Customer Reviews

The Craving

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This movie has everything I look for in a good horror flick - a group of young people ending up in the middle-of-nowhere, a monster, an antagonist. This has all the feel of Spielberg's "Duel", but it really has some great scary points. The sexy scenes are sexy, the scary ones really give a chill, and the director even goes so far as so make me laugh when he wanted to, even though it's not a comedy. The actors did really well, and it had a very distinct sense of realism to it. I certainly hope that this film gets a wide viewing by others; I'm especially hoping to see more movies from Sean Dillon soon! Two thumbs up!!

Five annoying young people on a road trip, stranded in the desert, prey to a horrible monster, yada yada yada. Why does every other horror director keep using this old, done-to-death premise? Is there a film school somewhere that teaches filmmakers with little skill and no imagination to keep pumping out these lame "road trip to hell" train wrecks? Director Sean Dillon might be trying to pay homage to 70s drive-thru creature features with his grainy camera work - or he might just be using a cheap camera that gives everything a slightly grainy appearance (I'm going with the latter theory). The viewer's only reward in the end (after an incredibly long ninety-plus minutes) is a surprise ending that Mr. Magoo could have seen coming from miles away.

The summary says these are five college students, but I'm willing to bet none of them ever graced the halls of any school of higher education - and one of them would have to be in at least his 15th year of college, given how old he looks. All I know for sure is that the three guys and two girls are all instantly unlikable. They're also pretty much doomed after Bryan, the odd guy out, decides to take a cross-country shortcut through the middle of the freakin' desert. After realizing they're hopelessly lost, they spot a shack and decide to approach it. Personally, I would figure that any one stupid enough to live miles from anyone else in the middle of a desert probably isn't much for company, but, of course, I'm not a dumb character in a bad movie. Actually, our desert survivor is glad to have the company of strangers - but only for a really bad reason.

With their van out of commission, our characters find themselves fending off attack from some horrible monster after night falls. We never actually get a good look at the monster, which is probably just as well, but we do see his handiwork. The gore isn't very impressive, but the director likes to show it off, anyway. Most of the movie, though, consists of the characters yelling at each other. The acting isn't all that bad, really, but these actors never had a chance given the weak plot and lousy dialogue they were working with. Who will live? Who will die? Who cares?

Critic Terrence Rafferty suggests that those are the traits uniting the vast spectrum of horror-movie monsters, a rogues' gallery including, among others, supernatural spirits, vicious extraterrestrials, serial killers/slashers and an excessively large and, well, "rogue" great white shark. Speaking of Jaws, some of the lessons of that seminal horror film are on display in The Craving, a fine addition to this monster movie tradition. Like Jaws and many of the great fright flicks, The Craving retains a distinct element of mystery: What is the full extent of the horror? What kind of "monster" are we up against? (In a tweak of monster movie convention, filmmakers Sean Dillon and Curtis Krick provide a near-literal take on that "whiff of evil." It has to be seen to be believed.) The film also shares some of the grit and invention of the great independent horror cycle of the `60s and `70s. Most significant, the interplay of action, violence and gore evidences the creators' imagination and facilitates the audience's. This is not some grim, dreary, tedious exercise in torture porn. The film's storyline unfolds to great effect in the desert at night, an especially rich setting in which the darkness cloaks a horrifying creature while the lack of vegetation leaves would-be victims totally exposed. The entire cast, including those supplying these victims, is particularly strong for the genre; even non-speaking roles support the film's plot and reinforce its themes, enriching The Craving with flavor and texture. There's nudity, too.

Methinks that the 4-star reviewers are friends of the film crew, because this is one of the worst excuses for a video (I won't insult film by calling this a film) I've get had the misfortune to rent. This is much more like an abysmal soft core porn than anything else, and even at that - the simplest of all movies to make - it fails miserably. Also, if you are a fan of horror, even bad horror, this will disappoint you in every possible way. The plot is pointless and utterly without drama, the attempt at gore is laughably bad (and not in a good way). Hopefully the makers of this video won't get another job in the industry without issuing a formal apology for this train wreck. Read the other low-rated review for an honest appraisal of this thing, and view the other reviews with a very healthy dose of suspicion. You were warned!

"The Craving" is a poor man's "Cabin Fever", and "Cabin Fever" was not a good movie. Basically, a group of people are on the road and come in contact with a dog that infects them with some kind of disease or something, and everything just goes downhill from there. I'm all for low-budget movies, but they have to be watchable, and "The Craving" is unwatchable. Horrible script, zero atmosphere, terrible acting and just a zero for production values plague this comical so-called horror movie called "The Craving". Avoid this movie at all costs...it sucks.

Do yourself a favor! Do NOT listen to the good reviews of this movie. I wasted time on watching this movie last night and feel embarrassed to say I finished it to the end. (mostly for the laughs of how bad!). Terrible acting and dialogue. I made a game at counting how many times the phrase, "what the f...!" was said. I think the director of the movie bought the camera to film this at a local Salvation Army. The so called "twist" on the monster was horrendously ridiculous. If you would like a night where you and some friends want to sit and have a "Mystery Science Theater" make fun of fest, than this would be recommended. Other than that do not waste your time and money. Even if it was a nickle!

The Craving is a nifty little horror film full of the elements you expect from this genre: attractive young people, a desolate and frightening setting (in this case, a genuinely creepy shack out in the desert), and a mysterious creature bent on ripping the protagonists to shreds. But filmmakers Sean Dillon and Curtis Krick have added an unexpected twist to the otherwise familiar tale: their monster, a chupacabra-like lizard creature, addicts its prey with -- well, I don't want to give anything away. Let's just say it's a fresh element that reinvigorates the monster movie genre. I've seen a LOT of horror films, both good and bad, over the years, and The Craving is much more entertaining than many of its big budget brethren.

The Craving definitely falls under the category of being so bad you *need* to see it, if for no other reason than to get a few solid laughs in.

It's about a group of teenagers who travel in a van across the confusing maze-like desert, and then eventually stumble upon ugly, howling creatures that only appear at night. Of course eventually these creatures become the center of attention and desire to kill the teens one by one.

The entire film looks like it was recorded using a home video camera. It's THAT low budget and horrendous looking. It looks like it was recorded over 30 years ago thanks to the blurry, fainted picture quality. No, it's not my television screen either.

Also, a good portion of the Craving takes place a night so it's very hard to actually SEE what's taking place half of the time.

The acting? HAHAHA! There is none.

There is however, a small bit of tension in the atmosphere. Obviously the writers were going for a Hills Have Eyes type of horror, and of course it's *nowhere* as good, but at least there's an attempt to replicate that style which means the writers at least tried.

You'll probably never see something this bad come on a TV station- I imagine it's one of those "release straight to DVD" type of films. Either way, you're not missing much.

My favorite scene was probably the one where the teenage boy stuck his head through a hole in the wall where a creature was lurking on the other side, and when his teen friends pulled him back to safety... it was too late, so the only thing the kids seen was a bloody skull, haha. Awesome.

Watch it if you're interested in some laughs.