Craving (2023) User Reviews

What's with all these positive reviews???

[nickmarcantonio · 5/10 · 5 May 2023]

There's a lot to say about this. Amongst all the raves about this movie on here, one reviewer did mention that this seems disjointed, and he's absolutely right. It's almost as if you are required to watch a prequel because the plot is very hard to follow. We basically are shown "drug people" who are evidence the run and take refuge in a dive bar, in which we have patrons who never receive any back story and are just basically there throughout the film....almost.

We are shown bits of the past involving drug dealers who kill and an apparent child who was somehow turned into an addict. That's it. All the other jumbled past references really don't explain much. I'm still unclear as to why Gail was so maternal towards Will, as if he were her son. We later find out she promised the main dealer she would look after him. So why the hysterics?

We never really are shown how any of these people are related and characters are mentioned that we know nothing about.

In paying the Devil his dues, I will say the climax of the movie (what I waited patiently for). Is worth the confusion. You don't need to understand anything. Gory, creative kills and pandemonium!

Take my suggestion and fast forward to when Will dies. It's at this point the movie gets interesting.

Wait a minute... what?

[tmccull52 · 3/10 · 7 June 2023]

So, a small group of desperados barge into a local watering hole, much to the chagrin of the staff and usual customers. The locals believe that the armed intruders are there to rob and possibly kill them. The locals are wrong. The desperados were pursued into the bar by another armed party, a posse of sorts.

After chasing the desperados into the bar, the posse barricades the doors and windows from the outside, locking everyone in. Then, the leader of the posse announces to everyone that they've just locked in the bar that there is a monster among them, and that they have just one hour to identify the monster and turn him, or her, over to them.

Wait. What?

The unarmed locals, who knew nothing about any of this, are supposed to overwhelm the armed desperados, then identify a monster, and then overwhelm the monster, and turn it over to the heavily armed posse?

What sense does that make?

I know what the film-makers tried to do, but I also know of a similar movie, a gore-filled fun fest that does pretty much all of the same things that "Craving" tries to, and does them much, much better; "Feast" (2005).

Still, if you're bored out of your gourd, and not all.that fussy when it comes to cheesy horror flicks, you might be able to get by with this one.

Don't scratch it

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 26 July 2023]

The production takes place in an isolated western bar in 1998. The police are investigating a bar filled with blood and guts. Covered in blood is the final girl Shiloh (Rachel Amanda Bryant) who is the bar tender. We then go back one day earlier (minus more flashbacks) as we are introduced to a group of patrons in the establishment. Rudy (Frankie Guzman) is sweet on Shiloh. He claims to have seen Bigfoot. He suspects Mr. Foot may be an alien or some kind of shapeshifter. As the small group interacts, along with a DJ believing she is a celebrity, action happens outside with Frank (Brook Hubbs) waiting on CeCe (Toya Morman), a drug user. A group of armed heroin attics go into the bar to escape a group of people outside. The outside group boards up the bar. They use a megaphone and ask for "the monster." We see flashbacks to the past as there are scenes of blood from the monster. We have a good idea about the monster, but the real identity is revealed about an hour into the feature.

The film opens with blood and guts and ends that way. The bulk of the "horror" film is the drama that plays out inside the bar which would not really exist without Frenzy (Ashley Undercuffler )

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

Senseless Ultra Violence

[RedQueenIMDB · 1/10 · 9 June 2023]

I don't see how anyone could rate this movie favorably. The monster is cool, especially for this no budget video. Prior to that, low achievers in a bar are invaded by more criminally involved druggies who are running from some vigilante citizens group talking about 'the monster'. After nothing happens for 100 minutes, finally the monster appears. The gorefest continues for another 13 minutes, & then we get a 4 word explanation. Aaaaand back to the gorefest for the comedic outro. No perspective, no story - not sure there was even a plot - no atmosphere, no visual interest, dialogue was meaningless...

Terrible...the other reviews don't even match the movie

[Mike_T-Little_Mtn_Sound_Archive · 2/10 · 8 June 2023]

I will preface this brief review with a couple of facts. One, I LOVE horror films, especially creature features, and let's face it...there just are not enough good creature features made anymore. Two, I truly enjoy independent film and cinema. While budgets always place constraints on projects, a good script and good team can produce an excellent, enjoyable film without the help of Hollywood or a large purse.

Now about "Craving":

• the acting is terrible. It's one thing to have "wooden actors..." you know...the ones that are a bit stiff, but the folks in this movie (the ENTIRE cast) are amateurs at best. Stagnate, posed, lifeless lines & deliveries...timed and contrived screams...unconvincing in every way.

• the script is actually not the worst I've followed. In actuality, had this been a big budget movie (eg better actors, better sets, better FX, bigger budget), I might have enjoyed it. But the acting was so terrible that even had the script been adapted from a Pulitzer Prize winning book, it wouldn't have mattered.

• the special fx were not good. I can often overlook this, as we all know that fx are among the most costly part of a film, but these were pretty cheesy. Most kills are offscreen, followed up with immediate pan to whatever pile of substance they're using for blood. It should be noted that film makers did indeed TRY to make it gory (toward the end) but like most other aspects of this movie, this fell flat.

-very slow. Very very slow. Very very very slow. Tediously slow...I mean like fall-asleep-in-the-middle-of-the-movie. The first nearly 2/3 of the movie is nothing but listening to unemotional dialog .

Really wanted to like this, as it gets harder and harder to find good horro films. Sadly this is not one of them, even though all the reviews rave about it - seems like these folks maybe got screener passes. I would not recommend a single aspect of this movie.

>>> minimal gore >>> some fun violence and guns >>> no nudity >>> some profanity. But not heavy.

Don't believe the high ratings

[sdnxwxht · 1/10 · 8 September 2023]

I watched this "movie" in fast speed (1.4) because it was SO SLOW. The 'acting' was third rate, the dialogue laughable, the special effects were OK.

The movie is labelled a slow burn, I'd call it more overcooked. It was an abysmal movie and I honestly believe the high ratings it got were from people who worked on the set. There was NO WAY that anyone who was being honest and giving their balanced review would give it a high rating.

The dialogue was laughable, the acting terrible (I don't even think they went to acting school). The camera work mostly took place in a single location (a bar) and the camera work was shocking.

I won't even suggest that you watch this trash, get something decent to watch (even The Blob), which was laughable was better than this.

Worst movie I've seen in a while

[ksuarez-48296 · 1/10 · 1 October 2023]

I really don't understand how this movie got any good reviews. Maybe the reviewers are friends and family of the cast? The acting was awful and the story line was even worse. Some of the gore was ok but mostly laughable. I still can't believe I wasted $3 renting this...and wasted 42 minutes of my life too! I fast forwarded the rest to see what this "awesome monster" the reviewers were talking about looked like and it was just as awful. Do yourself a favor and watch a bad 80s horror movie instead which will be much better. Even if you were high, this movie SUCKS! Save yourself the money and time!!

Too boring...

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 4 September 2023]

Right, well the promise of a horror movie that I hadn't already seen and a rather interesting-looking cover made me sit down and watch the 2023 movie "Craving" from director J. Horton. I had actually never heard about the movie prior to sitting down to watch it, so I didn't really know what I was in for.

The storyline in "Craving" was bland and monotonous. It was quite an ordeal and a struggle to sit through it, especially since nothing interesting happened and the characters in the movie were one-dimensional and about as interesting as wet cardboard. So writers Gregory Blair and J. Horton failed to conjure up something that provide entertainment for me.

I managed to suffer through a mind-boggling 38 minutes of mundane storytelling and boredom. And then I gave up on the movie, as there was nothing worthwhile or entertaining in "Craving" for me.

I was not familiar with any of the cast members, aside from Felissa Rose. The actors and actresses weren't given much to work with in terms of script, storyline, dialogue and characters, so they were fighting an uphill battle.

"Craving" was a swing and a miss. And it is not a movie that I would recommend you wasting your time, money or effort on. Nor is it a movie that I will ever return to and attempt finish watching. I just simply wasn't entertained by director J. Horton's effort.

My rating of "Craving" lands on a two out of ten stars.

Trust me, the monster IS COMING

[supa_fun-1 · 7/10 · 11 March 2023]

Full disclosure, I worked on this film. This is my honest review: Craving is an indie horror flick about a group of people trapped in a rural bar. Half are the regulars: bartenders and patrons, the other half are a "family" of junkies who've been followed by a group of hunters in flesh masks. The hunters barricade everyone inside, dead set on killing one of them who they claim is a monster. Not just in practice, like a literal monster. Directed by J. Horton and written by Horton and Gregory Blair, Craving is a slow burn unraveling of a deeper, sad story of family and love. Horton does a great job at capturing the characters emotions and relationships with each other despite the size of the cast.

The main story focuses on telling the history of the "family", five junkies who were gathered by Carl (Michael Turner Tucker), a mysterious father figure who is in charge of scoring heroin for the addicts. Gail (Holly Rockwell) and her adoptive son Will (Xavier Roe) bring the most emotionally charged performances, while Frenzy (Ashley Undercuffler) acts as a foil to just about everyone, delivering a chaotic yet playful performance that keeps you on your toes. Mac (Kevin Caliber) and Lo (Likun Jing) deliver more nuanced performances as the less talkative yet more threatening members of the group, and once they jump to action you know something Brad's about to go down.

Filling out the bar cast are sweet bartender Shiloh (Rachel Amanda Bryant), lovestruck conspiracy theorist Rudy (Frankie Guzman), con artist and manipulator CeCe (Toya Morman), dorky cowboy Travis (Gregory Blair), local DJ with RBF Rylee (Miranda Bourke), and shady businessman Jared (Scott Alan Ward). We are also treated to a small performance from horror mainstay Felissa Rose as Les the bartender, who brings warmth and humor to the group before things go awry. While we go get to enjoy these characters, they become more akin to cannon fodder once the family becomes introduced in the story. We get just enough to know who they are and understand them, but by the end you'd be forgiven for not remembering all their details brought up early on.

The cast is rounded out with Hunter (Al Gomez) who works alongside the hunter group consisting of Red (Greg Tally), Lori (Zera Lynd), and Gerry (Robert C. Pullman). Hunter has been pursing the monster for decades, and Gomez delivers a great performance throughout multiple moments in time showing his obsession and resilience, and just how he's turned into a monster himself in his pursuit

It's worth mentioning here that we get to see different sides to several characters throughout the flashbacks. And while it's cool to put the pieces together with this method it does slow the pace of the film during the second act. This is a low-budget film, so you have to consider that when judging it against multi-million dollar horror films. But if you enjoy cult horror or B-films this will be right up your alley. With impressive monster and gore effects from Robert Bravo, the film delivers an impactful third act when the monster itself is revealed. That may be a complaint for those expecting a monster movie, that it isn't really one until the end, but the way it pays off will likely win you ever in the end.

The monster itself is something unlike anything I've seen before. It's violent and terrifying, but you feel sad for it at the same time. One of the greatest strengths of the film is that just about every character is in love or has familial love to someone else in the film, causing the relationships between everyone to heighten the emotions through the worst violence. This highlighted by Everett Young's score and Sophia Cacciola's cinematography. So if you're a fan on low budget horror this will deliver the goods, even if there's a bit of delayed gratification. I would love to see a sequel to this.

Why? For the love of God, why?

[Brin2070 · 1/10 · 21 October 2023]

"Craving," the 2023 film, left me thoroughly disappointed, and I regret to say that I can only give it one star. This movie is, in a word, bad, and not just your run-of-the-mill bad, but "REALLY bad." It falls short on multiple fronts, making it a truly underwhelming cinematic experience.

The most glaring issue with "Craving" is the abysmal acting. The performances felt wooden and uninspired, lacking the emotional depth necessary to engage the audience. The characters came across as one-dimensional, and it was challenging to connect with any of them on any level. This lack of character development only exacerbated the feeling of disconnection.

The dialogue in the film was equally problematic, with lines that often felt silly and forced. It seemed as though the screenwriter was striving for profundity but ended up with cringe-worthy clichés and awkward exchanges. This added to the overall sense of artificiality and detracted from the movie's intended impact.

Perhaps the most significant flaw in "Craving" is its confusing storyline. It meanders through a convoluted narrative, making it difficult to discern the characters' motivations or even the central plot. The film introduces seemingly random subplots and elements that go unresolved, leaving the audience perplexed and unsatisfied.

Furthermore, the pacing is agonizingly slow, with many scenes lingering on with little purpose. The prolonged moments of stillness and silence only add to the tedium, making it a test of patience to endure the film's entire runtime. It feels like a two-hour film stretched unnecessarily, leading to numerous moments of boredom.

In the end, "Craving" is a disappointment on every level. The wooden acting, silly dialogue, confusing storyline, and excruciatingly slow pace all contribute to a film that is, in my opinion, "really bad." I cannot recommend it to anyone seeking an enjoyable cinematic experience.

A Gory, Grimy, Splatterfest

[Kid Abyssmal · 8/10 · 10 March 2023]

Looking to satisfy your CRAVING for a bonkers amount of gory practical effects? Then, "Craving" is what you've been looking for. With the lack of splatter flicks in the Hollywood marketplace, this indie gem comes to the blood-drenched rescue. The film is definitely a slow burn, with a large ensemble cast to introduce and give backstory to, but when it heats up, it goes straight for the jugular. (Literally and figuratively). Juggling the dozen actors inside of one remote bar location does become a bit cumbersome, but when the 3rd act does arrive, it goes completely off the rails to end this indie horror flick with a massive bang. So strap in, get comfy and prepared for a fun gore-soaked rollercoaster ride!

A fun low budget indie with lots of gore

[jnmoviefan · 7/10 · 22 March 2023]

I thought this was going to be a werewolf movie, but it's a bit of something else. For low budget fans, the premise feels familiar but the execution is head and shoulders above most crowdfunded movies.

A group of people spend an evening in a local bar, which i soon invaded by another group of people who seem to have bad intentions. Yet there is another group of people on their trail, giving a dire warning that someone in the bar will turn into a monster and no one will be leaving unless that person is surrendered to them.

The premise makes for some fun tension as we move slowly toward the inevitable - a monster. Most of the gore in this movie really works and the cast is solid. Everyone puts forth a grand effort and makes for a very entertaining watch.

You Can't Help But Laugh At How Bad It All Is. But I Was Entertained.

[meddlecore · 5/10 · 28 November 2023]

For what is effectively a homemade gore film...the special effects are pretty good.

But that's about all the positivity I can throw at this thing.

Because the rest of it is a complete dumpster fire.

Not only is the plot convoluted as all hell.

The story around which it is based is confusing at best.

If only because of it's complete and utter implausibility.

And absolutely horrible dialogue.

It's not just bad.

It's embarrassingly bad.

Though, it's not like they get any help from the actors delivering the lines.

As they are just as atrocious.

The basic premise of the film is that we have one group of masked men, having driven another group of people, into a bar- with a third group of people- who are held hostage by the second group of people, that have been trapped inside the bar by the group of masked individuals.

With one of the people in the bar being a cannibalistic monster, in disguise, of some sort.

Whom the people outside want exposed.

Hence why they have trapped the people in the bar.

As they are holding out until it has to feed.

At least, that's my best guess.

We get the backstory of the bizarre cast of characters in a series of flashbacks that hop all over the place, from time to time, and character to character.

In a way that makes it seem like it was constructed by a child.

What makes things particularly confusing, is that it's never made evidently clear how the two groups came to be in the first place.

The whole thing leaves you with so many questions...

But the best I can tell...is that the masked men outside the bar are a group of vigilantes...who seek to out the monster that killed the one man's family.

That the second group, driven into the bar, were actually there to rob it.

That the two lesbians were planted into the second group, by the leader of the first group, because her brother was also killed by the monster.

And that the people from the bar were sacrificed, because the monster is weakest after it feeds.

But this requires a lot of reading into.

And begs the question...if they knew who the monster was...why didn't they just isolate him when he was drugged?

It almost seems like the perplexity of it all was tactically employed to keep you engaged...by the simple fact you desperately try to piece the convoluted mess together, in an attempt to understand what the hell is actually going on.

Up until the monster makes it's appearance, and it goes into full gore mode.

It's so bad, you can't help but laugh.

But f*** if it's not entertaining.

I wanted to hate this so bad.

But actually found myself kind of liking it, in the end.

Because...all faults aside...

It's so bad...it's endearing.

If only because the monster is quite cool.

And the special effects are badass.

It's still bad.

But it's entertainingly bad.

4.5 out of 10.

Impressive gore and de-aging effects

[DanTheButler · 2 June 2023]

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!

Nothing good about this movie.

[deloudelouvain · 2/10 · 25 December 2023]

I made the mistake to watch this movie without reading some reviews before. That's something I normally always do but this time I just went by the ratings which were not really high but in the horror genre it doesn't mean immediately that it's going to be a bad movie. This one is though. The high rated reviews are fake, or from people involved in the movie, distantly or directly. I normally sort them out immediately as those people most of the time only review one movie. About everything in this movie was bad. From the shaky camerawork to the bad acting, to the ridiculous script. I guess they made an effort in making it gross, I'll give them that, but all the rest was just complete garbage and a low budget is absolutely not a good excuse. Avoid at all costs.

Quite Simply, Horrible

[arfdawg-1 · 1/10 · 23 September 2023]

One of the worst movies I have seen all year.

The story is convoluted.

The direction is letterally amateurish.

But that doesnt matter much because the actors are street people. They cannot even fantasize about ever getting successful, they are so horrible.

The special effects suck.

The pace in intollerably slow.

The sets are home made.

I cannot underscore enough how bad this movie is. It is without redemption and you should stay clear of watching it.

Unless you need some sleep. This will put you to bed in under 6 minutes.

Honestly, the acting is cringe worthy. And coupled with a non-story, you are in for a borefest that never pays off.

I really enjoyed this film.

[bigbadbillyproductions · 7/10 · 31 March 2023]

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.

Reminds you of the good ol'days!

[aaroncarlson7 · 8/10 · 13 March 2023]

Craving is a great throwback to those video store horror films of the 80s and 90s! The cast and crew did an outstanding job making this a fun and enjoyable film from start to finish! Great lighting, great practical fx and a great genre flip help this story move fast and slams you with a crazy monster that should satisfy any horror lover! Actors did a solid job building the tension and developing a chemistry on screen with one another.

You could tell by watching this film that the entire production was having fun and a collaborative effort was made telling this low budget flick!

If you like monster movies Craving is worth the watch!

GRAPHIC

[catheraneskillen · 7/10 · 12 April 2023]

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.

B Horror Movie

[podozzypro · 7/10 · 5 August 2023]

Making an indie film is no small feat. What the makers of Craving accomplished was impressive. The production quality overall was good. The practical makeup FX was impressive.

Now to the not-so-good. Early on in the film particularly, there were a lot of focus issues that were distracting. The story could've use a couple more rewrites. It jumps around A LOT. My main issue with the story is that we're not really following around one main character. It's an ensemble piece that doesn't allow you to emotionally engage with any of the characters. At times, the music was too melodramatic, which didn't seem to fit the tone of the movie.

With all of that said, the climax will not disappoint horror fans. If you love B horror movies, I think you'll like this one.

It's a pretty good movie

[krbasham · 8/10 · 26 April 2023]

There are some high and low points in this movie. I saw some great acting by Holly Rockwell (Gail). Toya Morman (CeCe), Ashley Undercuffler (Frenzy), Kevin Caliber (Mac), Xavier Roe (Will), and whoever that kid was that played the younger version of Will in the flashback. These were my favorites. They really stood out. The other actors were good but I have to say I just loved the ones I listed above. They brought something very special to the movie.

The low point had to be the music. It took me out of the story at times. It wasn't bad but if I had to pick a low point that would be it. I rented the movie 2 weeks ago and didn't get around to watching it until tonight. It was better than I thought it would be and I highly recommend it for the storyline, the Actors and the monster reveal which is very good.

An over-the-top gore fest!

[baccaruda1 · 7/10 · 27 April 2023]

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!

A lot of fun!

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 11 April 2023]

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.

Keeps you watching!

[jeramismc · 8/10 · 5 March 2023]

I was immediately drawn in by the familiar charm of Felissa Rose leading to my wanting to discover the rest of these entertaining actors and actresses. Character driven? Yes! I wanted to know everyone's "story," but just enough was given to keep you anticipating what may come next...I enjoyed the pace of the story telling. I missed 5 minutes and had to go back because I just had to know more of each character. Not because the movie made you, because I wanted to! Sometimes, kills may drive the movie, but in this one, it was the story, the flashbacks and the character development that kept me glued to the screen. Don't worry, there are still kills and plenty of them. It won't leave you wanting! Indie at it's finest!

Highs and lows

[bowmanblue · 6/10 · 2 January 2024]

I'm a big fan of low-budget gorefest 'Feast' which is about a bar full of people who are under siege from some monsters. Nope, it certainly won't win any Oscars and was definitely not written by Shakespeare, but it was damn good fun. And, if that's what you're looking for at the time, 'Feast' would fit the bill.

Here, in 'Craving,' there's a similar set-up - a group of strangers are barricaded up in a bar and there's a creature going to wreck havoc. Okay, there are bits that are different. Here, the bar is under siege from a group of people who say that there's actually a monster inside and they're there to kill it (or everyone inside in the process!).

One of the major differences is that there are a lot of 'explanation' flashbacks which tell you the backstory for various characters. It does add more 'story' to 'Craving,' but the downside is that it does feel a bit like 'filler' and it tends to slow the movie down a bit.

But the performances are good and there are people here who are slightly different to the average cast of monster films, i.e. Teenagers (played by twenty-somethings) who just run around screaming, so that's something, plus the special effects deserve a mention. There's a lot of gore and the film-makers really lean into the 'splatter' in general, giving the film a bit of an 'over-the-top' feel.

There's definitely good points in this movie and it's worth a watch if you can find it on a streaming platform for part of your package, but it does get a bit confusing sometimes with all the 'reasons' why people are doing what they're doing and who they're double-crossing. It may have just been better leaving it to be just a bar under siege from a monster.