San Francisco is known for its liberal lifestyles and amazing eats. The Craving combines these two into a contemporary horror movie that felt more real than it should have. Chef Ronnie Sixtos is a celebrity chef who holds more secrets than just the recipes she uses. Somehow she managers to run a successful restaurant by day and a rambunctious lifestyle at night picking up one night stands from across the city. I kept confusing the title The Craving with The Carving but funny enough, they both fit as you quickly discover that Ronnie is a sick psychopath who does a lot more than just seduce the girls she comes across.
A face only a mother could love
Anna Curtis does a great job as the main character of Chef Ronnie. She has some great expressions in the film which make her seem cocky and blase as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The tone of the film was pretty upbeat which is unusual for a horror movie but it fit really well with this one. Because of that, the movie felt a bit more realistic like someone could just be casually killing people as most people casually date. The difficult parts of Ronnie’s life didn’t come from the murders, but from her relationships.
The Craving gives new meaning to one night stands...more like last night
Unbeknownst to her, she starts dating a FBI Agent played by Sunshine Jones. Opposites attract and they seem like they’re made for each other so things take off pretty quick. On top of that, her old flame and somewhat culinary rival Celeste Von Wilder (Velocity Chyaldd) returns to just make her life miserable. I would’ve liked to see Celeste be more mischievous because most of what she did was pretty straight-forward. It was almost like the evidence she got against her landed on the sidewalk for her. Other than that, the movie moved pretty well and kept me entertained. There aren’t any dull moments in this one.
You are what you eat
There are a lot of themes going through this film. Not only is it a gruesome horror slasher, it’s also a LGBT film. It celebrates women and their bodies…before ripping them apart and eating them. It really had the heart of San Francisco inside it as if director Valerie R. Castro stabbed the city and took it. The Craving played last Saturday and shows again tonight at 5:20pm…check it out! Buy tickets here! Check out the trailer below:
This post is part of our ANITH coverageEvery year, the ANOTHER HOLE IN THE HEAD FILM FESTIVAL unleashes the best dark fantasy, horror/comedy, sci-fi, bizarro-vision cinema in San Francisco. 2011 is no exception — AHITH, PART 8 will throw up 26 features and 15 short films onto the screen at the Roxie Theater, the beating heart of horror starting June 2 through June 17.Visit SF INDIEFEST’s Official Website
Tags: AHITH, Anna Curtis, Another Hole in the Head, Part 8, Part 8, Sunshine Jones, The Craving, Valerie R. Castro, Velocity Chyaldd
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
