Miracle Valley

Miracle Valley
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGreg Sestero
Written byGreg Sestero
Produced byTom Franco
Iris Torres
Travis Ayers
StarringAngela Mariano
Rick Edwards
Greg Sestero
Louisa Torres
Jesse Brenneman
Kristen StephensonPino
CinematographyMatthew Halla
Edited byEric L. Beason
Brad McLaughlin
Music byJimmy Lagnefors
Production
companies
Sestero Pictures
Firehouse Productions
Distributed byMubi
Release dates
  • October 17, 2021 (2021-10-17) (Salem Horror Festival)
  • September 16, 2022 (2022-09-16) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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

Production

Sestero wrote the screenplay while living in Arizona, where the film was also shot and set, and was inspired by locations in the state including an abandoned church in Cochise County and an abandoned mine house in Patagonia, Arizona. 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.

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.

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. Torres also worked on the film as assistant director.

Release

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

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." Referencing the film, Sestero said, "Hopefully, Miracle Valley ends up as the second best worst movie ever made." 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."

References

  1. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 3 4 Guttmann, Graeme (January 21, 2022). "Greg Sestero Interview: Miracle Valley". Screenrant. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  4. 1 2 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.