Dark Fields (2009 film)

2009 American film

Dark Fields

Directed by| Douglas Schulze
Screenplay by|

* Kurt Eli Mayry
* Douglas Schulze

Story by| Mark C. Schwarz
Produced by|

* Kurt Eli Mayry
* Douglas Schulze

Starring|

* David Carradine
* Dee Wallace Stone
* Richard Lynch
* Ellen Sandweiss

Cinematography| Lon Stratton
Music by| David Bateman
Distributed by|

* Barnholtz Entertainment
* Entertainment One

Release date

* June 27, 2009 (2009-06-27) (DWIFF)[1]

Running time

| 108 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

Dark Fields (also Douglas Schulze's Dark Fields and The Rain) is a 2009 American horror film directed by Douglas Schulze, written by Kurt Eli Mayry and Douglas Schulze, and starring David Carradine, Dee Wallace Stone, Richard Lynch, Ellen Sandweiss, and Sasha Higgins.

## Plot

[edit]

Cari Lumis, a college student, suddenly falls very ill. Panicked, she calls her parents, who tell her to return home. There, her parents reveal that her entire town has been cursed and demand that she sacrifice her younger brother to avoid an even worse curse. Cari initially goes along with her parents' wishes but rebels at the last second. The two siblings go on the run from the townspeople, who desperately try to find them. Meanwhile, flashbacks reveal intertwining tales of nineteenth century and mid-twentieth century families that attempt to deal with the same curse. Eventually, a demonic man shows up to collect on the debt owed by the town, and Cari is forced to confront him. After a series of cat and mouse games, a friendly dog appears and kills the demon.

## Cast

[edit]

* Sasha Higgins as Cari Lumis
* David Carradine as Clive Jonis
* Richard Lynch as Karl Lumis / Mr. Jones
* Dee Wallace as Jean Applebe
* Ellen Sandweiss as Mandy

## Production

[edit]

Dark Fields was shot in Michigan. Director Douglas Schulze was inspired by Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" and Michael Cunningham's novel The Hours. David Carradine joined the film with the restriction that his scenes be filmed while he was available between shoots for other films. This was Carradine's second-to-last film before his death.[2]

## Release

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Dark Fields premiered at the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival on June 27, 2009.[1] After it showed at the Hollywood Film Festival, it was picked up for distribution. Entertainment One released Dark Fields on DVD March 22, 2011.[3]

## Reception

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Annie Riordan of Brutal As Hell called it "a watered down version of 'The Lottery' that doesn't deserve its stars.[4] Gordon Sullivan of DVD Verdict wrote that the film is too ambitious but is worth a rental for fans of the actors.[5] Rod Lott of the Oklahoma Gazette called it a "fright-free horror movie".[6]

Dark Fields won Best Michigan Film at the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival.[2]

## References

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1. ^ a b "The Rain". Detroit Windsor International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2009-06-15. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
2. ^ a b "Douglas Schulze Interview: Filmmaker on MPI and "The Rain"". FilmSlate.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
3. ^ Saito, Stephen (2011-03-22). "A Week Of Discoveries on DVD* (Not Requiring a Gun to Find Them)". IFC. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
4. ^ Riordan, Annie (2011-04-18). "DVD Review: 'Dark Fields' A Watered Down Version of 'The Lottery'". BrutalAsHell.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
5. ^ Sullivan, Gordon (2011-04-01). "Dark Fields". DVD Verdict. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
6. ^ Lott, Rod (2011-03-04). "Dark Fields". Oklahoma Gazette. Retrieved 2014-01-26.

## External links

[edit]

* Dark Fields at IMDb