Dark August

Witchcraft and psychic phenomena abound in this criminally-neglected slow-burn chiller from director Martin Goldman, starring Academy Award-winner Kim Hunter ('A Streetcar Named Desire'). J.J. Barry plays Sal, an out-of-towner relocated to a small rural community where he finds himself at the mercy of dark forces after inadvertently killing a young girl in a car accident. Pursued at every turn by the girl's grandfather and a menacing, shrouded figure, Sal soon becomes convinced that the old man has placed a hex on him and seeks out the assistance of a local psychic medium (Kim Hunter). Filmed entirely on location in Vermont, which cinematographer Richard E. Brooks captures in all its rustic, autumnal beauty, 'Dark August' - originally entitled 'The Hant' - is a quiet, insidious horror picture perfect for those who like their chills to creep up on them.