With his first directorial effort, the hugely disturbing but effective cult film Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer released in 1986, filmmaker John McNaughton single-handedly earned himself a spot in the Horror Hall of Fame. Since then, however, his career (other than the whimsically dark soft-core sex Wild Things) has been filled with amazing unappreciated movies, including the gruesome sci-fi thriller “The Borrower,” the eccentric comedy-drama “Mad Dog and Glory,” and “A Normal Life” (a searing docudrama in which Ashley Judd delivers one of the finest performances you will ever witness) Shocking, Judd has not acted since her performance in “Speaking of Sex” in 2001. Now, after more than a decade and a half, McNaughton returns to the big screen with “The Harvest” a gory thriller McNaughton so famously built his legacy on. Unlike his previously released films, “The Harvest” lacks gore and viscera, instead suspensefully delivering intense tension complemented by stunning performances.
The first scenes remind someone of a blend of films produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin and Stephen King from the 1980s. In these scenes, Maryann (Natasha Calis), is a young tomboy still processing the death of her father and is now living with her kind-hearted grandparents (Peter Fonda and Leslie Lyles) in upstate New York. One day while exploring the neighborhood, she stumbles upon a house that has a little corn patch peeking out of a window. Intrigued, she decides to investigate. Peeking out the window is Andy (Charlie Tahan), a bedridden boy who happens to be her age. She figuratively climbs through the window and introduces herself. Andy, being sickly and home-schooled, eagerly has a friend to play with and this new development is only problematic when his mother, Kathryn. (Samantha Morton) arrives, who, although kind in theory does not accept her intrusion.
That does not prevent Maryann from visiting Andy and his father Richard (Michael Shannon), who seems to appreciate having a nurse’s son for a friend and has given up his job to assist his wife, a pediatric surgeon, in caring for their son. Mother Katherine’s response to the girl is increasingly frigid until she bluntly tells her to stay away. Maryann continues to come, so, Katherine begins to irrationally overprotect Andy in ways that are shocking and excessive. It is evident there is a lot more to this story, and Maryann eventually learns the truth, but it is too late for her to convince anyone to help her save Andy from the turmoil of Katherine, a mother who truly loves her son, but a son whom she will go to any lengths for, feeling the need to protect him at all costs.
For the last few months, there have been the beginnings of, what is long overdue, a shift in low-key horror film-making with the releases of such winners as “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” and “The Babadook,” It Follows being the new sensation. This is ‘The Harvest’s’ first public showing despite its 2013 release, and while it does not exhibit memorable shock techniques, first-time screenwriter Stephen Lancellotti’s grabber story does succeed in building tension and suspense and deploying some effective misdirections to surprise every veteran of the genre. More significantly, his screenplay also gives a welcome sense of complexity to its characters, for example, Katherine, even at her worst moments, has been written in a way that allows us to understand and empathize with her to a certain degree. Similarly, McNaughton splendidly sustains the tension throughout even a simple game of catch and becomes a gripping set piece in his hands all without resorting to the use of grotesque extremes which he so memorably employed in ‘Henry’.
The general public may not recognize young stars Calis and Tahan, who have bit parts in The Possession and Blue Jasmine, respectively, but they more than compensate for their limited star power with two very strong portrayals of ordinary children trying to make sense of a situation that they know is bad. Casting Morton, a longtime favorite for many who are sympathetic with several characters, and Shannon, who comes off as creepy based on so many performances he has, gives McNaughton a way of keeping viewers off-balance while allowing two terrific actors to work on what is emotionally complex for most horror films these days.
“The Harvest” comes close to being a compelling film in the genre, but it has some flaws. For instance, the screenplay fails to show why nobody believes Maryann when she attempts to explain what she has witnessed. Also, I think the parts of her grandparents were not adequately developed, but listening to Peter Fonda frothingly say, “Far out!” is always a joy. It’s also true that a few gorehounds, McNaughton’s marketing of the film does sell it, might be disappointed while over-emphasizing its horrific aspects. In the process, however, the film’s more obvious natural demographic of deeply thinking teenagers is ignored. That would be unfortunate because, as greatly as being a film in its own right, it is also remarkable for the return of a filmmaker who has always been forgotten for some reason over the years but didn’t lose any of his immense ability over that period.
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