IMDb > "The Dark Secret of Harvest Home" (1978)

"The Dark Secret of Harvest Home" (1978) More at IMDbPro »TV mini-series

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Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   435 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Leo Penn
Writers:
Tom Tryon (book)
Jack Guss (teleplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Dark Secret of Harvest Home on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 January 1978 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller more
Plot:
A young couple moves to a quiet New England village, only to soon find themselves mixed up in mysterious rituals.
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. more
NewsDesk:
An Intervention for the possessed
 (From Fangoria. 28 January 2009, 7:28 AM, PST)
User Comments:
One of Bette Davis' best performances late in her career more (14 total)

Cast

  (Series Cast overview, first billed only)

Bette Davis ... Widow Fortune
David Ackroyd ... Nick Constantine

Rosanna Arquette ... Kate Constantine

Rene Auberjonois ... Jack Stump
John Calvin ... Justin Hooke
Norman Lloyd ... Amys Penrose
Linda Marsh ... Maggie Dodd

Joanna Miles ... Beth Constantine

Michael O'Keefe ... Worthy Pettinger
Laurie Prange ... Sophie Hooke

Donald Pleasence ... Narrator (voice)
Lina Raymond ... Tamar Penrose

Tracey Gold ... Missy Penrose
Stephen Joyce ... Robert Dodd

Michael Durrell ... Ty Barth
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Additional Details

Runtime:
300 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Filming Locations:
Kingsville, Ohio, USA
Company:
Universal TV more

Fun Stuff

Quotes:
Justin Hooke: I didn't know you city boys liked to fight.
Nick Constantine: Next to lovin' it's what we do best.
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FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful.
One of Bette Davis' best performances late in her career, 12 June 2004
7/10
Author: Lawrence (LGwriter49@aol.com) from Astoria, NY

Say what you will about the translation of Tom Tryon's fine gothic chiller Harvest Home into this TV film, Bette Davis' performance here is riveting and really nails home the creepiness of the tale. Unlike her sad farewell in The Wicked Stepmother (1989) where she was clearly having trouble focusing on her acting, here she is a powerful presence that (goose)fleshes out this telefilm the way it should be.

Playing the Widow Fortune (a prophetic name if ever there was one), she is the matriarch of Cornwall Coombe, a small Connecticut village just on the other side of the Lost Whistle covered bridge where "the ways" hold sway over the villagers. What they do and how they do it is bound by tradition, one hundred percent, so when a city family comes to stay, culture clash is inevitable.

Of course we all know this is a gothic chiller standard--sophisticated city couple/family comes to small quiet village only to find it mired in evil and horror, et cetera. Too true. But Davis' character is spellbinding enough that the viewer can overlook this tried and true plot point and enjoy the proceedings. Additionally, aside from some minor outdated bits of dialogue here and there, the script is actually pretty intelligent; a low stupidity quotient in the dialogue helps tremendously.

Unfortunately the VHS release of this film was chopped considerably; the original five hour length was shown on TV but unless the viewer taped it (as I did), it's completely unavailable. High time for a DVD release.

This is a great way to spend an evening with a roaring snowstorm outside. And the ending really is a shocker.

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