Movie Review: The Field

I had the chance to watch an advanced screening of the forthcoming Gravitas Ventures’ paranormal feature, The Field. Well, as you might imagine, my interest was piqued at “paranormal,” so I gave the indie film a shot.

The Logline

A long-empty farmstead holds secret worlds, accidentally unlocked by an amateur photographer and his wife.

The Pitch

Here’s how it was presented to me:

The Field is a smart, arthouse-y and gorgeously filmed paranormal with sci-fi elements in the spirit of The Wicker Man and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The film stars Veronica Cartwright (Alien, The Birds), Barry Bostwick (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Spin City), Mark Metcalf (Animal House, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Mark Borchardt (American Movie, Coven) and Tim Higgins (Funny or Die’s Hey, Pass Me a Beer!, Red Letter Media’s Half in the Bag.)

The Trailer

The Review

If you appreciate visually stimulating horror like Hereditary or The Witch, you will like what you see in The Field. It is a “gorgeously filmed paranormal.”

It does have sci-fi elements, though I didn’t really see the connection with Close Encounters of the Third Kind. But it did have a bit of a The Wicker Man feel.

I loved the opening music. I also appreciated the “What the hell is going on?” mystery as the couple moves into their new farmhouse and begins discovering things about it’s past.

Another thing I really liked was how the husband, Ben (played by Tim Higgins), used cameras and strobe lights to try and figure out what it was he was seeing in the field. Which he sort of did, but…that’s where the “what the hell” never got answered exactly.

**Spoiler Alert**

Veronica Cartwright’s character Edith, disappears, only to reappear years later. She spends the majority of her life in a mental institution, but is released decades later.

She ends up living near the field where she went missing. Which is near the farmhouse where Ben and his wife, Lydia (played by Kara Mulrooney, who I swear could pass for actress Catherine Keener), live.

Later in the movie, Lydia also disappears –with Edith. Like Edith did when she was younger and went missing, they’re sucked into…what? A time warp? Another dimension? The Beyond?

I don’t know. That part isn’t ever explained. And is only more confusing when, desperate to get his wife back, Ben tries an experiment, which works. Lydia and Edith return, but this time the “real” Edith comes back.

It turns out the Edith who came back the first time belongs to the people working in the field that Ben captures on his camera.

Who they are –whether they’re ghosts, from the past or from another dimension– isn’t explained. Was the imposter Edith who came back the real Edith’s twin? A clone? Or…?

And what was up with the photos Lydia found in the house of people performing rituals on the property? Or the weird symbol on the barn? Does it signify a cult or lifeforms from another planet?

The Rating

The cult people, while throwing confusion into the storyline, did allow for striking visuals.

The photographs Ben captures were the best. They showed some crazy images. Ones that were creepy and added a good scare factor.

But I had questions that never got answered about the cult people and their rituals and what that might have to do with what was happening in the field. Because of that, this is just a three out of five skulls movie for me.

Where to Watch

Digital release: Tues., Sept. 24 – iTunes, Amazon Video, and additional platforms

Theatrical screenings: Filmmaker and actors in attendance

• NYC: Sat., Sept. 28 @ 8pm – Anthology Film Archives
• CHI: Oct. 1 & 8 – The Gene Siskel Film Center
• LA: Thurs., Oct. 3 @ 8pm – The Vista Theatre

Festival screenings (more being added): Filmmaker and actors in attendance

• Scarefest Horror & Paranormal Film Festival Sept. 12-15
• Milwaukee Film Festival, Oct. 17-31
• Twin Cities Film Festival, Oct. 16-26
• Driftless Film Festival, Oct. 31-Nov. 3 Opening Night Film