Raccoon Valley

I have gone through many low budget horror movies that are high school quality atmosphere and acting. This one is excellent on zero budget.

I went into this flick not knowing almost anything about it other than the very basic synopsis: a girl is trapped in an 'outbreak' area.

Well, thats basically the whole movie. We have a deaf, silent protagonist who gets trapped in a quarantine zone because she is deaf. That really is basically the entire plot so there isnt much to 'ruin' per se.

The opening of the film almost put me off as they tried to make the movie look like a bigger budget film but their attempt came off very amateurish

The 'soundtrack' is interesting as a lot of it consists of sounds the woman, that is what she is called, is made up of sounds she remembers from the past before she lost her hearing, like ticking clocks and ethereal voices. Most of the film passes in silence, which I have seen done before elsewhere far better.

The woman also makes a lot of very stupid decisions in our time with her. She, rightfully so, worries about the infected getting into her home, yet she constantly leaves doors open everywhere she goes. I dont mean unlocked, I mean completely open. She also enters rooms and vehicles without really using any caution, flinging the doors open or entering dark areas without a care in the world. Then when she is outdoors she acts like she is on a leisurely nature walk and not stuck outdoors, unprotected, without watching her back or checking her surroundings. You know, the thing someone who can only rely on their vision as they cannot hear would do. Even when her life is in danger she barely reacts at all. I honestly felt like she was not only deaf but also mentally handicapped in some way. I dont know if this is fact or not but it sure seems like it!!!

We dont really get an idea of what the infected's abilities or consciousness is but the stupid decisions extend further with the woman as she does things that would be the LAST thing you would want to do in this type of situation. She puts what would clearly be a loud generator outside, and fortunately doesnt draw any infected. Then later she plays an electric keyboard. While we are not sure if the keyboard is on or not, in her 'mind'; it seems to be.

The infected are... bad. As said, we dont really know what their deal is but they just slowly shamble around or stand somewhere menacingly. They dont seem like much of a threat at all. The makeup was also pretty poorly done and amateurish as well but they are rarely in the movie so its not that big of a deal.

At the end of the film we are told that Turner Clay is the: writer, director, producer, score, vfx, sound design, and editing. For a single person doing so much the movie is actually surprisingly good. That doesnt make the movie ITSELF good. The sad thing is this movie is sooo close to being good. It is reminiscent of this years 'A Quiet Place'. If it came out next year I would say that this flick was totally ripping it off. I dont know if it is coincidental, but if not only the broadest strokes of A Quiet Place as used.

The scenes are mostly shot fine, with a decent atmosphere built throughout the entire flick with the haunting sounds of what the woman remembers hearing in her past. There are some flashbacks but we're not really given enough to put much together. Since the woman seems to have only one expression: neutral, its hard to really feel attached to her. If we found out she was a robot at the end of the film, I would not have been surprised.

The name is clearly trying to use the Resident Evil games Raccoon City as a way to draw people in by calling it "Raccoon Valley" and it being a movie about basically zombies.

I didnt hate this movie, but it has too many flaws for me to consider it good. If you want an atmospheric, haunting, quiet film that might give you the creeps, then this might be worth a watch. I'm a sucker for a halfway decent horror flick, but this isnt really horror.

I feel like this movie could have been made without the infected and been just as good. Have the deaf woman left behind after a general evacuation due to some human transmitted virus then stuck in the confines of her town as she has to deal with looters or others who were left or stayed behind. In fact, I think that would have made this film all the better as the infected were really pointless.

I wouldnt mind seeing Turner Clay do something with an actual budget and actors and crew. Just, stay away from 'zombies'.

This little gem was so perfectly filmed I could have watched it with the sound off, and it would still have had the same effect of the slowly building horror, loneliness and isolation of the main character. She was in a seemingly hopeless situation, yet never displayed hopelessness or despair, despite her fear. Rather, I saw her determination, strength and composure slowly manifest even as her understanding of the situation increased. If you are drawn to stories of horror and survival on a small scale, this movie is for you. I was amazed at the production budget of $175.00. I don't know how that's even possible, but the result was a very satisfying, engrossing and suspenseful story. I'm so glad I ignored the bad reviews, followed my gut and gave it a watch.

Budget was just about nothing. But it was very high quality. I wouldn't watch it again only because part of the entertainment was anticipating what would happen and why. There's no exciting action because it's about how the protagonist is dealing with what's happening. The only reason why I gave it a 5 was because it was too slow and was not a full story in my opinion. But I could see a fuller and longer revamp (if with the same writer, director etc) being rated much higher.

The level of creativity and technical skill required to make a short film this creepy and suspenseful on just $175 is astounding.

RACCOON VALLEY held my interest, made me nervous, and a couple of times, outright scared me -- not with jump scares, but with long, something-really-bad-is-going-to-happen scenes that skillfully ramp up anxiety and pull you to the edge of your seat cushion. Often, but not always, these scenes let you down easy while maintaining an inescapable sense of dread.

The lead actress, Terri Czapkeski, her face an expressionless mask, carries the film in spite of the dramatic limits inherent in her approach. She somehow conveys that her character feels fear without melodramatic mugging for the camera.

The idea of a lone, vulnerable, deaf female protagonist battling mortal danger isn't new. HUSH (2016) skillfully used the same device to drive its plot, but it hasn't been done to death, and hasn't been done exactly this way.

Overall, a very nice effort. On a $175 budget, a masterpiece.