Confused? You will be by the time you’ve unscrambled Blood Harvest’s multiple title changes. So…this isn’t a sequel, remake or reboot of 1987 horror film Blood Harvest. The US title was The Ballad of Audrey Earnshaw, originally The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw, and it’s a straight, super-serious genre entry that’s somewhere between hits The Witch and Hereditary in tone. There’s also a healthy dose of The Village, in that while the setting is 1973, it takes place in a Luddite community where everyone lives in a style that looks like 200 years ago.
Pulling together the above information inadvertently exposes the viewer to reviews, which range from adulation to dismissal. This reviewer tends towards the former; Thomas Robert Lee’s film shoots for originality, always a good thing in this genre. Audrey (Jessica Reynolds) is a young girl raised by her mother (Catherine Walker) in secret, safe from the predatory, ignorant men in the nearby village. This means that Audrey is transported around in a box, hardly ideal, and an early flashpoint comes when Audrey takes a toilet break and is spotted by a passing villager. But Audrey’s secret is connected to witchcraft, and when her mother finds herself on the end of mistreatment from the superstitious locals, Audrey takes matters into her own hands.
But Audrey’s revenge is more complex that just some Carrie-style telekinetic rampage; instead she curses the pregnant wife of a local farmer, and her influence seems to rot the crops and keep the fields barren. Lee deserves some credit for keeping things classy; this has an indie edge to it, it’s horror, but not self-referential or jump-scare heavy. Instead, there’s an insidious gloom which envelops proceedings, with good acting, a striking look and occasional, spiky bursts of violence.
Blood Harvest is worth commending to horror addicts; there’s a strong cast including Canadian director Don McKellar, plus Irish veteran Sean McGinley, and while not all the plot-points gel, the narrative tension is maintained until the end. It’s a promising film for all involved, and even if the result isn’t quite satisfying, Blood Harvest delivers the goods in terms of unsettling an audience.
In the UK, Signature Entertainment presents Blood Harvest on DVD and Digital HD 16th November 2020.
Thanks to Signature for access to this title.
Nope. Of course.
I wouldn’t suppose otherwise…
Horror – no thanks.
Good answer, this is strong stuff and I wouldn’t suggest it for anyone who doesn’t like the genre!
I’ve never heard of this one before. You know that horror and me are made for each other…so this one is definitely one I’m going to look into!😊 I especially like the fact that you mentioned about an insidious gloom…love films that have an atmosphere like that😀
Great, hopefully if you watch it, you can explain it to be since it’s tricky stuff…
I will do my best😅😅😂😂😂
Sounds interesting enough to have a look.
I really switched with a four, since it’s memorable stuff, but there’s something a bit slippery about the meaning of this film; would be keen to hear more opinions on why it’s good, or bad…
If they don’t eat poutine in the movie, then it’s not Canadian in my books. But if there is maple syrup and bacon, I might be persuaded to change my mind on that issue.
Sadly, with the poutinephobia apparently strong in this movie, I’m going to have take a hard pass. I only want to support movies that already support my biases and make me feel that I’m right about everything all the time.
That is what John Wick is for! 😀
It would have been nice if the characters had enjoyed maple syrup and pancakes, but in a film like this, it’s more about mutilating sheep. Not sure if that would square with your worldview…
Sheep you say? Man, so close and yet so far away. I’m strictly a cow mutilator guy. Aliens, you know.
Are you an alien yourself? Or just sympathetic to their cause?
Just a sympathizer, really. 5th Column and all that.
I don’t like to brag too much, but when our Lizard Overlords do take over, I’m going to be pretty high in the new hierarchy.
What do you mean, when they take over, I thought they were already here?
Yes, but those are only the forerunners. Once the generation ships arrive in a couple of years, then you’ll see.
What differences can I expect to see? In terms of my everyday life?
Expect to watch a LOT more reboots of Godzilla monsters. SPOILER Godzilla wins all the time in these one.
Plus, I think there will be mandatory egg polishing by everyone. Other than that, not much. Unless you count being turned into soylent purple at 60 a big thing, which I don’t. I would prefer to be turned into soylent red myself. Purple is just so gauche.
Ok, so when can I convert you into edible foodstuffs?
Probably once you get higher in the hierarchy. It’s going to take a LOT more than weekend egg polishing to accomplish that though.
What makes you think that I’m not at the top of that heirarchy, I can polish an egg like the best of them.
Dude, you like Rapscallion. No one who likes him is anywhere CLOSE to where I am on the hierarchy. He’s going to be one of the first to go when they take over. But don’t tell anyone. Wouldn’t want to scare him away.
It’s you that keeps bring him up! It’s not like he’s on the crest of a wave right now….
Was he EVER on a wave though?
That’s one for his biographer, I guess. But if I was a box office draw for ten years, I’d feel I was surfing something.
What cheek! How dare he be popular when I don’t like him? Actors these days, no sense of keeping their place.
* dramatic sigh *
It’s almost as the world wasn’t created to suit you! Must be very frustrating…
You have no idea! I even talked to my parents about getting a refund on my life but they told me they’d lost the recent right after I was born, so I was out of luck. Curses, plagued by bad luck!
They’re lucky to have a son like you! Tell them I said do. No need for a receipt, the gift of a witty young man like yourself would grace any Thanksgiving table!
With them being 1000 miles away, that’ll have to be one BIG table 😀
A big table for big hearts! I thought you were cooking for them. Who are you cooking for? Mrs B?
Yep, just Mrs B and me. But I can eat a LOT when I put my mind to it. I was actually given an honorary degree by the Hoover Institute in Applied Vacuuming.
We had a cat like that. You make sure you treat Mrs B right!
That’s why I’m doing the cooking 😀
Was the cats name Garfield? and let me guess, your name really isn’t Eddie. It’s Jon Arbuckle. That would explain why you like Rapscallion!
I’m not rising to this goading! Get on with your prep! It’s Thanksgiving, whatever that is…
Shoot. I was hoping to get your goat 😀
Well, maybe I’ll just casually slide a Brexit comment into a post for you tomorrow. Something to look forward to.
I’ll be ready!
Forewarned is forearmed!
One fore all and all fore one!
that quote should be attributed to Curly, the best of the 3 Musketeers….
We’re going on circles now. Eat, drink monster drinks and be merry!
Funny you should mention monster. I AM drinking a rockstar at the moment.
You are a monster and a rockstar IMHO
Well, if I was both, I bet my heart would explode!
Which would fit with the title of this movie. (see, I can actually stay on topic, Kinda, sorta, maybe)
I hearby bring this discussion of Blood Harvest to a close, I think readers will agree that we’ve examined this film in substantial detail.
Seeing as this looks like a Canadian production I’m sure it will be showing up at my library soon. Sounds like it has . . . potential.
It is Canadian, and has a bit of the chill you’d hope for…