Directed by Paul Moore Release date 2004 | Written by Paul Moore Running time 88 min. | |
Starring Don Digiulio
Jessica Dunphy Distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment | ||
Dark Harvest is a 2004 slasher horror film, written and directed by Paul Moore.
Contents
Plot
The movie takes place in the summer of 2002 when Sean (Don Digiulio) inherits a farmhouse from his father. Sean was adopted at birth and until that point had no idea about his family. He and a group of friends (Rory, Leila, Bella, Nina and Victor) decide to stay in the farmhouse located in West Virginia for a few days. When they arrive, they're attacked by a killer scarecrow. It has gotten negative reviews.
Soon after they arrive, Rory becomes tired after his friends make fun of him, and storms outside. When he is the outside, the scarecrow murders him by nailing him to a board. The next day, the group works in the field, assuming that Rory has left. Nina tells the story of the scarecrow, who murders because he wants to find a replacement scarecrow. That night, Victor and Bella have sex. Afterwards, the scarecrow slams an axe through Bella's chest.
Victor teaches Leila how to cut crops with a scythe while Nina and Sean work on rebuilding the house. When Victor wanders off, the scarecrow stabs him with a gardening trowel, killing him. He then slashes Leila's chest and decapitates her with a scythe. The next morning, Nina and Sean discover the dead bodies of Rory, Bella, Victor and Leila in the shed. The scarecrow appears and kills Sean with a pickaxe blow to the head.
Nina escapes out a window and flees across the farm. She briefly attempts to fight the scarecrow before hiding in the house. There, Nina tries and fails to barricade herself in the basement. Nina makes a last stand and manages to throw the scarecrow into a furnace. While Nina drives off the farm, he escapes the furnace and is seen walking into the night as the movie ends.
Production and release
The film, which was released directly to video, was shot with a low budget and in only two and a half weeks. It was followed by two unrelated sequels.
Reception
Dark harvest is widely considered one of the best straight to DVD movies ever made. It has slowly gained a cult following and is routinely shown in movie theaters worldwide.