Craving

Been following Horton's filmmaking channel and groups online for some time so naturally when he announced this movie just came out on Tubi, I quickly moved it to the front of my queue. (I secretly would've like to have driven a couple hours to be at the Los Angeles premiere but it was on a weeknight) The movie was about what I expected, though the trailer hints it's not perfect, I did want to like it more than I did. As with most indie films, you get some good stuff and other parts not so much. What I liked the most out of this movie was the campaign to push it, with excellent marketing materials and artwork. The film itself used de-aging technology for flashbacks that really helped a lot with the continuity of the characters; you didn't have to guess who was who. But if anything they were aged too much in the present since the flash backs are around 15 years ago and they look significantly younger (less than half their age). I'm not a huge fan on gore, but I do appreciate it when it has purpose. There's a little too much here for my taste, but I'm not a gorehound. Low budget horror lovers certainly get a pay off at the end of the movie, so stick around. As for what didn't quite work for me, I noticed in the trailer the performances just did not seem all that convincing for the situation. It's another thing I expect from indie films, but every now and then you get a goody cast and this was not that. With so many cast members, several had some okay parts, but were mostly disconnected. The only standout to me was Bryant with Morman a very close second. I liked Caliber's vocal tone and Bourke's delivery most of the time. The score was pretty decent, as was the mix but the sound design really needed some work. Gunshots sounded too generic and it was like they were only drag and dropped in the edit. It really took me out of the film and I really wanted those parts to have more of an impact. Unlike so many indies, I understand this is a film meant to make money. Rose being part of the cast is a no brainer for that. The script was okay though some of the best dialogue was in Gail's flashback. The Frenzy character was not likable at all and they almost had too much screen time, though it seemed like her part was intentionally done this way. I think if more of the cast had better performances and the sound design got the same treatment the practical effects did, the other minor issues are much easier to overlook. Looking forward to seeing improvements in this team's next project!

At a remote bar in wilderness, a group of patrons find their night interrupted by a gang of thieves on the run from a ruthless band of hunters looking to contain one of the gang for a monstruous secret he possesses, but once it threatens to come out no one around him is safe and must try to escape alive. Overall, there was a lot to like with this one. Among the better factors with this one is the generally enjoyable and intriguing setup in place here that makes this one quite effective at luring you in. The main exploit at the bar in the middle of the desert, offering just enough glimpses of the mundane lives of the patrons before they get interrupted by the gang who are on the run from the hunters looking to kill one of them for a series of cryptic messages about one of the gang being some kind of ravenous creature is a nice way to go about this. The back-and-forth nature of their interactions within the bar and the flashbacks about the hunters looking for this strange creature over the course of several decades leading to a series of duplicitous mind-games being played out as revelations and double-crosses including who each of the various groups are and how they know each other that make for a highly enjoyable time here. Other than this, the other factor to really like here is how this handles the action in here which is usually rather fun. Initially appearing as a gangster crime/thriller, the amount of gunplay and knife-work here gives this a strong, brutal edge when dealing with the gang overwhelming the bar and taking the patrons hostages as well as the initial flashbacks of the gang undergoing their initial search for the creature's origins. That lets the film's incredibly fun final half come into play with the creature coming to life in a grisly transformation sequence turning it into a rather impressive mutation that brings about a series of highly effective setpieces filled with fantastic kills as the creature takes out the remaining patrons in a spectacular rapid-fire type of action. This sets up a great finale which is a nice touch and manages to give this one quite a lot to like that hold this one up overall. There isn't much but there are some factors here that hold this one down. One of the biggest issues here surrounds the films' general lack of explanation for everything that takes place which makes a lot of the action here great to see play out in terms of activity but make no sense what's going on. The whole point of the gang taking over the bar and hiding out from the hunters who barricade them inside is quite odd, making no sense as to why the hunters wouldn't just plow into the location to get what they wanted especially if the group just stands outside waiting on an ultimatum to play out. Even the gang's interactions in the bar feel somewhat odd and unexplained leaving so much of the first half hard to get around that it's a struggle to understand since no one's spelling anything out which is the big problem here. Beyond this, though, and the low-budget limitations on display at times this one was quite fun and didn't have much wrong with it. Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

Although I'm not ordinarily a big fan of horror movies per se, I simply loved CRAVING! Yes, the movie has lots of blood, gore, and guts literally strewn all over the place; but it also has suspense, mystery, a strong emotional underpinning, and a story rooted firmly in family loyalty and revenge. Most importantly, by the time the monster at the heart of the story is fully revealed, I was totally invested in the characters which made me care about their fate; there are no gratuitous or anonymous deaths here, you get to know these characters well, even if you don't like all of them. CRAVING is an emotional and action-driven roller coaster ride of a movie, and it's well worth the trip.

Al Gomez, a producer and actor in this movie, sent it to my attention with an interesting premise: What may seem like your typical micro-budget attempt at horror, Craving is a much bigger film comparable to the horror movies made in the 1980s. Well, I'm in. And yeah, when your title sounds like the American name for Paul Naschy's Night of the Werewolf, well, I'm also in. It all starts the night after the story we're about to watch, as a rural bar is covered with blood, internal organs, a several foot and one frightened survivor. What happened to get everything to this point? As Les (Felissa Rose!) and Shiloh (Rachel Amanda Bryant) tend bar, four strangers -- all obvious addicts, all very armed -- show up and barricade the bar. It feels like Feast, but the story moves in its own direction quickly. Will (Xavier Roe), Mac (Kevin Caliber), Frenzy (Ashley Underchuffler) and Gail (Holly Rockwell) and Gail (Holly Rockwell) take over the bar and tell the assembled patrons -- including Travis (Gregory Blair), Hunter (Al Gomez), Rudy (Frankie Guzman) and Rylee (Miranda Bourke) -- that something horrible is tracking them. Meanwhile, a man outside by the name of Red (Greg Tally) is shouting on a megaphone that one of the four is a monster and everyone is in danger. There are a ton of people -- nearly too many to keep track of with all the flashbacks, yet they all get their own unique moments and have characters instead of just being fodder -- all gathered around just one location. And then, when the gore happens, wow. This movie in no way skimps or holds back or the tension, as the addicts inside start going through withdrawal while whatever group lies in wait outside gives them an hour to give up the monster. Director J. Horton (VHS Violence), who co-wrote this with Gregory Blair, knows how to film a horror movie and washes this all with bright red and blue light directly from the promised 80s. It looks incredible and the monster looks awesome, which it better, because it's on screen for such an extended period of time. I also loved the end credit sequences and that the title comes up just like Demons. So much of the cast and crew worked on The Campus together and that's good, because the ease with which they worked together created something really fun here.

source: Craving

Craving offers one hell of a lot more than most probably expect. While it's true that anyone who enjoys a solid indie flick will dig Craving, there's also plenty to enjoy for those who prefer movies from this film's bigger studio counterparts. Craving delivers exactly what it promises. A lot of blood, gore, and, yes, even some flying heads! The surprise is that there is much more to this film than simply being a horror splatterfest. There is some meat on the bones of this story and for the most part - it all gels together in a great way. Craving is definitely a film to be enjoyed with a few drinks and friends.

From the opening sequence, B-horror aficionados will know they are in for something that's well made, by film makers who clearly love the genre. Without giving too much away, there are characters in this film that you know beyond a doubt will be monster meat before too long, and this absolutely proves to be the case with most everyone in "Craving". Movies like this are made to showcase monster SFX, and this one does that and more. Pretty sure they had a special budget for the blood effects alone, but the creature effects were a step above for this type of movie. Most indies don't even come close to what Director J. Norton and his crew accomplished in that regard. This is a creature feature that goes far bigger than what indie films generally offer to audiences, and had a lot of fun moments. The acting and writing is a tad inconsistent, and a couple scenes had me rewinding so I knew what was up, but in a movie like this that's part of the fun!

In Craving the actors did a solid job building the tension and developing a chemistry on screen between each other. It is a really awesome horror movie with a great concept and a lot of wonderful special effects makeup! There is a lot of blood, gore, and even flying heads which I'm always a fan of. A definite must watch for indie horror lovers! The story starts out a little slow but then kicks into high gear and stays there until the end! If you enjoy indie suspense movies, give this one a go and you will not be disappointed. If you are a low-budget horror junkie, this movie delivers a potent fix. I could give it three thumbs up I would!

Watched it last night and was very happy I did. The beginning plot was very intriguing wondering who was all going to make it out later. Always great to see Felissa Rose. Frenzy was my favorite character. The actress did a great job and was very entertaining. The flashback scenes were great to show what all led up to the main story line. The kills were nice and gruesome. Looking forward to more movies from this director and cast just by seeing how the good the effects were with the budget given. I will definitely check it out again and hope there is a follow up in the future. Congratulations everyone.

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.