Jeff Daniels Phillips has made a name for himself in horror having appeared in Satanic Panic, Rob Zombie’s Halloween II, The Lords of Salem and played Herman Munster in Rob Zombie’s Munsters movie. You may have seen him driving Svengoolie around Chicago. Or you might know that he’s been the Caveman in those GEICO ads. Cursed In Baja lets you know Phillips as a writer, director and star. He brings a horror infusion to a private detective’s assignment that takes him over more than one border.
Things have been a bit rough for former police detective Pirelli (Phillips) who spent a bit of time in prison before being released. He’s now a reformed man working as a janitor. One night, he gets a phone call needing his services as a private investigator. He has no desire to take the gig since it involves a former client whose previous request got him in a lot of trouble. All he needs to do this time is hop over the border and locate the son of a dying rich guy. The fee is astounding. This offer seems a lot better than scrubbing toilets, but Pirelli immediately regrets agreeing to the terms. The last private investigator vanished which is why they called Pirelli. At least the previous guy was “kind” enough to abandon his notes which gives him leads on the case. He has flashbacks about his previous work for the family. This trip down to Tijuana gets twisted very quickly as he pokes around. He discovers the wannabe rapper son is involved with a cult that’s centered around a hairy creation that seems insane. Perilli’s own sanity becomes slippery when his medication runs out. This is not going to be a simple case.
Jeff Daniels Phillips made a trippy fun detective story with an unreliable narrator stuck in a supernatural mystery. The strange creatures at the heart of the cult makes this more than a simple investigation. It’s a little bit Lovecraftian with a Mexican flair. Perilli is a great self-destructing character on the screen. Other cast members contribute to the atmosphere of pushing the boundaries of reality including Barbara Crampton, Finnegan Seeker Bell and Robbyn Leigh. The key to the film working is Phillips doing his best to hold onto his sanity to find the lost son and save his own life from the evil that lurks on the cult’s compound. It’s a fast-paced film that keeps up the mystery and the weirdness in equal doses. Cursed In Baja is a remarkable achievement for Jeff Daniels Phillips excels on both sides of the camera.
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The film was shot on digital video so things look fine as they mess with colors when flashbacks occur. The Audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. You’ll clear hear when the freakishness kicks into high gear. The movie is subtitled in English and Spanish.
Audio Commentary with Jeff Daniels Phillips has him explaining how thing came together and how the scenes worked out. He’s very grateful to all of the folks who contributed to making the film. He gives away which things were shot in Tijuana and spots that are really Glendale. We also learn which cast member plays Bigfoot in the beef jerky ads. This is a film with Bigfoot and the Caveman. He has great stories of what he went through to make the film. He admits the guns were rubber since they didn’t have money.
Cursed In Baja: The Making Of (12:42) has Phillips explain that he got the bug to make the movie by speaking at a horror convention to young filmmakers. He went back to Los Angeles and put together a movie that he knew he could make with pals, easy locations and low budget. He wanted to make his own version of a B-movie that’s a hybrid of crime and horror. He was inspired by his parents’ love of Race With The Devil.
Anchor Bay Entertainment presents Cursed In Baja. Directed by Jeff Daniels Phillips. Screenplay by Jeff Daniels Phillips. Starring Jeff Daniel Phillips, Barbara Crampton, Finnegan Seeker Bell, Robbyn Leigh, Mark Fite, Kent Isaacs, Jose Conejo Martin, Jacqueline Wright, Jacely Fuentes & Michael Shamus Wiles Running Time: 81 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Release Date: December 10, 2024.
