Strange Harvest

Strange Harvest is a fascinating hybrid on paper a horror mockumentary that merges the unsettling realism of true crime with the creeping dread of a slasher film. Directed by Stuart Ortiz (Grave Encounters), the film chronicles the return of a long-dormant serial killer known as "Mr. Shiny," who resurfaces in Southern California's Inland Empire after a 20-year absence. Told through interviews with detectives, witnesses, and survivors, the story unfolds much like a Netflix docuseries or an Investigation Discovery special, but with the menace of a fictional monster lurking between the lines.

If you're a fan of the ID Channel or Netflix crime documentaries especially those built on talking head interviews, crime scene photos, and slow burn narrative reveals this movie is squarely in your wheelhouse. Ortiz nails the structure of a prestige docuseries, right down to the ominous voiceovers, grainy police footage, and staged reenactments that look just believable enough to make you forget you're watching a scripted film. The two lead detectives, played with grit and weary realism, give the story a grounded center, and the Inland Empire setting brings a sun-bleached, suburban eeriness to the proceedings.

That said, while the format is well executed, it's also limiting. There's a compelling protagonist here, and Mr. Shiny himself is an intriguing, cryptic villain-but the rigid docu-style storytelling keeps them both at arm's length. We're always watching them through someone else's filter, rather than fully inhabiting their world. The horror elements, when they arrive, are effective but sparse, sometimes feeling like they're spliced in rather than organically growing from the story.

This is where Strange Harvest may divide audiences. For true crime devotees, the authenticity and attention to procedural detail will be a treat. For horror fans looking for immersive tension or sustained scares, the docu-style pacing might feel like a slow drip that never fully erupts. And for viewers like me, who see the potential in the premise but want more than just a convincing imitation of a streaming documentary, it's hard not to wish the film broke free of its own structure.

Ultimately, Strange Harvest is a well crafted experiment that succeeds at what it's trying to do-recreate the feeling of a prestige true-crime do, but in doing so, it may have boxed itself in. It's a film that feels almost too convincing for its own good, leaving you wondering if the same story might have worked better told without the mockumentary constraints.

Writer/director Stuart Ortiz made an entertaining mockumentary about a serial killer with a passion for the occult. To be honest if I didn't know it was a mockumentary I could have believed it was true as the acting from the cast looked very convincing. I watch a lot of those daytime true crime stories so if I would have stumbled on this one in daytime they could have me fooled. And although I liked watching it I think it would have been a better idea to make a movie about it. It had "7even" potential, a good story about a weird psychopath. I think it could have been great in this genre. But as a mockumentary it worked well as well but higher than a seven I would never rate this genre of movies.

Strange Harvest really caught me by surprise with some of its gruesome gore and realistic storytelling. This mockumentary had me highly invested throughout its runtime and left me wanting more. The movie feels realistic enough to be convincing but also sick enough to disturb, which is something not many movies are able to do.

We follow two detectives being interviewed about a serial killer called Mr. Shiny, who kills his victims in a very gruesome fashion while also leaving his trademark sign behind after every murder, similar to the Zodiac Killer. In general, this movie had similarities to films like Zodiac or Se7en, even though you can barely compare these huge blockbuster movies with a rather small found footage horror film like this one.

For its limited budget, this movie definitely did its job very well. The only criticism I have is that the acting was rather poor at times, which makes it hard to grant the movie full believability in certain moments. Apart from that, it was highly entertaining and features many gory and gruesome scenes that will definitely disturb some viewers. At one point, the movie even takes a slightly new route, which made it more interesting and definitely offers potential for discussion afterward.

Director Stuart Ortiz already proved with Grave Encounters (2011) that he can create horror that is both scary and entertaining, and with this movie he again showed his talent for creating tension and disturbing content. I highly enjoyed this movie, and if you enjoy found footage or mockumentaries and are a fan of true crime, this is a must-watch and should definitely land on your watch list.

[6.9/10]

I highly recommend this movie-it kept my attention all the way through to the end!

If you like horror that leans into realism, procedural tension, and that doesn't wrap everything up neatly, Strange Harvest is worth seeing. It's scary in a slow burn way, gives enough dread and unsettling imagery, and lingers after it ends. Not perfect, but strong in its aims.

If instead you want horror that keeps up a fast pace, delivers constant scary moments, or gives all supernatural threads full explanations, this one might leave you slightly unsatisfied in parts.

If you like, I can compare it with a few similar movies so you can decide if it matches your style.

...then watch the Horror in the High Desert trilogy.

I enjoyed Strange Harvest, but it wasn't entirely believable as a mockumentary and the scares were lacking. The ending seemed to set it up for a sequel, which I'll watch given the lack of answers we were given.

It's my opinion, but I think mockumentaries are scarier when they're majority video- this one relies much more on grotesque photos that weren't always successful in building tension.