Dark Harvest promises a great Halloween atmosphere. Let’s get to my review.
Synopsis
Halloween, 1963. They call him the October Boy, or Ol’ Hacksaw Face, or Sawtooth Jack. Whatever the name, everybody in this small Midwestern town knows who he is. How he rises from the cornfields every Halloween, a butcher knife in his hand, and makes his way toward town, where gangs of teenage boys eagerly await their chance to confront the legendary nightmare. Both the hunter and the hunted, the October Boy is the prize in an annual rite of life and death.
Pete McCormick knows that killing the October Boy is his one chance to escape a dead-end future in this one-horse town. He’s willing to risk everything, including his life, to be a winner for once. But before the night is over, Pete will look into the saw-toothed face of horror–and discover the terrifying true secret of the October Boy.
My Thoughts on Dark Harvest
The vibes of Dark Harvest were immaculate. I mean a spooky, sentient jack-o-lantern terrorizing a town sounds epic. I could hear the dead leaves crunching and smell the vegetal sweetness of a carved pumpkin. The writing absolutely transported me there.
And the writing style was also great. I like the way the author immersed me into the story by almost brainwashing me. In the first few sentences he was like you’re from this town. You know how it is. This is the night that everyone waits for. It was like layer upon layer of excitement was stacked up. But I think that’s what eventually lost me. He acted like the reader already knew what was happening, so he didn’t expand upon that.
Seriously, you have to be completely able to suspend your beliefs to enjoy this. That’s where I got lost along the way. I’m fine with accepting that this is just how it is. I really am. But this story hinted at reasons why things are the way they are, but those reasons never fully developed. I want to know why this spooky pumpkin walks around. If the Harvest Guild controls the town with dark magic tell me that. I like tea. Spill that spooky gossip. That’s what I crave in horror stories. Don’t just build something up and then just end it. That takes half of the fun away.
My Rating: 3/5
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