End of the Harvest

End of the Harvest is an intriguing film that was released in the year 1998. Starring David A.R. White, Brad Heller and Lance Zitron, the movie centers around a small farming town named Promise. The story of the movie follows two college friends, Jack and Hank, who decide to spend their summer break harvesting crops on a farm in Promise while hoping to make some money.

The film's opening sequence establishes the eerie tone that persists throughout the movie. With the onset of the summer, Jack and Hank arrive in Promise seeking a peaceful escape from their mundane city lives, only to discover that something is off with the town’s residents. They are met with hostility and suspicion right from the time they arrive. Jack and Hank soon come to realize that their simple summer of farming is not going to be as easy as they had thought.

The strange behavior of the people in Promise becomes more apparent with each passing day, and Jack and Hank begin to suspect a darker motive behind the town’s baffling cultural practices. As they dig deeper, they begin to uncover some unspeakable truths about the town's singular crop and its connection to the community's every aspect.

Soon, Jack and Hank are left with no other option but to seek refuge in the suspicion-filled outskirts of the town, being chased by the dark forces that lie in the heart of Promise. They discover that the town’s kind-hearted facade masks a sinister and twisted foundation. Believing that their survival is at stake, Jack and Hank face an impossible choice to escape the clutches of Promise.

The film's setting of Promise is captured using a muted color palette, which creates an eerie atmosphere that matches the overall tone of the movie. The beautiful scenery and rustic charm are set against a backdrop of despair and bleakness, which adds to the sense of foreboding that pervades the movie's plot.

The performances of the main characters, David A.R. White, Brad Heller, and Lance Zitron, are commendable, with their chemistry being one of the highlights of the film. White as Jack portrays a character caught in a web of deceit, but still holding his ground, and Heller as Hank provides the much-needed comedic relief in this intensely dark and sinister plot. Zitron as Wirt, the creepy cultivator in the town, adds to the unsettling atmosphere with his quietly intense presence.

The movie is shot on a relatively low budget, but this does not detract from its overall quality or its storytelling effectively. The plot flows seamlessly, with a slow-burning sense of dread building up to a satisfying resolution. The film gives the impression of an indie horror film, as its setting is on a small-scale with a focus on character and plot, while also maintaining the horror genre's necessary tropes.

Overall, End of the Harvest is a well-crafted and engaging horror movie that captures the essence of indie horrors successfully. Its plot is a combination of suspense, horror, and mystery that keeps the viewer at the edge of their seat throughout. It's a horror film that does not rely on jump scares, instead opting to deliver a slow and steady build-up to the climax, which is both fulfilling and liberating.

End of the Harvest stands out as an underappreciated gem in the horror genre, with its slow pacing and a strong sense of the macabre. Its blend of humor and horror makes it an excellent choice for those who appreciate horror movies that are not overly focused on gore and jump scares.