31 Days of Horror: Dark Harvest is an underrated slasher fit for the Halloween season

David Slade has a solid horror track record, including Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night, and an episode of Black Mirror, "Bandersnatch." For whatever reason, his recent movie, Dark Harvest, sort of flew under the radar when it released in 2023. If you haven't seen the movie, now is the perfect time to watch it because it's set during Halloween in 1963 in a small Midwestern American town.

Based on the 2006 novel by Norman Partridge, Dark Harvest stars Casey Likes as Richie Shepard, a teenager who breaks the rules of the town's annual ritual. In short, every October, the town forces teenage boys to hunt and kill a character known as Sawtooth Jack, a resurrected spirit with a pumpkin head who hacks, slashes, and murders. The winner receives a new car and cash prize. The teenagers need to stop Sawtooth Jack before he reaches the town church by midnight, though the reason for this isn't quite clear. Technically, Casey isn't supposed to partake in the ritual because his brother won it the previous year, but his older bro has gone MIA and only writes him letters. There's also quite a surprise twist regarding who Sawtooth Jack actually is and just how diabolical the ritual is. It's evident that stories like Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" influenced this narrative, especially the concept of a small town abiding by a ritual in order to not buck tradition, no matter how sick it is.

What I really dig about the film is how it makes great use of the time period. The teens are greasers, complete with black leather jackets, slicked-back hair and of course, Converse Chuck Taylors. The old-time music also fits the early 60s vibe, and there's even roving gangs of greasers that fight each other because they're so eager to take out Sawtooth Jack and win the big prize. The film also deals with some of the racial turmoil of early 60s America, especially through the character of Kelly (Emyri Crutchfield), essentially the only Black character in a white bread town, but she eventually holds her own against Sawtooth Jack and strikes up an endearing friendship with Casey, who's an outcast in his own way.

This film also has some great Halloween set designs, including vintage ghost and witch decorations and porches adorned with candle-lit jack-o-lanterns. There's also plenty of cornfields where Sawtooth Jack hides and eventually attacks victim after victim. There are some gruesome kills in this movie, too, and an overall setting that really depicts October in the Midwest.

Dark Harvest absolutely warrants a first-time watch or rewatch this season. While movies like John Carpenter's Halloween or Trick 'r Treat are the likely favorites for a lot of horror hounds this month, give Dark Harvest a try. It's all about those October vibes, and it works perfectly well as an entertaining slasher.

Dark Harvest is currently streaming for free on Tubi and Pluto TV. It's also available on Shudder.