Strange Harvest – Review
Shot in such a way that it can trigger memories of America’s Most Wanted or a truth-be-told documentary, Strange Harvest develops a rarely seen type of horror.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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“Strange Harvest” Film Details
- Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 34 Minutes
- Released On: In Theaters
- Public Release Date: August 7, 2025
- Director(s): Stuart Ortiz
- Writer(s): Stuart Ortiz
- Primary Language: English
- Genre(s): Crime, Drama, Horror
- Rating: Rated R
- Distributor: Roadside Attractions, Saban Films
Movie Summary
Strange Harvest operates as if it were a serial killer documentary, like you would see on Netflix or Prime Video. It features the friends of the victim, the officers involved in the case, and even the person who caught the killer. It is all done in such a way that you’d think “Mr. Shiny” was a real person, these were real murders in California, and the movie itself was a true story.
Cast and Characters
Mr. Shiny (Jessee J. Clarkson)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Mr. Shiny is a serial killer who, based on a cosmic event they were predicting, was aiming to kill a certain number of people beforehand, without revealing what the end goal was.
What To Expect In “Strange Harvest” (Rated R) – Content Overview
- Dialog:
- Cursing: Occasional
- Violence:
- Gun Violence: A Gun Goes Off Once Or Twice
- Violence Against Children: Yes (Context: A baby is kidnapped and there was intent to do cause it mortal harm)
- Gore/ Blood/ Body Horror: Bleeding, Depiction of Open Wounds
- Notable Violence: Torture
- Sexual Content: None
- Miscellaneous:
- Smoking: Yes
Links
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Review and Commentary
Highlight(s)
If You Didn’t Know Better, You’d Think It Was All Real [85/100]
Whether it is a lack of interest or how the licensing contract is, the only showtimes for Strange Harvest are at night, 10:30 EST for me, and something about watching this gives America’s Most Wanted vibes. Not because of how it is shot, but more so because it gives that sense of watching something late at night, about a killer, and you feeling vulnerable.
This is important because most horror movies make you feel safe. You are in a position where you know something isn’t real, so you may experience jump scares cause of someone leaping out, but Jigsaw isn’t real. Freddy, Jason, Chucky, the chances of you encountering anything like them, outside of a nightmare, is slim to none. But, Strange Harvest, by not pushing this is made up, by aiming for realism, reminds you there are serial killers out there. That, as often said by people who grew up before the internet, the only difference between then and now is how aware you can be about what’s happening.
So when it comes to Mr. Shiny, even with the push the situation was handled, there is room left for you to seriously consider, as you are walking to your car around midnight, what could happen to you? Could someone in the theater maybe have been looking for their next victim? Heck, depending on the environment your theater is in, is there a need to wonder if someone sketchy has been waiting, or might even be in your backseat already?
The film truly knows how to get past you feeling vulnerable enough to be scared, but safe enough to not be scared, and work its way into your psyche.
On The Fence
The Violence Compensates For The Story & Characters [78/100]
When it comes to how Strange Harvest unravels, I wouldn’t say the storytellers matter, whether it is the cops, the friends or family of victims, and sometimes not even Mr. Shiny. What gets to you is probably the violence. Note, it isn’t like SaW or even the original Martyrs, where it is notably violent.
However, because of the style in which the film is shot, it feels less like it is made to gross you out and more like you got footage of an actual murder. That someone got on the dark web, purchased something stolen from an evidence locker, and got it on screen.
In many ways, this is what gets you a bit freaked out, for Mr. Shiny isn’t pushed to be the next horror icon, but you can get this sense of how this can both be an isolated case, but also simply one of the many serial killers, active, inactive, jailed or dead, you don’t know about. Mr. Shiny is about this weird constellation in the sky and killing a certain number of people for an unspecified reason. But, in the year 2025, with social media, shootings regularly on the news, and a rise in people feeling disenfranchised, it makes the potential of something happening feel real.
Ultimately pushing the idea that, again, Strange Harvest is less about any one screen and more about embedding a feeling of fear, partly triggered by the depiction of violence, and rooted in what you know could be possible.
Overall
Our Rating (81/100): Positive (Worth Seeing)
I am days separated from seeing Strange Harvest, and it hasn’t fully been shaken off yet. It has me hesitant about seeing a late-night movie, makes me more aware of my surroundings, and while I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m left paranoid, I feel like it shifts you enough, even temporarily, to be notable, even despite our pseudo-criticism.
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