Miracle Valley
2021 American film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Miracle Valley is a 2021 American horror film written, directed, and produced by Greg Sestero.
Iris Torres
Rick Edwards
Greg Sestero
Louisa Torres
Jesse Brenneman
Kristen StephensonPino
| Miracle Valley | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Greg Sestero |
| Written by | Greg Sestero |
| Produced by | Tom Franco Iris Torres |
| Starring | Angela Mariano Rick Edwards Greg Sestero Louisa Torres Jesse Brenneman Kristen StephensonPino |
| Cinematography | Matthew Halla |
| Edited by | Eric L. Beason Brad McLaughlin |
| Music by | Jimmy Lagnefors |
Production companies | Sestero Pictures Firehouse Productions |
| Distributed by | Mubi |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Premise
An obsessive nature photographer (Sestero) drags his girlfriend (Mariano) to the desert so that he can photograph a rare bird. In the desert the pair are insnared into a blood worshiping cult led by Father Jake (Edwards).
Cast
- Angela Mariano as Sarah Bloom
- Rick Edwards as Father Jake
- Greg Sestero as David
- Louisa Torres as Erika Torres
- Jesse Brenneman as Scott
- Kristen StephensonPino as Jane
Production
Sestero wrote the screenplay while living in Arizona, where the film was also shot and set,[1] and was inspired by locations in the state including an abandoned church in Cochise County[2] and an abandoned mine house in Patagonia, Arizona.[3] Sestero wanted to write an homage to Slasher cinema and 1970s horror cinema, and also cited The Thing, Don't Breathe, Breakdown, and the works of Alfred Hitchcock including Psycho.[3]
Sestero scouted locations himself for the film, and collaborated with Matthew Halla as director of photography, whom he had met through USC School of Cinematic Arts.[3]
The film was produced by Tom Franco, who also produced The Disaster Artist, the film adaptation of Greg Sestero's book of the same name, and his wife Iris Torres.[1] Torres also worked on the film as assistant director.[3]
Release
Reception
Both Sestero and critics compared the film to The Room, a cult film Sestero starred in, which has been called "the best worst movie ever made."[5] Referencing the film, Sestero said, "Hopefully, Miracle Valley ends up as the second best worst movie ever made."[4] while, writing for Sight and Sound, critic Anton Bitel wrote, "Perhaps Sestero’s debut as writer/director seeks to replicate The Room's peculiar effect, leaving the viewer unsure whether its tone-deaf awfulness is a product of unhinged sincerity or knowing irony."[6]
