The Dark Secret of Harvest Home

Stars like Bette Davis were not getting the big roles for the big screen that they were in the days of the big studio system so many like Davis turned to the small screen. One of her better choices was The Dark Secret Of Harvest Home where she actually went back to her New England roots to play the Matriarch in a special matriarchal society that has developed in an isolated corner of Connecticut.

David Ackroyd with wife Joanna Miles and daughter Rosanna Arquette think they've found this picturesque relic of a town where time seems to have stood still. Even the fact that they find a house in need of a bit of repair seems to be inviting them to stay. What they don't know is that the family is being auditioned by Davis known to one and all as the Widow Fortune who rules the roost there. In fact if this were a beehive Cornwell Coombe would have the men either as worker bees or worse drones.

The women acclimate quite quickly, but Ackroyd starts developing suspicions. Sad to say they prove to be right. These folks have their own kind of religion, Christianity with pagan fertility rites. There's one male among them who is the Prince of the Harvest and what perks come with John Calvin's office. But what a price he has to pay for them.

The kid who is scheduled to be Calvin's successor wants to commit the unpardonable heresy of leaving. Michael O'Keefe plays him and it's his story that makes Arquette start to question 'the ways'.

Bette Davis really was born to play the Widow Fortune, I cannot imagine another actress doing justice to the role. O'Keefe as the young man who thinks there just might be something more to this old world than a New England farming community that has some strange ways is very touching in his performance.

I'm not a big fan of these kind of horror novels and the films that come from them. But author Tom Tryon did a wonderful job in creating some real three dimensional characters, not just meat waiting to be slaughtered by some guy waving an ax.

The Dark Secret Of Harvest Home is more than horror film fans.

Many horror fans, and those who try to write such stories, understand that Stephen King has taken inspiration from the work of others. And there can be little doubt King was influenced by Thomas Tryon's outstanding novels "The Other" and "Harvest Home."

The TV movie version of the latter book, titled "Dark Secret of Harvest Home," was the second and final adaptation of Tryon's work and was originally aired in 1978, two years after the big screen success of Stephen King's "Carrie." Unlike 1972's "The Other," "Dark Secret of Harvest Home" was presented as a mini-series with a superb cast headed by Bette Davis.

Thomas Tryon wrote with an elegant style somewhat reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft's. His plots were engaging, his characters interesting and well developed, and his New England settings evoked the gloom and obscure anxiety traditionally associated with that region. So why has his work faded into obscurity while King's is heralded as the greatest in the history of horror?

Regrettably, Tryon started writing rather late in life after a well-regarded career as an actor in such films as "The Cardinal," and died while his creative powers were on the wane. He also chose to explore genres other than the Gothic (with generally good results.) There is also a more staid, pre-World War II air about his work that might not appeal to the Baby Boomers and Gen-X'ers who form King's core audience. Nevertheless, Tryon's Gothic efforts translated wonderfully onto the small screen, and he deserves a well-deserved place in the pantheon of American Gothic writers. Thankfully, American Movie Classics has begun airing the TV movie version "The Other" again. Hopefully, 'Dark Secret of Harvest Home' won't be far behind.

This was a terrific mini-series with just the right mix of fantasy and horror. The reverence the people of this matriarchal town holds for its main crop, corn, is nearly as creepy as the out of control little girl who foresees things. Nice touches were the long sharp scissors Ms. Davis wore on a cord hanging from the belt of her long black dress, the shunning of the old couple and the suitable cluelessness of the menfolk.

This was an edge of your seat, can't wait to see what happens next movie. Anyone who missed it one its first run should try to get a copy--it's a truly excellent creepshow.

A great mini series from the 70s which was Emmy nominated. Starring Bette Davis in one of her most diabolical characters. BUT! it has never been released on DVD or even replayed on Streaming channels or channels like Sci Fi channel. I wish someone woul re-release this one.

With THE DARK SECRET OF HARVEST HOME, Tom Tryon's novel is presented in the best way possible for the time of its release, a TV Mini-series. This allows for the story to unfold gradually, making the growing tension and creeping horror more effective. Much like in Mr. Tryon's classic, THE OTHER, we're taken to a seemingly wholesome, more "innocent" place, where everything appears idyllic. The true terror lies behind it all, where something sinister crouches and waits.

The brilliance of this tale lies in its mystery, which isn't fully revealed until the end. Until then, we're given hints and symbols to decipher. David Ackroyd is artist, Nick Constantine, who, along with his wife and daughter (Joanna Miles and Rosanna Arquette), purchase a house in the lovely town of Cornwall Coombe. At first, all is well, perfect in fact. Of course, if it stayed that way, this wouldn't be much of a horror story.

Enter Bette Davis as Widow Fortune, the town matriarch, healer, and spiritual center. Her dominion is evident from her first appearance. Ms. Davis gives this character a dignity that few others could instill, proving once again that her legendary status is well earned. Hers is a quiet, calm malevolence, a steel claw in a silken glove. Underplayed to perfection.

Special mention for young Tracey Gold as the enigmatic Missy Penrose. She's one creepy kid!

If you enjoy those shivery, dark, 1970s made-for-TV horror movies, then you should love this...