I’ll admit it… I was prepared to hate this film. I didn’t know much about it. Only that it was a short shot-on-video “horror” film that was going to be released on an upcoming Kevin Lindenmuth anthology called Monstersdotcom. It didn’t sound promising. But even though I was prepared to hate it, this creepy no-budget tale of a swamp-monster in pursuit of a serial killer won me over.

Shadows in the Garden is an atmospheric film about a vicious serial killer on the loose, an evil company making “bloodmeal” for dogs and cats, a missing police officer and a Swamp Thing like swamp creature. These elements combine on a lonely rainswept night as the creature searches for his identity while the serial killer stalks another victim. All of these ingredients could have easily added up to nothing more than a cheesy waste of time, but the talent of director Wayne Spitzer lifts the project to a higher level.

Spitzer makes a very wise choice for a low-budget director—Shadows in the Garden is essentially a silent film. He cheats a bit with radio broadcasts and newspaper headlines which definitely help communicate the complicated and fractured storyline. He also employs a very expressionistic dynamic visual style. The lack of dialog combined with the surreal imagery and steady downpour of rain really create a creepy and lonely atmosphere.

A monster suit can make or break a movie, and monster suits almost ALWAYS look terrible in shot on video flicks. Realizing this, Spitzer keeps his swamp beast obscured by shadows and rain and it works pretty ***censored*** well. The glimpses we do get of the swamp beast are impressive. This is definitely a nice monster suit. The beast looks like some kind of reptilian gorilla covered in swamp vegetation. That being said, the monster does have flowers growing out of his head which takes him down a notch or two on the coolness scale.

This is obviously a very low-budget effort so you have to look at it from a different perspective than you would a mainstream movie. Ultimately, Shadows in the Garden only amounts to an interesting diversion, but it definitely shows a real talent at work behind the camera. Spitzer shows real talent and has put a lot of energy into realizing his vision and pushing the limits of his budget and available technology.

(Note: Shadows in the Garden is available as part of the Brimstone Media anthology Monstersdotcom. We haven’t been supplied with the other segments to review. In addition to being a talented director Wayne Spitzer knows how to promote his work. Note to aspiring filmmakers: There’s a lesson be learned here.)

Review by Christopher Sharpe.

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Review by: Cinema Eye