Creeptober Day 23: Dark Harvest (2023)

Dark Harvest was released last year, and it quickly established itself as a solid choice for the Halloween season. It is our pick for day twenty-three of Creeptober, and if you’re like us, it might be added to your list of yearly October viewings.

Read on for our thoughts on Dark Harvest (2023) as well as a recap of the movie, and join the conversation on our Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram!

Reacting to Dark Harvest

Dark Harvest took a long time to be released. It was originally scheduled for late 2021, but it didn’t actually come out until October 2023 when it had a rather quiet digital release. This kind of thing is often perceived as bad news for a movie. Either the studio doesn’t believe in it, or it isn’t very good, or both. That perception isn’t always accurate though, and Dark Harvest is a good example of that.

Dark Harvest is a very fun Halloween movie. The atmosphere is distinctive and fittingly dark, and there is just enough blood and violence for a good monster movie. I’ve never read the book this movie is based on (written by Norman Partridge), so I can’t say whether or not it’s a good adaptation. But the story of the movie is good and gloomy, which is exactly the kind of thing I like.

The overall look of the movie is one of the reasons I enjoy Dark Harvest so much. David Slade was the director, and Larry Smith was the cinematographer, and they created an abundance of beautifully dark imagery. When watching, you can tell that they paid special attention to crafting as many striking visuals as they could. From the opening moments of Sawtooth Jack approaching the masked boy under the moonlight, to the Bandits in their Crimson Ghost masks, to the film’s final sequence in the cornfield, Dark Harvest looks amazing.

I also enjoy the retro feel of everything. It’s set mostly in 1963, and I think they pull that time period off very well. It looks slick in many ways (the visual quality, for one), so it very much feels like make-believe 1960s America, but that still gives it a nostalgic quality. That can give a movie a sense of timelessness, and that’s something Dark Harvest achieves. Never giving the town a name also helps in that regard. It could be anytown USA, and that broadness of setting is appealing to me.

And then there’s Sawtooth Jack. I love the design of the monster. The rotted, pale pumpkin head is creepy. The emaciated body stuffed with candy is unsettling in a great way. And the fact that Jack can light his own head on fire is awesome. Sawtooth Jack is a wonderful monster that gets right down to its business of violent murder, and I love it. Knowing what Jack actually is and having it hanging in what is basically a crucifixion pose is not subtle in any way, but it looks cool. So I like it. Not everything has to be super deep. Some things can just be fun. Dark Harvest understands that, and it does it well.

Dark Harvest – A Recap

Every year on Halloween, the Harvester’s Guild in a small rural town holds a competition referred to as “The Run.” A creature called Sawtooth Jack rises out of the cornfields, and the population’s teenage boys are sent to kill it before the monster reaches the church near the center of town. If they fail, then the town will suffer a year of hardship which includes failed crops. The boy who kills Sawtooth Jack gets $25,000, a car, and his family gets a new house. In 1962, Jim Shepard wins. Immediately after his celebratory party, Jim leaves town in his new car.

One year later, Jim’s younger brother Richie is determined to win The Run. Technically though, he’s not even allowed to participate since a single family can’t win twice. Richie’s reasons for wanting to participate in The Run involve feeling overlooked by everyone, and being overshadowed by his brother. After he is attacked by a bully named Riley, Richie receives a letter from his brother saying that he shouldn’t leave town. Richie should stay and take care of their family. Instead, he steals a car and tries to drive out of town, only to be stopped by police officer Ricks.

That night, all the teenage boys in town are locked in their rooms for three days of isolation and fasting before The Run. When the time comes, the boys are let loose and run through the streets in a frenzy. Richie, who was unconscious for three days after being attacked by Officer Ricks, leaves his home and joins his friends in The Run. The Bandits use a truck to get out to the cornfields first in the hunt for Sawtooth Jack. They hit something in the road. Sawtooth Jack quickly kills two of Richie’s friends, and Richie runs. In the fields, Richie finds Kelly, the new girl in town. They decide to stick together so they can kill the monster.

In town, Richie’s friend Bud is chased and killed by Sawtooth Jack, as are multiple other boys. Also in town, Richie finds a gun and steals a cop car. While Richie and Kelly get to know each other, Officer Ricks has the police dispatcher send out a call saying where Sawtooth Jack is. Richie and Kelly confront Jack, but Richie freezes when he sees the belt buckle Jack is wearing. Jack gets away, and Officer Ricks takes his car back. Richie takes Kelly to his house where he questions his mother about the past winners of The Run, and whether or not she wrote the letter and postcards he’s received from Jim. Richie’s mother doesn’t answer, but she tells her son to “put an end to it.” Then she kills herself.

Kelly tells Richie they can run away while everyone is distracted with The Run. Richie says he’s staying to end it, and Kelly says she’ll stay with him. They go to the church where they find Richie’s dad. Richie tells his dad that he knows the truth. He knows that Sawtooth Jack is actually his brother Jim. His dad explains that he didn’t know the secret of The Run until after Jim won, and if he tried to go against the Harvester’s Guild, their entire family would have been killed. Outside, Sawtooth Jack approaches. Richie tries to reason with his brother, but Jack/Jim is shot by Riley. Richie wants to save Jim, but Richie is forced to kill his brother, thereby winning The Run and dooming himself to be next year’s sacrifice as the next Sawtooth Jack.

At the afterparty, Richie agrees to Kelly’s plan to run away together. They kiss, and Kelly leaves to get ready to go. Richie receives his prize car and drives away. He picks up Kelly, but on their way out of town they’re stopped by Officer Ricks. Richie is led into the cornfield, but he surprises Ricks, shooting and killing him. Ricks is dead, but a farmer hits Richie with a hammer, knocking him into an open grave. Richie is buried. On the road, Richie’s dad tells Kelly to take Richie’s car and leave town. Crying, Kelly drives away, alone.

Some time later, Richie’s body is dug up and prepared as the next Sawtooth Jack. His dad cuts him down, then he kills the farmer. Behind him, Jack/Richie stands up. Richie’s dad tells him to “burn it all down.”

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