Dark August (1976) User Reviews

A Well Acted, Written, & Directed Slow Boil To Simmer Horror Flick... But Not For Everyone.

[P3n-E-W1s3 · 6/10 · 31 March 2021]

Greetings and salutations, and welcome to my review of 1976s Dark August.

Before I get into the film review, here are my ratings for the movie.

The story gets 1.5 out of 2: The Direction a 1.25: The Tempo and Flow receive a 1: While the Acting gets 1.25: And my Enjoyment level earns a 1.25 out of 2: Dark August, therefore, receives a total of 6.25 out of 10.

The particular thing I admire about this film is the story. Even though it's primarily a revenge flick, the writers JJ and Carolyne Barry, and Martin Goldman, go the extra mile. The central plot is about a girl killed in a road accident, and her grandfathers quest for revenge. However, good old grandpops doesn't grab his rifle and hunt the man down. No. He lights a black candle and recites an incantation to bring forth an ancient evil to kill the driver. It's here and in additional incantation scenes that the Barry's and Goldman add the extra touch. Believable dialogue for spell-casting. The spells are no lame-ass Hogwarts Latin one-word crap. There are feelings and power in these words. For me, Dark August includes the most genuine spell-casting phraseology put on film.

On the whole, the writers provide the audience with a good storyline and believable and relatable characters. Though, it does suffer from slowness at times. These pausing periods, which aren't too terrible, could have been used to continue to build the characters and story.

Goldman also directed this little treasure of a horror film. He possesses a fine eye for iconic compositional shots. In the opening sequence, he gives the audience a pan of the landscape, and it's magnificent. The sun is setting over mountains on the horizon. Goldman captures a light-leak from the setting sun to the left edge of the screen. As he pans, the light-leak moves correspondingly. The entire scene gave me a pleasant and euphoric feeling. It's delightful when a director plans every shot of the film. There's a particularly eerie shot of a mysterious robed figure as he stands between the trunks of two trees. The image is centre-screen and framed by the forest. Add to this the quirky and discordant music, and Goldman injects a cold chill into you.

I found it a bonus and a plus to my enjoyment that Goldman uses local people in his shots. The townsfolk are most evident in Sal's first mental attack. At the time, he's in the local store. In the background, the people are shopping. And they don't appear to be acting shopping. I particularly enjoyed the two kids messing about. The realisticness of this scene was great.

The only place that Goldman staggers is with the pacing of the storytelling. The slow pace works, for the most part. However, some segments needed a tad more speed. Surprisingly, this is most evident in the second incantation sequence. It's too long. Though I know it needs to be creepy, the scene is exceedingly slow and creates a dragged out feel. Nevertheless, it's eloquently written.

The cast is on their top form also. And, co-writers JJ Barry and Carolyne Barry do surprisingly well in the lead roles. They work splendidly as a couple; their real-life relationship possibly helped to make their scenes more realistic

I completely believed in the evil grandpoppa. William Robertson perfectly executes the evil stare. There's no way I would've messed with him. I'd have packed up and turned tail and ran. Shame his speaking sections don't possess the equivalent power. Luckily for both the film and the audience, the grandfather represents the quiet and brooding type. I'm not too convinced he even voiced the opening incantation as this voice oozes ominousness.

The only gripe with the performances was that of Kim Hunter's. She delivers a quality performance as the witch. Nonetheless, when she starts the end enchantment, she comes across a little flat. Her monotony could be another reason why the scene appeared slow. It's a shame as this is part of the story's conclusion and was required to hold the audience's attention.

Dark August is an odd title and doesn't do the film justice. I say this because there's no mention of the month, and it's not dark. Well, not that dark. There are hints of suicidal thoughts, though these are only slight. More depth to Sal's grief would have been better. After all, he was the cause of the granddaughter's death. You know he's troubled, but I couldn't help feeling that I wanted more.

That said, this is an enjoyable movie if you like slow creepy flicks. There's no gross-out gore. Even though we witness one of the men saw into his leg, we never see the girl get run over, even though we see the scene a few times. The accident happens off-screen.

I would recommend Dark August for every Horror fan, except the gore-hounds. It's rightly worth one sitting, though I will be going back to it in the future. I wouldn't recommend it for newbies either. The slowness may put you off watching other horror flicks, and that would be a shame because there are so many excellent ones out there. No, this one is for the seasoned fans.

Once you've escaped the evil granddad, make your way through the forest and check out my Absolute Horror list to see where this revenge flick ranked in my charts.

Take Care & Stay Well. Get Inoculated.

horror movie contains a scene reminiscent of Robert Altman's movies

[lee_eisenberg · 5/10 · 26 June 2009]

Obscure horror flick about a Mikhail Saakashvili lookalike stalked by the grandfather of girl whom he accidentally killed. There's certainly nothing significant about "Dark August", unless we interpret it as a '70s time capsule.* What I mean by a similarity to Robert Altman's movies is that one scene has two groups of people simultaneously carrying on conversations. Of course, I might be the only person who interpreted that. Otherwise, I would never think to equate this movie with Altman's films.

Anyway, this flick is just a way to pass time. Starring J.J. Barry, Carole Shelyne and Kim Hunter.

*In the past month, four 1970s icons have left this life: David Carradine, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.

Tedious vanity project

[ofumalow · 3/10 · 6 November 2020]

It comes as no surprise that "Dark August" turns out to be the only movie written by its lead actor...because surely no one else would have cast this guy in a lead role, let alone one where he's frequently shirtless in order to show off a body that really does not cry to be shown off. He plays a very Noo Yawk fella who's left the stressful city for a Vermont small town, only that isn't working out because he accidentally ran over a little girl (she ran out of a field in front of his car), and now the entire town hates him. Worse, the little girl's grandfather may have put some curse on him, which manifests itself in various boring ways here--glimpses of mysterious hooded figures, the hero having seizure-like episodes, etc. But basically very little of interest happens, then the movie just stops.

Despite the modest budget, it's not badly made, with relative polish if no great style. But the script is the kind you can tell is "horror" only because the writer knew that genre was marketable; it doesn't manifest any real knack for or interest in horror, let alone original ideas in that vein. What it's really interested in is providing a vanity showcase for an actor whom it doesn't flatter. J.J. Barry is the type who would have been fine as "Cop #3," "Pushy Neighbor" or some other stock supporting figure, but he is not appealing physically or as a personality; in fact his protagonist comes off as a blowhard, yet the film (and actor) still seem to mistakenly believe we're rooting for him. Not improving things is the heroine, who is an OK actress but has a pinched, beaky face and rather alarmingly bony figure--so of course they both get nude scenes that are presumably meant to be "sexy," and are anything but. Also off-key is the rather cheesy-sounding electronic score, which might have been apt if stereotypical for a sci-fi subject, but is just wrong for this supernatural tale, which needed something less shrill and more unsettling.

Worse movies have gotten distribution (and even been commercially successful), but you can see why this one completely disappeared. It's not technically incompetent, and some of the supporting actors are decent. Yet in terms of the most basic rewards--lead actors you enjoy watching, a plot that goes somewhere, providing any thrills or novelty--it has almost zilch to recommend it.

That Old Black Magic...

[azathothpwiggins · 22 November 2021]

After killing a little girl in a car wash, Sal (J. J. Barry) is plagued by a series of "accidents", and stalked by a tall, dark figure. It seems that someone hasn't taken kindly to Sal's actions and is slowly destroying his life.

Enter Adrianna (Kim Hunter), a mystic who could be Sal's only hope.

DARK AUGUST is a somber tale of supernatural dread and doom, culminating in a final confrontation between good and eeevil.

Both Barry and Hunter are believable in their roles, which is essential in a film like this.

Recommended for fans of paranormal revenge...

Painfully Slow

[kittyelizabethfarmer · 3/10 · 6 July 2020]

I'm no stranger to a slow burn horror film. In fact, I adore them, but there's a difference between a slow burn and a movie where almost nothing happens. For almost its entire runtime, Dark August appears to be building up to something really great an fails to deliver with one of the worst climaxes in film history.

As a concept, Dark August seems to have everything going for it. After accidentally killing a little girl, a middle aged man believes that the little girl's grandfather has put a curse on him and he has to find some way to get the curse reversed.

Every now and then, there will be a slightly unnerving shot of black cloak-clad stalkers peeping at the protagonist from behind a tree or another character will accidentally saw into his own leg because the protagonist is having some kind of a curse-induced dizzy spell, but these moments are few and far between and at about 85 minutes, Dark August feels as if it overstays its welcome.

Despite its narrative issues, Dark August is still pretty well shot with some beautiful images of the countryside and the actors are good, but it's in service of a story that might have needed to spend a little more time in the oven.

I cast upon you... the spell of an incredibly dull movie!

[Coventry · 3/10 · 18 August 2023]

At least the title of this thing is accurate. I watched "Dark August" in August, and it most certainly made my month a little darker and a lot more boring! Phew, what a dud this is. There are numerous low-budget movies from the 70s that are dealing with occultists and garden & kitchen voodoo-spells, but this must undoubtedly be the most amateurish one.

Set in the nonetheless beautiful state of Vermont, "Dark August" deals with an artist who has been cursed by the grandfather of a young girl whom he accidentally hit with his jeep. The effects of the curse aren't so bad, though, as the artist only sees appearances of grim-reaper figure, and occasionally suffers from chest aches whilst at the grocery store. When there are actual accidents, it's other people that get injured, like his brother-in-law who plants a saw in his upper leg. Still, our protagonist gets slightly annoyed by the curse's burden and seeks help from a spiritual medium.

I don't know what else to write about "Dark August", except that it's boring, that the acting performances are pitiable, that the musical score doesn't fit the tone of the film, and that the lead actor looks fifty-five even though he's supposed to depict a man in his late thirties. The only worthwhile sequences are the ones featuring the white-bearded grandfather, like when he causes a little riot in the town center, or when he pulls out his hunting rifle. Bullets are definitely more efficient than lame curses...

Much Accomplished With A Lean Budget.

[rsoonsa · 7/10 · 17 June 2005]

Sal DeVito (J. J. Barry), finished with New York City's problems, and separated from his spouse, has moved to Stowe, Vermont where he maintains his occupation as illustrator, encouraged by a new romantic involvement with local painter and gallery owner Jackie (Carole Shelyne). Unfortunately, soon after his arrival in the Vermont town, Sal kills a young girl who runs in the path of his auto, arousing the animus of her grandfather with whom she lived, who then places a curse upon Sal, as seen when action opens, the camera focused upon the old man's mouth as he utters a lengthy malediction. After Sal and those close to him begin to suffer from a series of mysterious misfortunes, a friend of Jackie's suggests employing a local sorceress, Adrianna (Kim Hunter), to raise the spell, and a confrontation inevitably ensues between the Forces of Good and of Evil. This is the basis for a plot developed skillfully by director Martin Goldman who, alongside the two principal players, is responsible for a script that is cobbled as the film is being shot, resulting in a naturalistic feeling with no lapse of interest to a viewer. A high level of intensity characterizes the acting by the entire cast, with the laurels not unexpectedly going to the accomplished Hunter, who cunningly creates her role as a latter-day shamaness within a mundane setting. Cinematographer Richard E. Brooks offers a wide gamut of techniques, including frequent use of a hand held camera and effective slow tracking, while his creative use of angles and lighting produces a quality akin to cinema verité. Solely filmed on location and with little available funding, a good deal is achieved in an aesthetic sense, although shallow production values are evident in a work wherein the teeming avenues of tourist choked Stowe provide an ironic and surreal background for matters of witchcraft.

Bad

[artpf · 2/10 · 12 November 2013]

A man accidentally runs down a young girl and has a curse placed on him by the girl's father, an occultist.

He goes to a spiritualist for help in fighting the curse.

A boring movie by any stretch.

Lot's of talking. Little action. Uh, guys, isn't this a horror film?

The blond is hot though. Due can't act. and walks around without a shirt.

Don't.

Yer doughy.

The basic problem with this movie is that it goes on and on with nothing really happening.

Nothing scary.

Nothing interesting.

A Trip to Dullsville

[joanclarke-81661 · 3/10 · 8 December 2021]

A man accidentally runs over a little girl and the girl's grandfather places a curse on him that causes...well, not much to happen. Dark August has a potentially interesting concept, but does very little with it. While some of the brief images of hooded figures lurking outside the home of our lead character are well done, that's about the only tool the filmmakers have in their toolbox to try and build tension or give the audience the shivers. There's a shocking lack of urgency throughout the film that really drags it down.

Quiet and effective downbeat horror

[drownsoda90 · 8/10 · 15 January 2021]

"Dark August" follows a New Yorker living in rural Vermont who becomes a small-town pariah after killing a young girl in a car accident. Even worse, the girl's grandfather seems to have set a curse against him, unraveling his life and sending an ominous hooded demon to stalk the woods outside his house.

Released to apparently little fanfare and unearthed by Arrow Video last year in their volume 2 "American Horror Project" Blu-ray box set, "Dark August" is an odd duck. While watching the film, I consistently had the sense that I was watching something that should have been mildly revered amongst genre fans had it received an adequate release. The film, despite its low budget, is slickly made and looks like a professional studio endeavor, at least so far as low-budget horror is concerned.

To some degree, "Dark August" embodies the neo-genre of "folk horror," a signifier that has grown more common in recent years. For a film about witchcraft and the occult, it has a very down-to-earth sensibility, but this also makes the scares feel almost too close to home for comfort. It's a moody and atmospheric affair that has a lot in common (both tonally and stylistically) with its New England-set peer "Let's Scare Jessica to Death," albeit with less narrative nuance. In "Dark August", the audience knows indubitably that supernatural goings-on are at work, and the source is clear from the outset.

The demonic presence that taunts the protagonist appears as a cloaked, faceless figure that meanders through the woods, and the presentation of it is bone-chilling. Director Martin Goldman sets these scenes in pure silence, and uses clever cutting techniques to give the audience the sense that this figure is lurking behind every tree. For extra measure, there are abundant shots of the leafy Vermont hills illuminated at dusk, and the inherent unease of the landscape only magnifies the sense of dread. It's truly the stuff of nightmares.

Acting-wise, the film is also fairly solid, with J. J. Barry and Carolyne Barry (a real-life couple who co-wrote the screenplay) as the leads. Their performances feel grounded, ostensibly helped by their deep involvement in the project. The film's real "star" is Kim Hunter, who appears as a clairvoyant white witch figure who attempts to help the protagonist rid himself of the demonic energy that has been thrust on him; her acting is very naturalistic here, and Hunter never lets the character devolve into archetype, which could easily happen in a film like this.

The only real pitfall for me in "Dark August" was the conclusion, which felt a bit hamfisted and abrupt, but I ultimately think that everything else outweighs this minor shortcoming. For fans of regional, downbeat supernatural horror (bordering more on psychological), I cannot recommend "Dark August" enough. It is a thoughtfully-made effort that manages to evoke a sense of true disquiet--the kind of horror that feels like a bad dream. 8/10.

Better than I expected.

[maximumkate · 7/10 · 15 August 2019]

A modern yarn about a curse. Less a horror movie than a modern folk tale, I suspect those expecting horror are the ones most disappointed in this.

I was impressed overall with the cinematic competence of this semi-obscure film. Well-cast, well-acted, and well directed, there is also a soundtrack by William S. Fischer which adds a lot - in particular a beautiful piano piece while the local witch assembles a remedy for a child.

Great Vermont scenery, and J.J. Barry is well-cast here as a modern everyman thrown into this bizarre and tragic situation.

The magical ritual herein will be interesting for students of the occult: drawing variously from Christianity (the Lord's Prayer), Qabbalah, bits from Crowley (IAO) and Wicca, along with a fairly extended tarot card sequence are well done.

This is not a great film but it is a good one, if you aren't expecting something to keep you on the edge of your seat. This is just not that kind of story.

Unexciting

[glenmatisse · 3/10 · 3 August 2020]

Dark August sounds great on paper, but the execution lacks thrills or any sense of pacing. You have a man stalked by visions of hooded cult-like people in the woods and outside his house, but they don't really do much of anything and you never feel like he's in any major danger. Kim Hunter comes in for a day's work and gets to spew out some cheesy expositional dialogue and that's about as exciting as it gets.

Nothing Special

[jfgibson73 · 2/10 · 12 October 2023]

I watched this movie hoping for some atmospheric 70's horror. I was 100% unsatisfied. For the majority of Dark August, I was curious to see where the story was going. I wasn't especially invested in the film--it did seem to be building towards something, but the performances clashed with the tone. Pretty much every person that appeared on screen was someone I had no interest in watching, none more so than the lead actor. Turns out he co-wrote the movie himself, which explains why he got the part despite being incredibly miscast. Eventually, the movie came to its climax, and I was completely disappointed in how things turned out. On top of that, the failure to tie any plot points together led me to resent having sat through this story that didn't have a single memorable or interesting moment. Very slow without any semblance of a payoff. Avoid.

Psychological soap opera

[Chase_Witherspoon · 4/10 · 9 December 2023]

Psychological 'thriller' that makes an earnest effort at portraying an unending sense of gloom, but despite believable characters and visually evocative cinematography, 'Dark August' doesn't quite convey the living nightmare its characters endure after a child is killed in a road accident.

Kim Hunter's quirky appearance as an expert in the occult late in the film is a coup for a low-budget 'thriller', and the acting all round is consistent and generally very good. Real-life married couple and co-authors the Barry's create down to earth, sympathetic characters and their anguish is heartfelt, but the apparent hex placed on the husband is too loose and indirect to sustain tension.

Consequently there's a lot of threatening behaviour but comparatively little actual harm inflicted. Mysterious (and blurry) robed figures, haunting flashbacks and random hyperventilating signify a latent danger which promises shocks, but disappointingly rarely materialises.

Whilst it's technically attractive, intelligently scripted and basically well-constructed on a low budget, less talk and more action was desperately needed to awaken the sleeping thriller in this otherwise soporific soap-opera.

Cursed By His Own Lifestyle

[thalassafischer · 5/10 · 11 July 2023]

A hard drinking, chain-smoking man of "39" (the actor was 44 at the time, and he looks 49) accidentally ran down a child in the street. Probably drunk driving. Then an old man puts a curse on him, that's probably the most interesting thing about this flick besides the lovely Vermont countryside.

Sal seems old as hell, certainly too old for his blonde airheaded girlfriend who enables his alcoholic self. He's just gross, unrelatable, the way he lives his life is obviously the curse. When does a curse ever work on someone who is sober and does yoga every day?

I've seen worse than Dark August, but I've certainly seen better.

Beautifully shot, but ultimately flawed Chiller. Still worth a watch though!

[SSS-1984 · 7/10 · 17 September 2023]

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.

Hidden Gem my ass

[smiling_happily_guy2002 · 1/10 · 16 August 2023]

This is a boring movie that has no rhyme or reason. The longest one hour and 26 minutes ever.

Maybe editing needs to be at a premium.

The whole slow burn was just that slow.

The acting was decent but the problem was no story development until the last 23 minutes...making the first hour and few minutes just wasted the entire audiences viewing pleasure.

1970's movies seemed dirty and visceral...this is no exception so instead of taking advantage of the rural setting and the atmosphere...this movie milks padding time that doesn't add to the story.

Again, the critics call this a hidden gem. Actually it should be used for the cute of insomnia.

Unexpected attributes make it worth watching

[ebeckstr-1 · 6/10 · 7 October 2021]

Surprisingly top-notch acting from every member of the cast. The four leads are especially good, with surprisingly naturalistic interaction among them. You really feel like you are eavesdropping on real banter among friends and genuine, intimate conversations between the main couple.

It should be noted that this is not a horror movie, so much as a supernatural drama with some subdued elements of suspense. Some have complained that the ending is abrupt or anti-climactic, and I agree that the film ends in a way that is not as strong as the drama that precedes it. On the other hand, the film's conclusion surprised me. It took me a minute to understand what the the script was doing, and ultimately I'm okay with it. I'm being oblique here because I don't want to give anything away.

As many other reviewers have noted, this movie belongs in the folk tradition of the supernatural tale. The curse we hear recited toward the beginning is well-written for that kind of thing, while the concluding monologue on the part of Kim Hunter's character is surprisingly weak by comparison. That said, other parts of the dialogue, as I alluded to above, are either ad libbed and filmed Cassavetes-style or are admirably well-written so as to seem uncontrived and naturalistic. I also like that the protagonist's friends rally around him, and there is no time wasted with the usual tediousness of people not believing him etc etc.

Worth at least one viewing for fans of '70s American supernatural flicks or low budget "horror" in general.

Black magic terror.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 8/10 · 21 May 2010]

I remember reading wonderful review of "Dark August" written by Stephen Thrower in "Nightmare USA" and I wanted to see the film so badly.It finally happened.A young girl is accidentally killed by a car driven by a careless city artist.The girl's grandfather curses the young man.His life is turned into nightmare as he sees a mysterious figure in black."Dark August" is well-made and captivating black magic terror tale set in a small American town.It has its share of gruesome surprises and is surprisingly well-acted.The climax is memorable and horrifying.It's a crying shame that "Dark August" is so criminally obscure.But I live and breathe such obscure horror.8 out of 10.

A far more effecting horror film than the banal, jump-scare murder marathons of today.

[Weirdling_Wolf · 9/10 · 26 April 2021]

Even if you don't have an especial fondness for slow-burning 70s occult horror, Martin Goldman's Dark August is a sombre, unjustly neglected folk horror gem. Darkly atmospheric throughout, this compellingly macabre nightmare of satanically simmering hatred, demonic possession, and supernaturally sinister revenge deserves greater recognition. Eerily understated, Goldman's Dark August enjoys an abundance of ominous set pieces, a moody score, and engaging performances from a talented cast. The evocative vistas of Stowe, Vermont provides a stirring backdrop for the sanity corrupting forces of Black Magic unleashed herein.

After moving to the rural splendour of Vermont to begin a new life with his pretty girlfriend Jackie (Carolyne Barry), Sal Devito (J. J Barry) suffers a terrible, doom-auguring road accident which initiates the most grievously psychological and spiritual repercussions. Sal's waking life warps disturbingly into a paranoid, reality tormenting nightmare. Unnervingly convinced that the malevolent instigator of all this torment is the grief-stricken old man McDermott (William Robertson), Devito's beleaguered mind reaches breaking point. Desperate, his only hope for succour is, perhaps, the backwoods healer/psychic, Adrianna Putnam (Kim Hunter). Adrianna courageously places herself in the most dire jeopardy in order to banish this increasingly baleful male spirit, darkly born of an uncontrollable hatred!

Martin Goldman's unsettling occult melodrama has an authenticity that is more effecting than the blandly hysterical, jump-scare murder marathons of today. 'Dark August' has maintained its strange fascination, simmering with palpable malevolence. The vast open expanses of Vermont only seem to oppressively increase Devito's debilitating sense of existential despair as his malign hexing intensifies. These inexorable forces of supernature, elephantine in stature and unknowable to man's meagre thinking fatefully erupts in a preternatural climax of otherworldly terror! Arrow Video are to be congratulated in restoring this previously lost occult classic for any who relish quality storytelling, great acting, genuine mystery and a little humanity along with their blackened cauldron of Satanic grue!

Creepy Fall

[NoDakTatum · 8/10 · 19 November 2023]

Sal (J. J. Barry) escapes the rat race of the big city and ends up in a Vermont artists' colony where he gets a new girlfriend, and takes up sketching. He has also attracted the wrath of a local elderly man after accidentally running over his granddaughter. The old man puts a curse on him and as Sal tries to get on with his life, he keeps seeing a hooded figure in the woods. Enter Adrianna (Kim Hunter), the local town witch who tries to remove the curse. As sides are drawn between Barry and the old man, the finale leaves something to be desired.

You may not know J. J. Barry's name, but you probably know his face as he has been in many films, usually playing a mobster. He cowrote the screenplay, and does a fine job of making us sympathize with his character. Goldman's direction is especially good, with some great angles and a lack of noisy musical score. The opening credits show a farmhouse against a sunset, and all the viewer hears is the wind. He returns to these types of quiet scenes often, and they work. The hooded figure scenes are chilling and creepy but I was disappointed with the film's lack of intensity- this does slow here and there. I would have liked to see more: more violence, more gore, and more "what is going on?"-type emotion. When Adrianna appears on the scene, everyone just sort of lines up and follows everything she says to do. She is an enigma, purporting to be a witch, but saying the Lord's Prayer in incantations. I know from Bible study that witchcraft and Christianity usually do not go hand in hand. "Dark August" was filmed in Stowe, Vermont, and was made in the mid 1970's. This was before the slasher era, when horror films had to rely on basic story, acting, and atmosphere.