Nerdly » ‘Craving’ VOD Review

14th Mar2023

‘Craving’ VOD Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Felissa Rose, Al Gomez, Holly Rockwell, Kevin Caliber, Ashley Undercuffler, Xavier Roe, Likun Jing, Rachel Amanda Bryant, Toya Morman, Gregory Blair, Frankie Guzman, Miranda Bourke | Written by Gregory Blair, J. Horton | Directed by J. Horton

Opening in 1998, two armed officers enter an abandoned bar to witness the aftermath of a slaughter. A survivor is discovered among the blood-stained walls and bodies littering the floor. Cowering in the corner covered in blood, the young woman is asked what happened. The story then flashes back to the night before in the rural bar, which seems to be a quiet night until gunfire is heard outside.

Armed drug addicts suddenly barge inside to take the people hostage, while informing them that they are not the real danger. Lurking outside are masked figures with hostile intentions, claiming they only want one person who is responsible for the murder. The outsiders give an ultimatum; give up the monster lurking amongst them, or nobody makes it out alive.

When the title card appears, it fades into the screen in a manner resembling the title card of 1982’s The Thing. This feels like an intentional homage, conveying how a monster lurks among the group and could be anybody, although it feels like a surface-level homage. Despite the potential within the set-up, co-writer/director J. Horton never capitalises on growing unease or white-knuckled paranoia akin to what John Carpenter masterfully delivered over forty years ago.

What’s unfortunate is how Craving delivers infighting between characters, yet it does not feel like the rightful build-up of fraught tensions between people trapped together. It becomes tiresome to watch, and a reason why it does not work is the pacing issues. The second act inserts flashbacks to flesh out the armed characters, and the scenes serve their purpose while simultaneously killing any tension or excitement within the main story.

As for the bar patrons, they are given the loosest characterisation as they inhabit roles such as the lovelorn conspiracy theorist, and the staff member celebrating seven months of sobriety. Between the lacking screenplay and some unconvincing performances, getting invested when things go wrong is difficult to do.

As the third act takes a monster movie approach, it capitalises on one of the film’s most impressive elements; the gore. The gruesome rampage which unfolds is an impressive display of the work gone into this independent feature, although this is not enough to save the film. What has been crafted is a terrific showcase for the effects bogged down by a lacklustre film with unfortunate pacing.