Miracle Valley
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Miracle Valley is a 2021 American
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
written, directed, and produced by
Greg Sestero Greg Sestero (born July 15, 1978) is an American actor, filmmaker, model and author. He is best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film ''The Room'', as well as for his well-received memoir '' The Disaster Artist'', detailing his experie ...
.


Premise

An obsessive nature photographer and his girlfriend are invited to a desert getaway where they uncover a sinister cult.


Cast

* Angela Mariano as Sarah Bloom * Rick Edwards as Father Jake *
Greg Sestero Greg Sestero (born July 15, 1978) is an American actor, filmmaker, model and author. He is best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film ''The Room'', as well as for his well-received memoir '' The Disaster Artist'', detailing his experie ...
as David * Louisa Torres as Erika Torres * Jesse Brenneman as Scott * Kristen StephensonPino as Jane


Production

Sestero wrote the screenplay while living in
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
, where the film was also shot and set, and was inspired by locations in the state including an abandoned church in
Cochise County Cochise County ( ) is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after Cochise, a Chiricahua Apache who was a key war leader during the Apache Wars. The population was 125,447 at the 2020 census. The county ...
and an abandoned mine house in
Patagonia, Arizona Patagonia is a town in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had a population of 913. It developed in the mid-19th century as a trading and supply center for nearby mines and ranches. In t ...
. Sestero wanted to write an homage to Slasher cinema and 1970s horror cinema, and also cited '' The Thing'', ''
Don't Breathe ''Don't Breathe'' is a 2016 American horror film co-produced and directed by Fede Álvarez, who co-wrote it with Rodo Sayagues. It is the first installment in the '' Don't Breathe'' franchise. The film stars Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Danie ...
'', '' Breakdown'', and the works of
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
including '' Psycho''. Sestero scouted locations himself for the film, and collaborated with Matthew Halla as
director of photography The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
, whom he had met through
USC School of Cinematic Arts The USC School of Cinematic Arts is an academic unit of the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles. With a history that dates to the first years of Sound film, talkies, the school descends from America's first ...
. The film was produced by
Tom Franco Thomas Andrew Franco (born April 14, 1980) is an American actor, artist, and the founder of the Firehouse Art Collective in Berkeley, California. He is the brother of actors James Franco and Dave Franco. Early life and education Franco was born ...
, who also produced ''
The Disaster Artist ''The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made'' is a 2013 non-fiction book written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell, in which the former details the troubled development and production of the panned 2003 cult ...
'', the film adaptation of Greg Sestero's book of the same name, and his wife Iris Torres. Torres also worked on the film as
assistant director The role of an assistant director (AD) on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have ...
.


Release

The film premiered at the Salem Horror Festival on October 17, 2021. It was released on streaming service
Tubi Tubi (stylized as tubi) is an American over-the-top ad-supported streaming television service owned by Fox Corporation since 2020. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In 2023, Tubi, Credible L ...
on September 16, 2022.


Reception

Both Sestero and critics compared the film to ''
The Room ''The Room'' is a 2003 American independent romantic drama film written, directed, and produced by Tommy Wiseau, who also stars in the film alongside Juliette Danielle and Greg Sestero. Set in San Francisco, the film is centered around a ...
'', a
cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
Sestero starred in, which has been called "the best worst movie ever made." Referencing the film, Sestero said, "Hopefully, ''Miracle Valley'' ends up as the second best worst movie ever made." while, writing for ''
Sight and Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (formerly written ''Sight & Sound'') is a monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Since 1952, it has conducted the well-known decennial ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time. ...
'', critic Anton Bitel wrote, "Perhaps Sestero’s debut as writer/director seeks to replicate ''The Rooms peculiar effect, leaving the viewer unsure whether its tone-deaf awfulness is a product of unhinged sincerity or knowing irony."


References


External links

* English-language independent films 2021 horror films American religious horror films 2020s American films American independent films Films about cults {{2020s-US-film-stub