DARK AUGUST (1976) – Episode 248 – Decades of Horror 1970s

“Can I be the butter on your pumpernickel bread?” Oh, dear. What does that even mean? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out Dark August (1976) while pondering on which side their pumpernickel is buttered.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 248 – Dark August (1976)

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ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

Synopsis: A man accidentally runs down a young girl and has a curse placed on him by the girl’s grandfather. He goes to a spiritualist for help in fighting the curse. Shenanigans ensue.

• Director: Martin Goldman
• Writers: J.J. Barry & Martin Goldman & Carolyne Barry (credited as Carole Shelyne)
• Selected Cast:
  • Kim Hunter as Adrianna Putnam
  • J.J. Barry as Sal Devito
  • Carolyne Barry as Jackie (credited as Carole Shelyne)
  • Kate McKeown as Lesley
  • Frank Bongiorno as Theo
  • William Robertson as The Grandfather
  • Richard Allan Fay as Paul
  • Martin Harvey Friedberg as Tavern Drunk
  • Kenneth W. Libby as Sheriff
  • Stan Shefler as 1st Deputy Sheriff
  • Kenneth Kaplan as 2nd Deputy Sheriff
  • Gerry Lou as Accountant
  • Randie Wilder as Sales Girl
  • Karen Lewis-Attenborough as The Child (credited as Karen Lewis)

The 70s Grue-Crew doesn’t expect many people to have heard of this episode’s subject. They hadn’t. Their reactions to Dark August (1976) are mixed in some ways and not in others. The cast for this low-budget independent film — shot in Stowe, Vermont — is populated by character actors and locals with a dose of star power from Oscar-winner Kim Hunter. The director cut his chops on commercials but is fairly inexperienced with feature films, having just one such previous credit. The same is true of the producer and the cinematographer, but they all still managed to create a good-looking movie. The Crew’s biggest issues seem to be with the script, with its cloaked depiction of the enforcer of the curse, and with its pacing. You might even call it a s-l-o-o-o-w-w burn. Regardless, the crew always enjoys discovering a new-to-them horror movie.

At the time of this writing, Dark August (1978) is available to stream from Tubi and Arrow, as well as several PPV options. The film is also available on physical media as one of the three films included in American Horror Project Vol 2 [Blu-ray] from Arrow Video. Dream No Evil (1970) and The Child (1977) complete the 3-pack. 

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next ‘70s episode, chosen by Bill, will be Time After Time (1976). Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, Mary Steenburgen, and Nicholas Meyer bring you H.G. Wells and Jack the Ripper in an epic chase across a century. The Grue Crew can’t wait!

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at [email protected].