Desert Fiends

Stumbling upon the 2024 horror movie "Desert Fiend" by random chance here in 2025, I believed I was in for a movie in the likes of "The Hills Have Eyes" or "Wrong Turn". I had never heard about the movie, but my love of all things horror made me give the movie a fair chance. I have to admit that I harbored no expectations to the movie, so director Shawn C. Phillips had every opportunity to entertain and impress me.

Writers Ethan Phillips and Shawn C. Phillips put together an oddly entertaining and enjoyable script and storyline. Sure, it was corny, campy and cheesy, but there was just something about the absurdity of it all that worked out nicely.

The character gallery in "Desert Fiends" certainly was something in its own league, and not just the cannibalistic people living in the desert.

I was rather surprised with the amount of familiar faces on the cast list, sure it was B-grade talents, but talents nonetheless. The movie had the likes of Bai Ling, Eric Roberts, Michael Paré, Scout Taylor-Compton, Tom Arnold, Robert LaSardo and Lisa Wilcox on the cast list, which was a surprise. The acting performances were rather over the top from the majority of the 'famous' of the cast crew, which gave the movie an oddly enjoyable cheesy feel. Michael Paré's insanely strange English accent was just laughably bad.

There was a surprising amount of blood and visceral mayhem in the movie. But for some odd reason, then writers Ethan Phillips and Shawn C. Phillips focused a lot of genital mutilations throughout the course of the scene. The effects in the movie were actually fair.

I found "Desert Fiends" to be an enjoyable movie. Why? Well, because it was so far out there, so bad and ridiculous that it actually crossed over a boundary and became a fun movie to watch. But I think it is a movie that requires you to have a fondness for off-beat movies, and thus this movie might not sit well with just everyone in the audience.

My rating of director Shawn C. Phillips's 2024 movie "Desert Fiends" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Man, let me tell ya-there's something about the open road that sings to the soul. The hum of tires on blacktop, wind in your face, the promise of adventure just beyond the next hill. But sometimes the road cracks open like a bad joke, and you fall face-first into a punchline soaked in blood. That's Desert Fiends-a wild, cackling fever dream where every wrong turn leads straight into the arms of lunatics with rusty tools, warped humor, and-wait a minute-is that who I think it is?

Six kids rollin' through the hot guts of nowhere, chasing music, freedom, and maybe a little trouble-until their ride craps out and strands 'em in a sunbaked nightmare. And man, the family they meet? Straight out of a bad acid trip mixed with a cartoon from hell-oddball, cracked, and grinning like they're in on a joke the rest of us don't get. You're laughing one minute, then BAM-some poor sap's intestines are doin' the cha-cha on the desert floor. Over-the-top? You bet your last gallon of gas. But that's the charm, man-it hits hard, fast, and just left of sanity.

And just when you think the weirdness has peaked-BOOM-there's a familiar face lurking behind the next cactus. Cameos pop up like mirages in the heat, turning the whole ride into a twisted game of "Wait, wasn't that-?!" It's like Hollywood got lost on the way to the Oscars and decided to join the bloodbath instead. Each surprise guest adds a jolt of "Hell yeah!" before the next geyser of gore splatters across the screen.

The humor's twisted like a Route 66 pretzel-jokes fly fast, weird, and just wrong enough to make you snort-laugh before you realize someone's losing a limb. Blood sprays like confetti at a party nobody wanted to attend, but damn if you're not having fun anyway. It's like the desert itself is laughing along, old and mean, watchin' the chaos play out under the big sky.

So if you're into flicks that hit like a midnight joyride with clowns who sharpen their smiles-and maybe a few surprise passengers riding shotgun-Desert Fiends is your ticket. Just buckle up and hang on-this ride doesn't slow down for anyone. And hey, maybe pack a spare tire next time.

Funny, Gory Bloodbath!

Spencer Breslin (The Santa Clause 2), Lorelei Linklater (Boyhood), Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight), Bai Ling (The Crow), Scout Taylor Compton (Rob Zombie's Halloween) and Tom Arnold (True Lies) star in a thrilling, crude, and over the top horror comedy with great practical special effects and sex jokes galore.

Plot: A group of 20-something do-nothings end up with tickets to a rock concert that happens to be taking place near the breeding den of a mutant cannibalistic family that is undoubtedly evil, and hungry. What could possibly go wrong?

Fans of gory splatter movies with hilarious humor and excessive gore will NOT want to miss this. Great kill scenes. 5/5. Hilariously Disgusting.

Horror / Comedy DESERT FIENDS from Gravitas Ventures will have it's Red Carpet World Premiere on December 13, 2024 with a release coming in 2025.

Six friends on their way to a concert break down in the middle of nowhere and encounter a deranged family that lives in the desert killing anyone they come across.

The film stars Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, Inherent Vice), Bai Ling (Crow, Crank: High Voltage), Michael Pare (Streets of Fire, Eddie and the Cruisers), Scout Taylor-Compton (Rob Zombie's Halloween, The Runaways), Tom Arnold (True Lies, Exit Wounds), and Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare of Elm Street 4: Dream Master) with director, Shawn C. Phillips (Amityville Bigfoot, Woods Witch).

Can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this film. The cast was a great combo of familiar and new faces. Totally loved the mutant cannibalistic family and the gore. I took a bit of a haitus from the thriller/horror genre but this film really jump started my love affair with it. The acting was good and there's obvious chemistry among the cast. Some surprises that totally and delightfully blindsided me. Kudos to everyone in front of and behind the camera for their work. I have to say that this truly reignited my excitement in these type films and looking forward to more ! I would highly recommend you give this film a look!