It’s a shame that the two-year-delayed Dark Harvest went from theatrical rollout plans to a limited Alamo Drafthouse (then digital) release. There’s a spooky, festive aroma about David Slade’s adaptation of Norman Partridge’s hayseed horror tale of the same name and some spectacular special effects. Seasonal comforts unfold with a nasty attitude under Slade’s direction, which smacks audiences in the face with graphic mayhem despite most of the characters being underage. Don’t expect Dark Harvest to match the level of Halloween favorites like Trick ‘r Treat or Hell Fest, but give this Unpleasantville fable about a violent tradition the shot it deserved when it was first scheduled two Septembers ago.
Every Halloween, in a cursed Middle America suburb, the population’s crop of young boys partake in a dangerous ritual. For three days, sons like Richie Shepard (Casey Likes) are starved behind deadbolted bedroom doors, then unleashed for a “chase.” What are they after? A pumpkin-headed ghoul appears from the cornfields and must be stopped before it reaches the local church. Whoever slays the beast, known as Sawtooth Jack, earns his family a spacious new house, himself a brand new car and, most importantly, the approval to leave his hometown behind. Failure brings doom that eviscerates prosperity.
Dark Harvest is one of those R-rated gateway horror hybrids that aggressively earns its rating through vile deaths, yet is best for younger audiences. Its storytelling themes are from teenage perspectives as they’re used by their elders to uphold traditions because “that’s how things have always been done.” A coming-of-age seriousness is accentuated by dreadful stakes as mayors, parents and officers force the youngest generation into a life-or-death struggle for the “greater good,” which is a driving message behind Michael Gilio’s merciless screenplay. It’s a mature take on familiar stories about shady communities and those who refuse to be someone else’s sacrifice, woven into the toxic imprisonment of small-town mindsets that refuse to acknowledge progress.
Where the film somewhat disappoints is in its recreation of the early-1960s. Dark Harvest feels like a time capsule that cosplays 1963, as Richie and his lil’ greaser gang, with collar-popped denim jackets, play bad boys like Happy Days extras. The film’s politics and behaviors mimic an outdated familiarity, but it lacks needed authenticity beyond dialogue from “cool cats” and such. It’s not spoiled by any means, just a surface value knock despite the costuming and production design doing their jobs. There’s nothing as bad as Steve Buscemi in skater boi camouflage saying “fellow kids,” but there’s something Halloween-costume-y about the film’s universe.
What does not lack is the buckets of gore and exceptional creature design. Sawtooth Jack gives the vibe of seeing Pumpkinhead for the first time, and Slade doesn’t hide his emaciated, jack-o’-lantern-faced scarecrow. It scowls under full lighting, without camera tricks that would hide lesser craftsmanship. Nor does Slade shy away from literal geysers of blood that erupt like national park fixtures, or bodily mutilations that’re worthy of gasps. Dark Harvest can feel like an after-school special when Richie chats with his crush Kelly (E’myri Crutchfield), until Slade highlights the savagery on display as ravenous kiddies fill their bellies by tearing open Sawtooth Jack (shown in prior years) and feasting on the candy stuffed into his torso husk like a piñata.
As an American folktale, Dark Harvest is a slice of humble pie that vocally reminds us that the kids aren’t alright and that society’s reliance on the old guard is the problem. Sawtooth Jack deserves the big screen, looking like the next nightmare grandmaster of a Halloween Horror Nights parade. It takes big swings by removing the comfortable safety provided to children characters in horror movies, and Sawtooth’s violent attacks deliver memorable blasts of bloodshed, but something is missing from the film’s period-piece universe. There’s also a darkness about the final act that may lose certain viewers, even if the later choices fit Slade’s bleak tone. Still, for what it’s doing and for how visually appealing it can be, Dark Harvest delivers October ickiness with a crooked smile.
Director: David Slade
Writer: Michael Gilio
Starring: Casey Likes, E’myri Crutchfield, Dustin Ceithamer, Elizabeth Reaser, Jeremy Davies
Release Date: October 11, 2023
Matt Donato is a Los Angeles-based film critic currently published on SlashFilm, Fangoria, Bloody Disgusting, and anywhere else he’s allowed to spread the gospel of Demon Wind. He is also a member of the Hollywood Critics Association. Definitely don’t feed him after midnight.