culminate in a nicely passed creature feature. The film is reminiscent of the classic 70's nature nightmare "The Prophecy" and a heavy dose of 80's terror "The Curse". The story is as poignant today as similar films in years past. Probably more so since it seems everyone in charge is either asleep at the wheel and lacking oversite.

Anyway James Ojala does well with his first feature. He creates a community filled with characters that you like, or you hate. Either way you become invested. At times the story does seem to lag a little but not in the "I'm bored" sense. Just that there is a lot of story and drama unwrapped in "Strange Nature". I almost forgot it was a true horror movie until the horror happened. You get bits of the creature feature nightmare as the story builds, but the climax to the real nightmare is stellar.

The special effects and horror elements are quality. The mutations , the atmosphere and the actual creature design all are done nicely, kudos to Ojala. Those scenes where we see the effects, are realistic, graphic moment of awesomeness. The settings and music score are somewhat basic but work well with everything else happening.

Overall "Strange Nature" is a great creature feature drama. For full throttle action horror fans, this film will fall short. But it is worth watching. The story is full bodied, with classicly cool characters. The message is timeless and plays a bit as an homage to eco-horrors from the 70's. Plus the overall watch is entertaining.

First: I found it interesting that all the 8/9/10 all come in one cluster and all single review profiles. I don't recall hearing about this "true life event". It may have happened. This trope has been done better. However the film is what we are here to talk about. For having several known stars and assumably a decent enough budget. The production values were worse than most of the stuff on the SciFi channel. The horror is the acting and writing. Save yourself don't waste your time.

This is one of those movies that's on the left side of the parabolic curve of the rating of movies. So bad that it becomes good again. Watch this with a few friends and beers and you'll have a great night.

Ridiculous conversations, really bad special effects, and awkward acting are this movie's core elements. The story line is simple and apprehensible, the events happening around it are not. But this is not a movie to reason or think about. If logic is a problem, it means you're just not drunk enough yet.

Well-acted, great effects, good characters - I actually love this movie. Brings to mind classics like Prophecy and Long Weekend.