ReelBob: ‘Mind Leech’ ★★★

By Bob Bloom

“Mind Leech” is a basement-budget, cheesy horror film that is a throwback to the kind of B-movie fare that was mostly featured in drive-ins in the 1970s.

The movie, which runs a brisk 61 minutes, is set in 1998 in the small and once-peaceful and quiet rural town of Provinstate.

Directors Chris Cheesman and Paul Krysinski, who devised the story with four other collaborators, did not have a script per se. The actors wrote their own lines and developed their own characters.

So, yes, “Mind Leech” seems a bit ragged at times. But it keeps you entertained.

The two main characters are Deputy Terrika “TJ” Johnson (Steff Ivory Conover) and Sheriff Benjamin Pailey Jr. (Mischa O’Haski), who must confront a deadly mystery as bodies begin to pile up.

The culprit is a giant leech that attaches itself to the head and mind of its victim.

The film, despite its improvised style, is a coherent feature that would make Roger Corman proud. It is tight and concise.

The first few minutes, which set the story in motion, are a tad trying, but once the leech makes its appearance, the movie’s pace accelerates.

The special effects, especially that of the leech, is almost laughable, but that is one of this movie’s charms, despite some bloody gore. It does not try to be anything other than what it sets out to be.

“Mind Leech” is schlocky, but in an affectionate sense. It’s sort of a creature-feature homage that deftly combines scares and laughs.

It is worth an hour of your time.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

MIND LEECH
3 stars out of 4
Not rated, bloody violence and gore, language