Dark August (1976) ★★★½
Set in a small town in rural Vermont, Dark August follows Sal, an artist who is relatively new to the area and is struggling with the memories of a tragic accident when a young girl ran in front of his car.
The girl's grandfather holds him responsible and has been following him around town, but things get even worse for Sal when he suspects the old man has (literally) cursed him.
Written by and starring husband-and-wife team J.J. Barry and Carole Shelyne, playing Sal and his wife Jackie, respectively, with Oscar-winning actress Kim Hunter as Adrianna, a local medium who informs Sal about the shadowy figure keeps seeing and what to do about it.
Directed by Martin Goldman, whose daughter plays the girl in the flashback scenes, this is a slow burning horror with some really unusual and disquieting music, excellent photography from Richard E. Brooks, and surprisingly good performances from the cast, none of whom seem overshadowed by Kim Hunter, a much more accomplished and acclaimed actor than the other cast members.
It's another film from the American Horror Project: Volume Two box set which I hadn't previously heard of, let alone seen, so I'm grateful to Stephen Thrower and Arrow Video for this release.
Martin Goldman provides a commentary, where he is joined by Brandon Daniel and Joe Luke, who say they'll be moderating. Sadly, they don't do much to keep Goldman talking and giving specific information about the film which would be interesting to first time viewers and others who aren't overly familiar with the film.
It's a bit weird to listen to because Goldman sounds like the older Don Corleone in The Godfather and I could imagine him saying "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" or "Look what they did to my boy'!
I learned much more about this film and other films associated with Vermont from the other extra features on the disc – this commentary is not what I wanted because I thought it was too dull and technical.
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