As the last day of Summer & first day of Autumn both approach I felt compelled to give this obscure Chiller from the mid-70's another watch since I feel it captures this very period of the Earthly cycle so beautifully. If only the rest of the film could live up to it's evocative cinematography? Alas "Dark August" doesn't quite deliver on it's potential to be a classic slice of pure American Gothic. In fact it's less a Folk Horror experience as it is a somewhat ill-judged depiction of the occult. And being someone well studied in such things I can confirm that the writer of this particular film knew little of the subject matter they were trying to wrap their story around. But with that said, the film still manages to be effective thanks to it's impressive use of atmospherics, it's commited lead performances & it's psychological approach over jump scares. The latter is something far too many modern films rely on to keep it's audience engaged so it is refreshing to see a film which, though burning too slow for some to tolerate, plays mind games so masterfully that it haunts the viewer long after it has ended...
...The story is really nothing to write home about & all I'll say about it is that it possibly influenced the 1988 cult classic "Pumpkinhead' since they're quite similar. The biggest difference being that "Pumpkinhead" was a creature feature crossed with a Slasher movie whereas "Dark August" is neither. It's best summed up as a Supernatural Psychodrama with Chiller elements. The film isn't quite a Horror, though it does one or two moments which almost make it feel part of the genre. The film follows a streetwise New York artist who find himself a bit of a fish out of water in rural Vermont. And his discomfort living out in the sticks of the Northeastern state is further amplified when he accidently kills a young girl who just so happens to be the grandchild of a creepy old yokel who just so happens to be versed in Witchcraft if not exactly a fully fledged Warlock. Cue our story of curses, chills & cliches...
...But as I mentioned earlier, don't expect "Dark August" to be an elightening exploration of the occult. And this really is where the film falls on it's face. I guess it works well enough for those ignorant to real life occult practices, but it also doesn't help the film to stand up against much warranted criticism. If you want to see an authentic depiction of Witchcraft from the same decade? Go for George A. Romero's "Season Of The Witch" instead. If you want a more modern depiction of the occult? They don't come more real & respectful than "A Dark Song". As it is, "Dark August" works just fine as a depiction of one man's descent into madness even if many other films have done it far more convincingly & far more spectacularly. But for a low budget film, this absolutely deserves praise for making perfect use of it's locations & masking the shortcomings of it's script with some of the most breathtaking shots of the American landscape ever captured on film!
S. S. S.
...The story is really nothing to write home about & all I'll say about it is that it possibly influenced the 1988 cult classic "Pumpkinhead' since they're quite similar. The biggest difference being that "Pumpkinhead" was a creature feature crossed with a Slasher movie whereas "Dark August" is neither. It's best summed up as a Supernatural Psychodrama with Chiller elements. The film isn't quite a Horror, though it does one or two moments which almost make it feel part of the genre. The film follows a streetwise New York artist who find himself a bit of a fish out of water in rural Vermont. And his discomfort living out in the sticks of the Northeastern state is further amplified when he accidently kills a young girl who just so happens to be the grandchild of a creepy old yokel who just so happens to be versed in Witchcraft if not exactly a fully fledged Warlock. Cue our story of curses, chills & cliches...
...But as I mentioned earlier, don't expect "Dark August" to be an elightening exploration of the occult. And this really is where the film falls on it's face. I guess it works well enough for those ignorant to real life occult practices, but it also doesn't help the film to stand up against much warranted criticism. If you want to see an authentic depiction of Witchcraft from the same decade? Go for George A. Romero's "Season Of The Witch" instead. If you want a more modern depiction of the occult? They don't come more real & respectful than "A Dark Song". As it is, "Dark August" works just fine as a depiction of one man's descent into madness even if many other films have done it far more convincingly & far more spectacularly. But for a low budget film, this absolutely deserves praise for making perfect use of it's locations & masking the shortcomings of it's script with some of the most breathtaking shots of the American landscape ever captured on film!
S. S. S.