The Craving

This movie reminded me of the horror movies of the 1970s and 1980s. It had everything a horror movie should have with outstanding special effects and excellent cinematography plus the soundtrack was superb. There was even some nudity and the script was for the most part good but I didn't like the way the movie ended.

A group of friends heading to the "Burning Man" festival in Mexico take a wrong turn & end up stranded in the desert. Driving around they reach a dilapidated hut where a mysterious man disables their van with a shotgun. In defending themselves, they accidentally kill the man. With nowhere to go the group set up tents near the hut to spend the night there. But once night falls they are suddenly attacked by a mysterious creature that emits an intoxicating stench.

A while ago I reviewed a film called Trespassers, which concerned a group of friends who head to a remote location for fun but are attacked by crazed cannibals once night falls. It seems that somebody out there saw Trespassers & decided to try their own hand at making a similar film. Enter The Craving.

The Craving is an interesting film in some aspects, despite its cheapness. Of course it's nothing especially good but does have its moments. The cast only number about seven or eight, not including those who are just passing through the film; the location is restricted to a remote run-down shack in the middle of the desert & the creature is only seen in shadow or extreme close-up shots. I thought that not revealing too much about the creature, aside from its carnivorous appetite & that the powerful stench it emits can make a person high was a smart move to make the possibility of sequels more likely, although it would be hard to make a follow-up picture without messing with the atmosphere of the film. The film takes its time in setting the scenario but once the action starts it attains a modest intensity. The actors give decent performances & the gore, while cheap, looks reasonably realistic.

The Craving, Death Valley was considered a title for some releases, was filmed on tuppence (2c), figuratively speaking. I'm certain a bigger budget would have been appreciated but to director Sean Dillon's credit, he pulls off a pretty, worthwhile movie despite limitations.

It has the general appearance of being filmed on an occasionally handheld Google Pixel 4a Black phone. No point in complaining, it's the standard with movies of this caliber.

The production company is called Biscuits and Gravy. Can't say the viewer wasn't warned. I'd have had different expectations from Caviar and Champagne.

The Craving came out in December of 2008 and was up against the likes of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice. Who am I kidding, The Craving is not quite in the league of these releases but does hold its own as a reasonable example of low budget horror.

It includes the expected but gratuitous liberal lashings of nudity and sex of its kind but in fairness the death ratio is five men to 1 woman so it can make some tenuous claims to a liberated view with regards feminism.

The acting is sort of naturalistic, occasionally clumsy but naturalistic i.e. Unaffected. Think the opposite of the great Vincent Price.

Curtis Krick, the script writer, has worked mostly on television series but did have a role in the production of Land of the Lost. His work in The Craving is credible. The dialogue is engaging enough and given the genre and the specific context, believable.

Sean Dillon has worked with Tricia Allan in other films but the standout here is Lesley Patterson. Patterson, as Jeannie, dies a gruesome death of the type which inevitably requires half a mannequin but gives it her all up to and including her demise. As is the case in the world of micro budget horror movies, Patterson is a multi-tasker. She has been a producer, actresses and writer. Most of the cast have occupied several production roles. The Craving is after all part William Castle's legacy.

My copy is part of a five-disc package that leads off with Machine Head as the big inducement to buy. The entire package set me back $2 Australian. (DVDs are going the way of the dinosaur in Australia courtesy of streaming services.) The quality of the disc is quite acceptable whilst acknowledging the earlier mobile phone comment. It has clearish definition and the sound is consistently audible.

Is it a good film? Well, yes. It's no Let the Right One In, which also came out in 2008, but it is an OK monster flick. It probably won't change your life but you shouldn't regret investing 100 or so minutes in it if you are an aficionado of the genre.

Five youths get stuck in the desert after a hermit disables their van. The hermit is the least of their problems, however, as an unknown creature of the night lurks in the area.

I've been watching a lot of barely-a-budget independent horror flicks lately, many with the identical plot as this one (for example, "Delirium" & "Feeding Grounds"), and "The Craving" (2008) is noticeably professional by comparison. Despite a couple cases of dubious photography, the filmmaking is adept enough to pass for a theatrical release, at least a drive-in release. All the major components of filmmaking are proficient: cinematography, cast, acting, script, editing, gore effects, creature effects, etc.

No-budget horror flicks usually have sub-par women and actors in general, but the first act showcases Lesley Paterson as Jeannie and she's top-of-the-line. I'm not referring to the dark-haired girl, Diane, who has a top-nude sequence right out of the gate and who's decidedly average by comparison, although she has a striking face, as noted in the closing shot.

The low ratings and reviews are surprising because it delivers the goods for what it is (cabin-in-the-woods horror) in all the requisite areas noted above. Moreover, the end credits' instrumental is atmospheric and moving. The main criticism is that there's an emptiness to the proceedings because of the confined location (in the desert, no less) and the small cast.

It runs 1 hour, 38 minutes, and was shot in Desert Center, California, which is a two-hour drive west of Los Angeles off of I-10.

GRADE: B-

1st watched 8/24/2011 --(Dir-Sean Dillon): Mediocre horror flick that was obviously made on a very low budget, but does keep you interested for a lot of the movie. The movie is basically about a monster that comes out at night and feeds, but also has a scent that makes those around it high and wanting it to be there despite the evil and death that it brings. This is definitely an interesting twist on the typical eat-em-up and kill'em flick, but there isn't enough consistency in the direction of the film to make it tight. There is your typical sex happening at the silliest times(and too often), like when the couples are afraid for their lives, and occasional bad dialogue – especially when one character is told to "be strong" too many times by too many characters. These things definitely give you the feeling that the director needed more help than he was given money for. Despite this, the movie has good camera work, sounds and effects surrounding the monster and he does a good job of not revealing it's looks 'til the very end of the movie. There is definitely hope for the director, Sean Dillon, and I will be keeping an eye out for what he does next. A watchable film, with unfortunately too many faults but maybe a promising director's early work.