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Miracle Valley is a 2021 American horror film written, directed, and produced by Greg Sestero.

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

The film premiered at the Salem Horror Festival on October 17, 2021.[1] It was released on streaming service Tubi on September 16, 2022.[4]

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]

References

  1. ^ a b c Ritman, Alex (October 1, 2021). “How ‘The Room’ Star Greg Sestero Channelled Tommy Wiseau for His Debut Feature ‘Miracle Valley’“. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  2. ^ “FILMED IN TUCSON: MIRACLE VALLEY COMES TO THEATERS SOON”. Tucson Lifestyle. July 1, 2021. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Guttmann, Graeme (January 21, 2022). “Greg Sestero Interview: Miracle Valley”. Screenrant. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Ntim, Zac (September 12, 2022). “‘Miracle Valley’: Horror Film From ‘Disaster Artist’ Writer Greg Sestero Set For Tubi Debut”. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  5. ^ Colin, Jack (November 4, 2021). “Cult Classic ‘The Room’: Looking Back at the Best Worst Movie Ever Made”. Hollywood Insider. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  6. ^ Bitel, Anton (December 6, 2021). “Halloween FrightFest 2021 round-up”. Sight and Sound. British Film Institute. Retrieved October 20, 2023.