Wineville

Wineville (2024), directed by Brande Roderick in her feature directorial debut, is a 1970s-set horror-thriller that blends familial trauma with supernatural suspense. The film follows Tess Lott (played by Roderick), who returns to her family's vineyard after her father's death, only to uncover dark secrets that have festered over the decades .I thought I was a good movie and really scary. I've always wondered about those murders back in the day and this movie does a great job at showing you the timeline and breaking down everything. I think it offers a compelling watch it may not be a conventional horror film kinda lacks traditional horror scares Brande Roderick did a fantastic job at directing this one she really did a good job at capturing the supernatural suspense looking forward to Branden's future projects.

I knew going in that this was one of those films that I couldn't compare to a mainstream film. I read all the critic reviews, saw all the disdain for it. To my surprise, it was watchable, and to be fair I've seen weaker plots come out of big budget Hollywood movies. It reminded me a bit of 1998's U-turn, and I'm sure fans of lurid, under-the-radar cinema will find something to enjoy here at least.

And of course there is Joe, who you know from the beginning is a nutcase but you can't help but find him appealing. The actor is definitely a looker. Honestly I don't know whether or not his gay scene was bait or not, and I don't really care (it was kinda hot - until it wasn't).

All in all a very rough, small budget endeavor that plays it a bit safe for the crowd it was aiming for and it shows its weaknesses throughout, though I can't help but feel that with some proper mentoring, a good writing staff, more risks, tighter pacing and better editing, this might have been a solid cult film. As it is though, it's inevitably going to be lost in the wide sea of better produced genre efforts. I admire the attempt though and hopefully it was a valuable learning experience for ?first time?director ms Roderick. I've seen a lot of first worse first attempts, if indeed it was.

"Wineville," the 2024 horror offering directed by Brande Roderick and penned by Richard Schenkman, delivers a genuinely unsettling experience that lingers long after the credits roll. Described as dark, psychological, and eerie, the film lives up to these promises, crafting an atmosphere of dread that slowly suffocates the viewer.

Brande Roderick, who also stars, demonstrates a keen understanding of the genre, guiding the narrative through a labyrinth of unsettling revelations. The screenplay by Richard Schenkman is a slow burn, meticulously building tension without relying on cheap jump scares. Instead, it delves into the psychological torment of its characters, making their descent into fear palpable.

The performances are a significant strength. Carolyn Hennesy delivers a captivating turn, anchoring the film with her nuanced portrayal. Texas Battle provides a solid presence, contributing to the ensemble's dynamic. Brande Roderick, in her dual role, showcases both her directorial vision and acting prowess, creating a cohesive and disturbing world.

"Wineville" excels in its ability to create a pervasive sense of eeriness. The film's dark aesthetic and sound design work in tandem to amplify the psychological unease, making the audience question what is real and what is a product of the characters' unraveling minds. It's a film that prioritizes mood and character over explicit gore, proving that true horror often lies in the unseen and the unknown. For fans of atmospheric and thought-provoking horror, "Wineville" is a chilling and effective watch.

Most horror films take a while to get going but this film hits the gore immediately. A true story of the Wineville chicken coop murders, sees Tess Lott (Brande Roderick) revisit her family home as she has inherited it due to her relative passing.

Its been years since she visited because of a tormented past thanks to her weird incestuous family, she reluctantly revisits with her boy to finalise paperwork.

She's greeted by a familiar face who she'd rather not associate with but has no option but to.

During her stay those visiting or passing disappear in gory fashion and are searched for by the local sherrif who takes a shine to the her.

Needless to say when people start going missing its her and her boys turn to run for their lives... do they make it out alive?

Excellent performances from all the cast that make this flick very watchable.

Turn off the lights, close the curtains and grab some scary movie popcorn and enjoy!

Following her father's death, a woman and her son travel to their family's vineyard to take ownership of the property against the wishes of the workers who stay there, but as they stay to make amends grow alarmed at a series of mysterious disappearances around the property tied to a horrifying truth.

This was a pretty solid and likable genre effort. The main feature here that comes off well enough is the main setup involving the family dynamic at play once they all arrive at the vineyard and how it all plays out. The initial backstory about her disinterest in the property with how her father treated her and how it affects her son when they arrive and make friends with the two still taking care of the property all makes for a great touch with how the day-to-day operations on the place go about. How the attempts at getting them into the way of working on this type of property they run while secretly making the serial killer antics feel like their hidden in plain sight due to the way they all seem perfectly natural in the idea of a vineyard such as this. The few scenes of his psychotic antics come off well enough and provide the brutality necessary to give this a solid punch at the right moment. Outside of this, though, there's not a whole lot going on here. The psycho tendencies might be hinted at throughout the early stages of the film but they're not present in any great degree until the last act leaving much of the film to function about the goings-on at the vineyard and the struggle to ensure it stays running. Operating in this manner where the farmhand and the older woman are there on the property teaching the mother and son about life on the winery and how it all works that it comes off without much in the way of a genre feel for most of the running time. It's way too late in the film to pile on the genre material that this one utilizes which goes on so long it does start to wear waiting for the final strike to get going where it gets questioned repeating things that aren't interesting in the slightest, which is the kind of issue here that brings this one down the most overall.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, intense themes of incest, and sexual content.