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Shallow Creek Cult
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The Horror Zine Review

Shallow Creek Cult

A film by King Jeff

Director: King Jeff
Actors: King Jeff, Gorio, Charlie Hollins, Jr.
Studio: JeTi FILMS, LLC
Format: MiniDV/24P
Language: English
Release Date: November 6, 2012
Run Time: 71 Minutes
ASIN: B00A3246SC

Shallow Creek Cult

Still

Shallow Creek Cult

A Film by King Jeff

Review by James Potter

The plot for Shallow Creek Cult centers on two brothers, Getty Carmichael (Gorio) and Jessie Carmichael (King Jeff) who drive to Shallow Creek, Louisiana, in order to fulfill the last request of their grandfather by scattering his ashes at the site.

After having scattered the ashes in a unique and humorous way, they prepare to leave when Jessie decides he has to relieve himself. Upon entering the woods, he stumbles onto a cult of cannibals eating a dead body. Running away from the cannibals, Jessie drops the keys to the truck which forces him and Getty to find shelter from the cult. That’s when the brothers come upon a house filled with surveillance cameras, two loaded guns, and a decomposing man in a bathtub. Everything that follows is both interesting and humorous.

What makes Shallow Creek Cult stand apart from other “lost” films is that King Jeff has come up with a refreshing concept and a solid script. Jeff put a lot of time and thought into how he was going to film the movie, utilizing dialogue and edits to their best formats, and the finished product was worth it.

For instance, in movies with hand-held filming, I have never understood why people would keep filming while their lives are in jeopardy. In order to avoid this obvious flaw, all of the dialogue for Shallow Creek Cult is made to seem spontaneous; the film is made to feel raw.

Shallow Creek Cult also makes use of closed circuit footage and night vision footage, and the combination makes the film very believable. The result is simply two guys getting together and deciding to make a film memorializing the distribution of their grandfather’s ashes and then accidently encountering something very strange indeed.

If I was to categorize Shallow Creek Cult, I would have to say it is a combination of terror with a sprinkle humor. For a budget of only seven thousand dollars (yes, you read that correctly), it works very well. I always love it when a film has what I can only call an iconic visual, and in Shallow Creek Cult, Gorio's hat is that visual. I don't know if it was intentional or not but it is a nice touch.

Remember, this is not a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. But considering the small budget, I enjoyed the film and can recommend it. I look forward to seeing Jeff and Gorio's next film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See the movie HERE

About the filmmaker

King Jeff

King Jeff

King Jeff is a 49-year-old multiple award winning filmmaker and owner of Louisiana based film production company JeTi FILMS, LLC and has been producing feature films since 1995.  He also wrote, directed and acted in those films, which include Bang, The Murder Men, Grip: A Criminal’s Story and Shallow Creek Cult.  He co-produced, directed and starred in Five Miles Straight Ahead, which is one of five films in Mike Lyddon’s Horror Anthology Movie: Volume 1.  He also served as Co-Executive Producer on the Lily Keber feature length documentary Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius Of James Booker, which stars Hugh Laurie, Harry Connick, Jr., Dr. John, Irma Thomas and a host of celebrity interviews. 

King Jeff was the first filmmaker inducted onto the Louisiana Artist Roster and has received a certificate of appreciation from the Mayor of New Orleans for teaching the art of filmmaking to at risk kids.

Go to King Jeff's website HERE

About the reviewer

James Potter

James Potter

James Potter’s entire career has been based in the creative field of advertising and film. He began as an art director and eventually became a creative director of ads for print, radio and television.

He feels that the single most influential experience in film was Ridley Scott's film Blade Runner. Shortly after that, he received his first exposure to feature films, working as an extra in Robert Altman's Kansas City. When the filming was complete, he was determined to start his own ad agency and concentrated on television commercials.