Craving

I'm a big fan of low-budget gorefest 'Feast' which is about a bar full of people who are under siege from some monsters. Nope, it certainly won't win any Oscars and was definitely not written by Shakespeare, but it was damn good fun. And, if that's what you're looking for at the time, 'Feast' would fit the bill.

Here, in 'Craving,' there's a similar set-up - a group of strangers are barricaded up in a bar and there's a creature going to wreck havoc. Okay, there are bits that are different. Here, the bar is under siege from a group of people who say that there's actually a monster inside and they're there to kill it (or everyone inside in the process!).

One of the major differences is that there are a lot of 'explanation' flashbacks which tell you the backstory for various characters. It does add more 'story' to 'Craving,' but the downside is that it does feel a bit like 'filler' and it tends to slow the movie down a bit.

But the performances are good and there are people here who are slightly different to the average cast of monster films, i.e. Teenagers (played by twenty-somethings) who just run around screaming, so that's something, plus the special effects deserve a mention. There's a lot of gore and the film-makers really lean into the 'splatter' in general, giving the film a bit of an 'over-the-top' feel.

There's definitely good points in this movie and it's worth a watch if you can find it on a streaming platform for part of your package, but it does get a bit confusing sometimes with all the 'reasons' why people are doing what they're doing and who they're double-crossing. It may have just been better leaving it to be just a bar under siege from a monster.

Making an indie film is no small feat. What the makers of Craving accomplished was impressive. The production quality overall was good. The practical makeup FX was impressive.

Now to the not-so-good. Early on in the film particularly, there were a lot of focus issues that were distracting. The story could've use a couple more rewrites. It jumps around A LOT. My main issue with the story is that we're not really following around one main character. It's an ensemble piece that doesn't allow you to emotionally engage with any of the characters. At times, the music was too melodramatic, which didn't seem to fit the tone of the movie.

With all of that said, the climax will not disappoint horror fans. If you love B horror movies, I think you'll like this one.

I venture to say that horror movies perhaps have the most enthusiastic following of all genres of film. CRAVING is a slow starter that gains momentum as it rushes toward the finale . The prime setting is a rural bar inhabited with regulars, doing what they usually do. They are interrupted and threatened by a group of dangerous people who seem to be in great danger themselves and who have been followed by another group just as intense. All very mysterious and confusing until the pieces begin to come together through a series of flashbacks. Extreme close-ups enhance the unfolding action. When the gore finally comes, it is hot and heavy making excellent use of special effects. Michael Turner Tucker, as Carl, has a strong presence and comes across as highly believable in these unusual circumstances.. This film will most likely appeal to the heavy duty horror fan.

I don't see how anyone could rate this movie favorably. The monster is cool, especially for this no budget video. Prior to that, low achievers in a bar are invaded by more criminally involved druggies who are running from some vigilante citizens group talking about 'the monster'. After nothing happens for 100 minutes, finally the monster appears. The gorefest continues for another 13 minutes, & then we get a 4 word explanation. Aaaaand back to the gorefest for the comedic outro. No perspective, no story - not sure there was even a plot - no atmosphere, no visual interest, dialogue was meaningless...

I thought this was going to be a werewolf movie, but it's a bit of something else. For low budget fans, the premise feels familiar but the execution is head and shoulders above most crowdfunded movies.

A group of people spend an evening in a local bar, which i soon invaded by another group of people who seem to have bad intentions. Yet there is another group of people on their trail, giving a dire warning that someone in the bar will turn into a monster and no one will be leaving unless that person is surrendered to them.

The premise makes for some fun tension as we move slowly toward the inevitable - a monster. Most of the gore in this movie really works and the cast is solid. Everyone puts forth a grand effort and makes for a very entertaining watch.