American Cryptids

Despite of never even having heard anything about this 2025 movie titled "American Cryptids", as I stumbled upon it by random chance, of course I opted to give it a fair chance. I am a big fan of all things horror after all.

This movie, however, was a horror anthology. And that usually tends to be questionable affairs.

Writer Joseph Zettelmaier put together a script and storyline that didn't really entertain me. Sure, there were some nice things to the narrative, but in overall, it just felt like random stories told without much of any direction or having any point to why they were being told. So I wasn't particularly impressed or entertained. And truth be told, I ended up with my phone in hand, whilst the movie carried on playing as background noise.

Of the entire cast ensemble, I was only familiar with actor Daniel Roebuck. The acting performances in "American Cryptids" were okay.

The production value in "American Cryptids" was actually surprisingly good.

This is definitely not a movie I would recommend horror fans to spend 102 minutes on watching.

My rating of director Erynn Dalton's 2025 movie "American Cryptids" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

American Cryptids is a great follow up from director to watch Erynn Dalton's Big Easy Queens. The movie is fun AND scary. Movies like this really show me that quality films can be made outside of the bloated Hollywood system, especially the script by master scribe Joseph Zettlemaier. The script kept me involved in the characters and plot, and matched with Dalton's direction, I had a great time during the movie's entire duration. If you like scary movies and are looking for an entertaining movie under two hours, American Cryptids is well, well worth your time.

I was able to see American Cryptids at its premier at the Popcorn Frights film festival (it is currently in the fest circuit and not yet being distributed). This film is the definition of Indie Horror - practical effects that look great, fantastic acting, imaginative cinematography, top notch writing and direction. I especially liked the parallels to Romeo & Juliet without it being anywhere near a copy cat. This is a fun film that will appeal to true horror fans, especially those who like old fashioned monster movies with the added perk of a great plot and acting.

From the tone set by the score chosen, to the coloring and camera work, to the A+ ensemble cast. All the characters really do hold their own. It's funny without trying to be. It's heartfelt while still gritty. The sound design is crazy too. A fresh take on what cryptids are today. Also a good allegory for how divided the country is at the moment. We've been fighting so fiercely and so long we don't even know why we're fighting for anymore. Would watch again and again. A true cult fans dream movie 🍿

I love supporting indie horror films and you can always recognize when you see great talent at work. No spoilers but I appreciate this story tackles the lesser known cryptids that you don't see on screen since we've all seen vampires, werewolves and Frankenstein monsters

Looking forward to see what the writer and director will do in future films when they get the budget to match their ambition.