“David Buchanan’s monochrome LA neo-noir cum comedy body/buddy horror is all at once gonzo schlockfest, trip and singularity…into an altered LA, where the end of one man’s cosy, coddled existence is made to coincide with the end of the world as we know it.”
Anton Bitel, Projected Figures
“[Laguna Ave] resembles They Live through the filter of an even grubbier Clerks…a dark, humorous odyssey through Hollywood’s seedy underbelly…takes the weaknesses of independent cinema and turns them into its features.”
Joel Harley, Horror DNA
“…the unruly bastard child of Tetsuo: The Iron Man and John Waters…rooted in the stylings of early Kevin Smith and David Lynch.”
Shaun Munro, Flickering Myth
“Laguna Ave has a sort of grit and chutzpah and anything-goes sensibility…like a 90s-era slacker comedy…there is no point at which it is obvious what’s going to happen in the next five minutes of runtime, let alone how it’ll all turn out in the end.”
Nick Rocco Scalia, Film Threat
“I can safely say that Laguna Ave does not disappoint…combining the horror of…medical experimentation and advanced machine technology, both of which are depicted wonderfully through both practical effects and CGI.”
Adrienne Reese, Horror Buzz
“Laguna Ave is a gonzo, wild adventure that’s eccentricity means that it is more than worthy of its late-night slot…this is a movie that wears its humble beginnings as a badge of honour.”
Kat Hughes, The Hollywood News
“…Laguna Ave combines its deadpan delivery with downright madness…Boisterous yet entertaining, it’s ultimately a demonstration of how paranoid tendencies can be a dangerous and destructive force…will leave audiences wondering ‘What the hell was that?’”
Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana, Moving Pictures Film Club
“Aesthetically [Laguna Ave] is impressive…recalling Lynch’s work on Eraserhead…it’s a refreshing piece of cinema that shows the potential that Buchanan and Papadeas has.”
Pip Ellwood-Hughes, Entertainment Focus
“Think of John Waters meets technology in this surreal tale of paranoia and Artificial Intelligence in Los Angeles. It’s strange, it’s funny, it’s filled with WTF moments. One for lovers of the bizarre who want their horror with a side of the darkest humour.”
Sabina Stent, Sabina Stent
“…Laguna Ave is a weird and unruly beast…a DIY oddball treat through to its core…Under the Silver Lake becomes Tetsuo the bloody Iron Man, with all the kinky, uncanny excess, done on a gaffer-tape-and-tin-foil kind of budget.”
Ben Robins, Hey U Guys
“Embrace the madness within! Laguna Ave is a demented vision of budgeted cyberpunk, paranoid frenzy and comedic surrealism. An easy highlight of this FrightFest 2021!”
“Wearing its heart on its filthy sleeve…with a shiny veneer to provide a wonderfully trippy audio/visual experience…Laguna Ave feels set for cult status…perfect for revisiting to indulge in laugh out loud moments or giggle at the nuanced gags…the film lands its jokes with panache.”
Adam Symchuk, Grimoire of Horror
“Buchanan, working from a screenplay by Paul Papadeas, helms this offbeat slice of weird cinema with aplomb… a low-budget, black-and-white sci-fi noir with body horror elements and some dark humor…which also boasts some solid rock tunes and synthesizer flourishes.”
Joseph Perry, Horror Fuel
“Laguna Ave is a mishmash to horror tropes, black-hearted evildoers, drones, drink and drugs, sex and enemas, paranoid beliefs, conspiracy theories, and artificial intelligence alive and well in the modern world…The entire cast and production crew has done a terrific job with limited resources but lots of enthusiasm.”
Elaine Mura, Splash Magazines
“The third act in Laguna Ave is bold, rushed and very original…I can guarantee you will never see something like this again.”
Federico Furzan, Movie-Blogger
“Shot in cool black and white, this has some of the tatty feel of vintage cult oddities like Big Meat Eater or Over-sexed Rugsuckers from Mars…from kvetching-and-gossip-around-a-barbeque to low-rent science fiction/action.”
Kim Newman, Johnny Alucard