AMERICAN HORROR PROJECT VOL. 2 / CERT: 18 / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Arrow Video’s valiant attempt to shine a light on some neglected gems of genre cinema returns with three films that share little in common outside of falling broadly into the horror genre. Curated by the esteemed writer Stephen Thrower, each is, however, an example of the creativity rampant in 1970s America.
The first selection is John Hayes’ Dream No Evil (1970), a melancholy and moody study of the scars of childhood, parental abandonment, psychosis and a murderous religious fever. Starting slow and understated it builds as part proto-slasher, part waking nightmare to an inevitable, powerful conclusion. Next is Martin Goldman’s Dark August (1976), a restrained rural horror that follows Sal, a city dweller relocated to the Vermont countryside who accidentally kills a young girl in his car. As grief stricken and morbid as Sal has become since, it’s nothing compared to the girl’s grandfather, who places a curse on Sal and summons a demon to punish him. If that sounds gory or cheesy, it’s absolutely neither, instead framing the supernatural resolutely in otherwise mundane reality and all the better for it. Swamped in grief, foreboding and Sal’s guilt it’s gripping, intelligent and beautifully made.
If you’re hankering for something a little more garish this set serves that up with the third title, Robert Voskanian’s The Child (1977). This reviewer found its tale of a homicidal young girl and her gang of graveyard zombie killers beyond grating but Thrower loves it, so you might too.
Print qualities vary, but it’s safe to say all of these titles have never been presented in better shape. The Child comes out the worst, but it enhances part of any of the grindhouse charm it has. On the other hand, Dark August is resplendent. Each film comes with a personal appreciation by Thrower explaining why he feels the films are worthy of rediscovery. Thrower is as erudite a person as one could find on the subject of horror and as such, all are vital. Commentaries are available for all three films, the first by Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan, the other two with each film’s director (and for The Child, its producer as well). Highlights are Thrower’s video essay on the films of Hayes leading up to Dream No Evil, Stephen R. Bisette’s history of Vermont’s genre filmmaking and an audio interview with Rue McClanahan on her numerous films with Hayes.
The extras are rounded out by a variety of interviews, trailers, and a 60-page booklet with writing on the films. It’s a fascinating package for a set of films deserving of a second life and if you have an interest in the less well-trodden road of ‘70s American horror, you’re unlikely to be disappointed.
