The Harvest

At its creepiest, "The Harvest" plays like something ripped from the section of a community newspaper devoted to all things rural and weird.

A smart and strong genre work that makes up for a relative lack of gore and viscera with plenty of tension and suspense and a number of impressive performances.

There may be little to give you the collywobbles, but there's quite a lot to enjoy, with Ms. Morton heading the list.

Nothing wrong with a little gore as long as the result is a few goosebumps. This one is no scarier than running out of ink in the middle of a midterm exam.

I'm not sure stronger hands could prevent this script from going as far into melodrama as it does.

It's worth a look, though, just don't expect big scares or a particularly new plot.

It's not perfect, but The Harvest earns a few points for ambition.

There's a bit of a David Cronenberg vibe to the proceedings - like him, McNaughton is often lauded as a "master of horror" even as both seem more interested in chilly human relationships than buckets of gore.

eschews cheap scares and "boo" moments in favor of constant psychological pressure

Ultimately, peppered with unresolved metaphors, The Harvest is a thriller without tension, a horror that doesn't scare.

'Secret Garden' meets 'Misery,' anyone? McNaughton's first feature in too long has much to recommend it, including a deceptively bucolic setting and a shriek-worthy performance by Morton. 'No wire hangers, EVER!'

The primary horror in 'The Harvest' comes from watching the superlative talents of Michael Shannon and Samantha Morton wasted on such secondary swill.