It was only an urban legend, the curse of Strawberry Estates. Surely no one really believed evil spirits haunted the former insane asylum. To prove, or disprove those beliefs Professor Jonathan Laurel headed an expedition into Strawberry Estates. Three days later, searchers found only several videotapes of his quest - Laurel and his team had simply...vanished. The FBI 'Red Files' team reconstructed the surviving footage, and perhaps now we will know the truth of STRAWBERRY ESTATES.

Local videographer Jason, hired by Laurel to document the professor's expedition, readies his equipment for the task ahead. He and his friends kibbitz about the legend of the Garret Smith Building, better known as Strawberry Estates. Its haunted reputation makes people keep their distance from the place, and also keeps vandals away. Jason's friend Ed relates an encounter he once had with a ghostly woman one night when he partied on the grounds, but Jason confirms he doesn't believe in that shit. He meets with the Professor and his assistant Sarah, who is the doctor's intern and a firm believer in his work. They drive to Strawberry Estates and set up for the three-day excursion.

Laurel recounts the mysterious history of Strawberry Estates - one fraught with tales of madness and magic. Psychic Jen arrives, much to the displeasure of her boyfriend. Laurel tells Jason Jens' mother was also a psychic, who died years before trying to solve the mystery of Strawberry Estates. Later, Sarah and Jason literally stumble across an old bum in one of the outlying buildings. Jen admits the derelict is her former teacher, who hasn't been the same since he tried to 'exorcise' Strawberry Estates years ago. Laurel has him removed, and eagerly sets up a seance in the basement. This seems to be the 'psychic hub' of the building. However, Jen can't get a 'read' on any spirits, which infuriates Laurel. Suddenly, there's a commotion upstairs -

The next day, Laurel locks Jen, Sarah, Jason and himself into Strawberry Estates to find the answers without any outside distractions. Much to his delight, Jen senses a gathering of spirits, who seem to be waiting for something. Laurel forces his team to keep trying to contact the spirit world, which makes Jen a nervous wreck, causes Sarah to fall ill, and pisses Jason off. But Laurel, who's own behavior has become erratic, keeps up the pressure. He knows something's coming - but for his crew, there's no way out.

The human mind can create horrors that a filmmaker could not hope to duplicate with the most elaborate of special effects. Much like a Hitchcock film, the director of STRAWBERRY ESTATES leads the audience into the maze, and lets them imagine the terrors the doomed crew faces. Shot in a cinema verate style (like "Blair Witch"), STRAWBERRY ESTATES creates an atmosphere of fear and suspense, unfolding in layers, each one adding more intensity to the story until its shattering climax. The story asks many questions about religion and faith, but never preaches - the audience is left to make their own decisions based upon what happens. The unknown actors, especially Laurel, do a great job of becoming their characters and connecting with the audience as they spiral into madness.

Technically, STRAWBERRY ESTATES is very well done, with a variety of camera types adding nuances to scenes as well as the creative use of lighting. Because the source tapes were 'found', there are technical glitches in picture quality and sound, but these only add to the suspense. It is very difficult to shoot a film in a documentary style without it becoming a distraction in and of itself, but the director uses the camera appropriately to keep the style from detracting from the story.

Now comes the spoiler - skip this paragraph if you want to be left in the dark with the Professor and his crew. The fun of the STRAWBERRY ESTATES DVD is you really have to search to find the truth. Included are a "behind the story" featurette, and several other FBI 'Red File" shorts. Only when you find the commentary section do you learn this startling fact - STRAWBERRY ESTATES is a hoax. Ron Bonk created the entire urban legend as a 'mockumentary' in 1997. Unsatisfied with his work, he shelved it. When "Blair Witch Project" made it big, Bonk re-shot the film and released this 1999 version. Bonk created the "story behind the film" featurette utilizing pieces of his first attempt in the pseudo-documentary of this newer production. Until you find his confession, Bonk has you believing the Strawberry Estates legend is real, as well as the 'tragic production' of the first film shoot. Be sure to watch the five additional "Red File" shorts - Bonk created these in hopes of selling them to TV as another 'X-Files", but obviously that never happened. Also, once you find the 'Reality of STRAWBERRY ESTATES", you can watch the movie and the shorts with Bonk's commentary. There are also trailers for both versions and photo galleries. I can't give enough props to Bonk for pulling off such a clever, well -executed ruse. Just awesome.

"House on Haunted Hill." "Legend of Hell House." Now STRAWBERRY ESTATES. The ghosts are getting restless - do you dare spend the night in a haunted house? Was that the cat, or something else? It's only a movie - an urban legend -it can't be real, can it? Enter STRAWBERRY ESTATES - but be warned! - you may not make it to the morning...