‘Harvest of Horrors’ (2020) Gory Satisfaction Guaranteed – Movie Review

The best thing about independent horror movies is that so many of them are made by horror fans for horror fans. When working on these films, the filmmakers know what the audience wants, because they know what they would want to see. Recently, I’ve noticed that a lot of indie directors cut their teeth by making anthologies. When I heard about debut Director Clint Drago’s compilation, Harvest of Horrors (2020), I just had to check it out.

Coming to us through Brad Twigg’s Funny Monkey Films, Harvest of Horrors is directed by Drago and co-written by the director and Todd Martin (Volumes Of Blood 2015 – read our review here). The film stars Shawn C. Phillips (Dead Ant 2017 – read our review here), Nadia White (Noctambulist 2019), Killer Campout’s (2017) Luba Hansen, Rosanna Nelson, Jesse L. Green and Julio Bana Fernandez, WrestleMassacre’s (2018) Matthew L. Furman, Jason John Beebe, Yasmin Qudah, Daniel Brooks and Gary Lee Vincent, Nicholas Knight (My Uncle John Is A Zombie 2016 – read our review here) and Amber Lee Vincent (Desk Clerk 2019).

Harvest Of Horror’s Strengths

I thought some of the stories in the film were pretty clever, my favorite involving a group of friends at a bachelor party who try to talk their friend out of marrying his fiancé. Just like your typical bachelor party, strippers are invited, although unbeknownst to them, these girls have a craving lust for human blood. This story has a lot of good gore and a nice twist.

The acting in Harvest Of Horrors is actually pretty good. In the first story, a young Chelsea is played by Amber Lee Vincent. I was pleasantly surprised with how well she does here. I expect to see great things from her in the future.

There are several other actors and actresses who have been in Fuzzy Monkey’s films who seem to get better every time I watch them. Jesse L. Green is one of my favorites in Harvest Of Horrors. Whether he is playing a backwoods hillbilly or a construction worker renovating a building, he always does a great job. When Green plays a character like Blackwell, his acting is so good, that I’m wondering if he’s faking or, or if he really is evil. That, ladies and gentlemen. is a sign of a good actor. Another actress I want to mention is Nadia White. Nadia has been in several Fuzzy Monkey films (Killer Campout, WrestleMassacre, Fiendish Fables, Milfs vs. Zombies,) and she continues to improve her acting.

The best thing about Harvest Of Horrors is the gore. If you’re a goreaholic, then Harvest Of Horrors is the perfect anthology for your black heart. Every story gets bloodier and gorier as the movie progresses.

Harvest Of Horror’s Weaknesses

The first tale is a bit weak. It’s a simple story of an older man who sees a little girl crying on her front porch. The man calms the girl down, and the little girl invites the man in to see her cat. There really isn’t much to the story, and the whole thing felt flat to me. Kicking off Harvest of Horrors with a more intricate story have improved the film overall.

There is another story that involves a rape scene. I like my horror movies with blood and gore, but I get really uncomfortable around rape scenes. It’s difficult, because we are talking about the horror movie genre, and rape is one of the ugly realities of society. I can tolerate a rape scene, as long as its taken seriously. A rape scene should make everyone uncomfortable. Unfortunately, I’ve seen horror comedies that have rape scenes. Sorry, but there is nothing funny about rape. Draco treated the rape scene seriously, and never made fun of the situation.

There are also moments during Harvest Of Horrors where the stories end abruptly without a clear ending. The scenes run together, instead of feeling distinct.

There is also a scene in the beginning that I thought could have been better, when a guy and girl are driving on a country back road, and suddenly, a cat jumps across the road in front of their car. The camera stays on the couple in the car, and never pans away to let the viewer see the cat dash across the road. It’s very odd and would have been better to actually see the cat on camera.

Closing Thoughts

While not Fuzzy Monkey’s best, Harvest Of Horrors is still a fun, entertaining, and gory anthology worth checking out. The special effects are astounding, and there are worse anthologies out there. Not every story works, but most do. The stories really do get better and better as the movie goes along. While Harvest Of Horrors is not a perfect film, keep in mind, the film is directed by a newcomer.