“Gothic Harvest” tells the chilling tale of four co-eds who head to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. When one of them disappears after connecting with a charming local, her friends race to find her before she falls victim to a sadistic Southern family plagued by a centuries-old voodoo curse.
Trading on the legend of voodoo queen Marie Laveau, “Gothic Harvest” attempts to tell a scary tale with mixed success. Nonetheless, if there were a city in which magic could take place, New Orleans would certainly be it. Indeed, some people say Laveau still has power over the city.
Four co-eds (Abbie Gayle, Tanyell Waivers, Ashton Leigh, and Mary Alice Risener) slink and drink their way through a sketchy night in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. When Gayle lights off with a charming local (Kyler Porche), her friends set out on a meandering journey to find her before it’s too late.
Revealed through a series of flashbacks, descendants of Blanche Boudine (Gigi Zumbado) must procure a young woman every year in order to maintain the dynasty – the result of a curse put upon them by Laveau. Clan member Amelia Boudine (Sofia Mattsson) offers up a mysterious, charming and deadly mix of sinful activity that regularly jeopardizes the family’s ghoulish annual undertakings. Elements of the casting fit the setting well, as many of the actors share both a history and affinity with New Orleans.
Bill Moseley serves up an unlikely police detective stationed in the Crescent City, sporting a beard reminiscent of ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill. Lin Shaye, a veritable staple of B-horror flicks, once again displays droll wit meshed with campy aplomb – and steals most of the scenes in which she appears. Thomas Francis Murphy as the patriarch Justice also anchors the production solidly.
Janee Michelle in flashbacks as Marie Laveau exudes a suitably creepy persona. Chicken Man (Clyde Risley Jones) warns the ill-fated women of impending doom to little avail. At the same time, Yohance Myles as Lafitte furtively circles the young girls hinting at the possibility of hope.
Directed by Ashley Hamilton, his character also emerges in a pivotal role as a member of the troubled clan cursed with immortality. Cryptic and somewhat convoluted, the pieces of “Gothic Harvest” never quite come together. While the plight of the four women provides the initial draw, the story belongs to the progeny of the decidedly unsympathetic Boudine lineage.
Now available On-Demand & Digital and on DVD November 5th
