Good morning, House of Madness residents:
Does your city, town, or county have any lore? Perhaps every year it's said that a man in a striped suit scurries through town stealing hamburgers from unsuspecting children, and the only way to stop him is to......oh shit, did I just describe the Hamburglar? OK, maybe lore doesn't really exist in most places, but every fall in a midwestern town the lore couldn't be more real, and each year the infamous 'Sawtooth Jack' must be stopped.
It's Halloween in Bradbury, and Halloween means something completely different to Bradbury folk than it does to every other Joe Blow on the planet. Every year on Halloween, 'Sawtooth Jack' rises from the cornfields and must be killed before he reaches the church at midnight, or the town will suffer the consequences and their crops will be destroyed, eliminating their cash cow for the next season. According to the lore, 'Sawtooth Jack' won once before and it was a nightmare for everyone involved, but each year ever since, someone has stepped up and killed Sawtooth for the year, and feasted on his innards with the help of the town.
Every year the parents in Bradbury send their children out to kill Sawtooth Jack with the winner receiving a brand new Corvette, while their parents enjoy a move to the right side of the tracks and all the benefits that come along with it. Last year's winner was Jim Shepard (Britain Dalton), and he's apparently living the life of luxury in California now that his heroic deed has been done. This year, his brother Richie (Casey Likes) has made it known that he wants to be the one to slay the pumpkin headed beast that will stop at nothing but death to reach the church by midnight, and break the curse. With everyone in town trying to win, however, there will be bloodshed and death, but when the dust settles, only one will emerge victorious and claim their spot in the town's history forever.......but is it worth it?
"Dark Harvest" can be a little corny at times, while also jumping all over the place while we're left wondering what exactly is going on. That being said, it's also a fantastic little gem that has earned its way onto my Halloween must-watch list every year. Yeah, some of the characters are eye-rolling at times, and yes, the questionable decision making by many of the characters can be troublesome, but these things actually added to the enjoyment factor for me, and I especially loved the Sawtooth Jack character and lore. If you're looking for something to terrify you to your core, look elsewhere, but if you're looking for a badass little flick with a kickass antagonist, look no further.....just stay out of the cornfields.
Madness Meter: 6.9/10
NB
