Fantastic Fest 2024 Review: ‘Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire’ is an Instant Found Footage Classic

September 26, 2024

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Directed and written by Stuart Ortiz—known for Grave Encounters 1 & 2 and Extraterrestrial—Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire will make its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 22. Today, we’re excited to share the official poster art along with a selection of images from the film.

Stuart Ortiz, one half of the directing duo known as the Vicious Brothers, takes a solo approach in this project, using the true crime documentary format to explore horror in a unique way. You can also get a sneak peek of the film by watching the official teaser trailer released yesterday.

The faux true-crime documentary follows two detectives on the trail of an infamous serial killer known as Mr. Shiny, who haunted Southern California for nearly two decades.

Fantastic Fest’s official description offers further insight:

“In July 2010, the San Bernardino County authorities faced one of the most bizarre crime scenes they had ever encountered. After being alerted by a concerned friend, local police arrived at the victims’ home, where the grisly discoveries shook them to their core. The crime scene revealed ritualistic elements, and one detective quickly recognized a symbol painted on the ceiling in the victims’ blood, linking it back to a serial killer they had pursued in 1995—before the killer seemingly vanished for 15 years.”

What is the release date for Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire?

Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire has a release date of September 22, 2024 in the United States. It premiered at Fantastic Fest on the same day.