Savage Harvest

Rating:
Summary: Good try...could have been better.
Review: Alright, I finally got around to this one after hearing so much about it over the past few years, and while it certainly is a spirited (no pun) attempt to make a good horror movie, a good horror movie it is not quite - missed by inches. It starts out well, setting the story up with some great mythology, it falls off quick, abandoning any attempts at characterization, and moving the plot along with a convenient blood transfer that is mentioned only fleetingly. The monsters show up, and things start rolling okay again, with a bit of Night of the Demons/Demons-like fun - but this too ends abruptly when the main badguy shows up, and is killed shortly thereafter by a rose being crushed. ...

What did I expect? I have heard it (unjustly) compared to the Evil Dead, and while chock full Raimi-like shots - as are most low budget flicks - the video look is annoying. The least these guys could have done was a little better lighting. The makeup is great, however, and pretty nauseating.

A good effort, kinda fun, but could have been better. Also, do you think the director is a bit high on himself? He put his name in the credits no less than ten times. I guess if you're responsible, at least have the guts to own up...

Rating:
Summary: Good little indie flick!!!
Review: Are you a horror fan? Or, more specificly, are you a fan of films such as the Evil Dead? If you are then you'll like this indie find. Good special effects and a thought out plot are the highlights here... forget the acting (of which there is none to speak of), over all a neat little movie and well worth Amazon's price. Be advised, however that the actual running time is 55 min. not the advertised 75... but don't blame Amazon... 75 is on the cover box. END

Rating:
Summary: Great Gore And Horror
Review: Better than most direct-to-video movies, SAVAGE HARVEST delivers the punches it promises. The story is cool, the camera work is fantastic, and the blood gushes A LOT! Some weak acting and a few rough spots in the script are there. However, most true horror fans will find so much more to love in this stylish, violent, independent fright flick!

Rating:
Summary: *yawn*
Review: first off, people need to stop spraying their shorts about eric stanze. he is yet to impress me with a decent film effort. i'm tired of hearing all these reviewers saying how visceral and raw and in-your-face his movies are. and, where do people get off putting him in the ranks with the original "evil dead" and "last house on the left?"

if you want to waste your time, buy this along with "scrapbook," "ice from the sun," and the exploitation rip-off "i spit on your corpse, i piss on your grave."

you just better not cry about it afterwards.

Rating:
Summary: The blood is EVERYWHERE! Good times!
Review: I have become addicted to independent horror movies. I am sick of what Hollywood has offered me over the last many years. So I have hunted all over the net looking for something to fill the void that Hollywood has left in me.
SAVAGE HARVEST fills that void. From filmmaker Eric Stanze, Harvest is a brilliantly shot and edited movie. The special effects will satisfy any gore hound looking for the red stuff.
Director Stanze has made quite the name for himself in the independent realm. I had heard of him through numerous websites, magazines, message boards and conventions. So I decided to pick up his first movie on DVD (SAVAGE HARVEST). Since then I have grabbed everything with his name on it. Titles like:
ICE FROM THE SUN directed by Stanze
SCRAPBOOK directed by Stanze
I SPIT ON YOUR CORPSE. I PISS ON YOUR GRAVE. directed by Stanze
THE CHRISTMAS SEASON MASSACRE produced by Stanze
INSANIAC produced by Stanze.

And many more. Search for Eric Stanze on imdb.com and feel safe to grab any of the titles with his name attached.

I am a huge fan of independent cinema and Stanze is the leader of the pack. Be looking for HUGE things from him in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Great, low-budget demonic gem!!!
Review: It always bugs me when someone knocks an obviously low-budget film for its shortcomings. Sure, the production values and the acting don't have that Hollywood polish, but that's what I find amazing about films like this. It's great to see someone apply craftsmanship to a project with mininal resources and overcome those obstacles with creativity. I think that's why Eric Stanze is held in such high regard among most fans of independent films. He makes great movies with very little money, and although this flick isn't as solid as ICE FROM THE SUN or SCRAPBOOK, SAVAGE HARVEST has a lot to offer to the indie horror fan.

The story is nothing new (it can be seen as an EVIL DEAD knock-off), but Stanze creates a nice backstory to the slaughter, which he captures with some very inventive camerawork. The makeup effects are surpisingly well-done (great work by Tony Bridges), and the performances are solid (when you consider that he's working with non-professional actors). Even the music score offers something different from the norm (i.e. - a blaring heavy metal soundtrack) in modern horror films, which I found very effective.

Looking back over the several flicks that Stanze has done (from ICE FROM THE SUN to CHINA WHITE SERPENTINE), it's nice to see how he's progressed as a filmmaker. Fans of Stanze should check this baby out to see where it all started, as well as those looking for something a little bit different. If you're down with the indie scene (and I'm not talking about the Miramax, mutli-million dollar type of indie film), you may find a lot to like about this early Stanze effort.