These days, it takes a lot of money to mimic the 1970s on screen. From cars to fashion to décor, creating that retro look is never cheap or easy. A movie like The Fields (2011), however, cut some corners by setting itself entirely in pastoral Pennsylvania. It was as if time stood still here while the rest of the world moved on. It also helps that Tom Mattera and Dave Mazzoni’s collaboration takes place in and around an old farm, as well as the movie’s namesake. There in the tall fields lurks something that leaves anyone who dares enter them “dead and black and swollen and smelly,” according to Cloris Leachman’s character.
Joshua Ormond plays Steve, a young boy who has been dropped off at his paternal grandparents’ farmhouse while his separated parents (Tara Reid, Faust Checho) work things out. In the meantime, Steve’s coarse grandmother (Leachman) is adamant that he stay out of the fields, although her reason why is vague. Of course Steve’s age comes with a fool’s sense of curiosity, and he goes where he’s told not to. His boldness amounts to some harrowing sequences that exemplify the power of a frightened imagination.
What The Fields does best is keep up a constant feeling of dread. Be it the unknown or simply the odd behavior of Steve’s grandparents and the creepy town locals, this slow-burning movie keeps you feeling unsettled from start to finish. In addition to the obvious stimuli is Charles Manson in the background; his indirect presence has a hold on Steve, despite him being hundreds of miles away from the cult leader. And it’s not as though Steve’s grandmother is shielding him from this unfathomable sense of evil always on the news, either. Leachman’s character, whose foul mouth and occasional racial epithets may surprise you, is the greatest deliverer of discomfort in the movie.
Writer Harrison Smith supposedly based this script on his own childhood visit to his grandparents’ farm, and given the story’s observance of fine and insignificant details only detected by Steve, that factoid proves true. Smith and the directors then clearly took some creative license with that youthful experience, resulting in a sturdy and disquieting psychodrama filled with haunting scenery.
Watch The Fields on Tubi.
Short Cuts is a recurring series that spotlights unsung, overlooked and underrated horror. These mini-reviews single out the reasons why these titles might be worth your time.
Tales from the Paulside 
Leave a comment