Dark Harvest

I have always loved seeing cornfields in American movies. There is just something special about seeing that corn covering a big field and see the large corn plants rise towards the sky. I am a big corn lover myself and love having barbecued corn, making a salad with corn, i actually enjoy corn bread as well. Of course anyone who loves popcorn knows it is originally from corn, so that´s also another thing i love to have during movie nights. Speaking of cornfields and movies, whenever i think about this combination there is especially one horror film that comes to my mind. And that is the 1984 film Children Of The Corn from director Fritz Kiersch ( director of the classic 1992 action comedy film Into The Sun with Michael Paré and Anthony Michael Hall ). Children Of The Corn is actually based on a short story from legenedary director Stephen King and i have personally not read it. However i have seen the original film many times and the film begins in the fictional town of Gatlin, Nebraska, where a malevolent entity referred to as "He Who Walks Behind The Rows" wich entices the town´s children to ritually murder all the town´s adults. Three years later, Vicky Baxter ( Linda Hamilton ) and her boyfriend Burt Stanton ( Peter Horton ) travel through rural Nebraska on their way to Seattle. As they drive along the highway towards Gatlin a young boy named Joseph ( Jonas Marlowe ) tries to flee from the town but is attacked in the corn, he stumbles out into the road and Burt accidently runs over him. However, Burt discover that his throat was cut beforehand. Vicky and Burt go to get help in town and meet the only living adult there named Diehl ( R.G. Armstrong ) who is a mechanic. He can not help them and he lives to supply the children of the town with fuel. Vicky and Burt understand soon that there is something really disturbing going on in this small town, where all the children are involved. Children Of The Corn may not be one of the best 80´s horror films but is definetely a classic that you should see. The film have some great characters and use the cornfields in a effective way and the psychotic children attacking definetely helps the film look good. There are unfortunately too many sequels but i would say that the 2nd film is worth a watch. Speaking of cornfields, last year we had a horror film released that is connected to a corn field where some kind of monster lives. The film is called Dark Harvest and actually got some positive reviews, I finally sat down to watch Dark Harvest to see if we might get some Children Of The Corn vibes in this film. Is it better than i predicted or is this just as horrible as the God awful Swedish comedy Reine & Mimmi I Fjällen that shouldn´t be allowed to exist?

In a small Midwestern town, adeadly annual ritual unfolds when the mythical nightmare, Sawtooth Jack ( Dustin Ceithamer ), rises from the cornfields and challenges the town´s teenage boys in a bloody battle of survival.

In some ways you could say that Dark Harvest is almost like a scarecrow horror movie, but instead of a traditional scarecrow we have a monster living out in the cornfield. I am a fan of the 1988 American slasher film known as Scarecrows from director William Wesley, and it was one of the better scarecrow horror films for many years. I would have to admit and say that Dark Harvest is definetely one of the better horror films when it comes to taking on a scarecrow theme that does something different and interesting with the plot. The fact that this monster attacks every Halloween weekend from a cornfield is a fun idea, and i have to say i was impressed over some of the brutal attacks that this film offered when we watched teenagers getting slashed in half and a head cut in half. We have to talk about the beautiful cinematography in Dark Harvest from cinematographer Larry Smith. If you have seen the 1999 classic Eyes Wide Shut from legendary director Stanley Kubrick i can tell you that Larry Smith is the cinematographer of that film as well, and it becomes very clear in Dark Harvest how professional he really is. Dark Harvest is nowhere near as good as Eyes Wide Shut let me be clear on that, but thanks to cinematograher Larry Smith he helps this film look much better than most horror films i have seen in a long time. I would also like to say that director David Slade ( director of a personal favourite horror film of mine called 30 Days Of night ) manage to make a solid Halloween inspired film with Dark Harvest. The monster known as Sawtooth Jack looks really cool and i am impressed how well they designed this creature. The acting in general is actually pretty good for the most part and actor Casey Likes definetely show that he could be a future hope if he keeps acting as good as in Dark Harvest. Actor Luke Kirby as Officer Jerry is a highlight for sure with his crazy personality. I honestly can´t complain much at this film since i had a good time with Dark Harvest. Sure, the story of The Run may be a little bit cheesy but for a Halloween inspired film i have to say it is one of the better i have seen in this specific horror genre. Director David Slade continue to prove he knows how to deliver good horror films, Dark Harvest should definetely be experienced with a big bowl of popcorn and a pure dark night in sight.

Rating: DDD