Reel Review: Night of the Harvest (2023)

“Night of the Harvest” is a twisty old-school slasher made with passion that delivers plenty of fun, surprises, and ample Halloween vibes.

Of course, as genre devotees, we watch an excessive amount of horror in October. But given that we watch horror movies all year long, what we crave this time of year is a horror film that truly embraces the spirit of Halloween.

We want atmosphere galore, the kind that gives us that warm, cozy feeling even as we’re watching some masked madman hack and slash his way through a bunch of hapless victims.

If it’s atmosphere you’re looking for, the Christopher M. Carter and Jessica Morgan written and directed indie horror film Night of the Harvest has it in spades.

Beginning on Halloween Eve, a man arrives at the home of his date with mischief on his mind. A hardcore Halloween-loving gal, all she wants is for him to get in the spirit of the season and match her freak.

Before either of them can get their wish, a killer in a scarecrow mask shows up to put a bloody end to the festivities.

Next, we meet a couple of sisters. Older sis Audrey (played by writer-directed Morgan) is doing her best to comfort her PTSD-suffering sister, Madison (Brittany Isabell). It’s Halloween, the one-year anniversary of a traumatic event in which X survived a horrifying attack by our scarecrow killer — an attack that claimed the life of her boyfriend.

Audrey convinces Maddie to join her for a Halloween celebration with her friend group, hoping the fun and camaraderie will help take her mind off painful memories.

In many ways, the film feels like a loving homage to direct-to-VHS slashers of the Blockbuster era.

It harkens back to those charming but cheesy flicks with killer covers but formulaic plots and subpar acting. However, Night of the Harvest immediately begins to subvert expectations in increasingly surprising ways.

First, our friend group isn’t your typical group of hot, vapid college kids ready to get naked and wasted at a raging Halloween party. Instead, we get an older group of diverse friends that challenge slasher stereotypes.

There’s the quirky girl, Joyce (Autumn Gubersky), who is full-blown obsessed with Halloween. She maintains her infectious enthusiasm even though her friends fail to pass the vibe check.

There’s an insufferable couple, Riley (Taylor Falshaw) and Jacob (Ashton Jordaan Ruiz), who make us anxiously await the inevitable bloodbath. They hate Halloween—stopping just short of calling it the Devil’s holiday—because they are really (it’s almost too painful to type) Valentine’s Day people.

Ostensibly, the primary other couple is Audrey and her boyfriend of six months, Dane (Jim Cirner), who has finally just about worked up the courage to say “I love you” for the first time.

However, the REAL MVP pairing is Dane and his best friend William (Aeric Azana), whose endearing bromance is the partnership we truly invest in. The filmmakers try to get us to care about William’s potential romance with the severely guarded Maddie, but his unspoken love affair with Dane is all that matters.

Forty minutes in, the friends have gathered at Joyce’s house at a remote location for a Halloween party. Little do they know, their exuberant host has just been brutally murdered by Scarecrow Killer.

We know all the beats. We’ve seen this movie a million times before.

But… not so fast; this indie treat has a few tricks up its sleeve.

As everyone settles into the good times vibes, the film drops its first big bombshell, significantly changing its tone, pacing, and direction.

I’ll admit, I was legitimately surprised. I did not see that first twist coming. I was also thrilled that the film wasn’t just sticking to the tired old hack-and-slash formula.

From this revelation, Night of the Harvest picked up considerable steam and hooked me. It also ramps up the gore and body count, becoming a more interesting and engaging film once it picks up steam.

It keeps you guessing effectively, as the first big twist is not the last one. It also never gets dull after it gets going — though it takes a while before that happens, so patience is required.

Two hours is probably too long of runtime for a film like this, but I enjoyed the character development that happens later in the film, making me invest in characters I thought I could not care less about.

It can’t be said enough; Cirner and Azana are really fun to watch and bring a charming, comedic energy that helps elevate the proceedings.

It was a joy to watch this low-budget gem challenge the “it’s all about the final girl” trope and center the story on the strong bonds of family and friendship.

Playing devoted sisters, Morgan and Isabell also shine, with Morgan delivering a particularly strong and scenery-chewing performance — especially as she’s given a more substantive role in the latter half of the film.

Now, in fairness, this is a low-budget affair, and those budget limitations are apparent.

Not everything works; the first few kills happen offscreen, the script is uneven in some parts, not all the performances are as strong as others, and it could have benefited from a tighter edit.

Still, it’s clearly made with passion and creativity, and I absolutely loved the earnest attempt to honor the slasher standards while surprising the audience.

The ending is stronger than the beginning, which feels like a rarity and is quite satisfying for those who endure the rather rough beginning.

Ultimately, it’s not a future cult classic in the making, but it is fun and worth watching, especially during the Halloween season.