“The Harvest” is kid torture at its finest. While the film moves at a sluggish pace for nearly 45 minutes to build a world, I trust in McNaughton’s ability. After all, the man brought us “Wild Things” and “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer”. Could he do any wrong? Well, he did and it makes quite interesting counter point to my recent viewing of “The Visit”.
When a director turns expectations on a particular genre, fans expect certain things. While I know that McNaughton can play with horror and tension, the film’s low budget and off-putting nature handicaps the amazing cast. Samantha Morton feels like a one-dimension villain, while Michael Shannon is a push over. That might’ve worked with lesser actors, but so much of the film is ham-stringed to make the central conceit work.
The Blu-Ray comes with no special features. But, the A/V Quality is on point for a smaller budget horror film. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio is what I’d expect from a Scream Factory release. However, the transfer started soft, but later improved to the 1080p quality that I expected. In the end, it’s worth a purchase.
Release Date: 9/1/15