Warning: Major spoilers for Dark Harvest below!

Summary

• Dark Harvest is a 2023 horror movie based on a cult novel where teen boys in an isolated town hunt and kill a creature that emerges from the cornfields every year.
• The monster, Sawtooth Jack, breathes fire and can rip off heads and limbs. Its stomach is filled with candy that is put there by the farmer who resurrects it.
• The protagonist discovers that Sawtooth Jack is the resurrected corpse of his brother, and in the end, he wins the contest and puts his brother out of his misery. A potential sequel is teased in the mid-credits scene.

Dark Harvest's big threat is a monster called Sawtooth Jack, though the origins and true purpose of Jack are far from straightforward. This 2023 horror movie adapted the cult novel of the same name. Dark Harvest was helmed by David Slade (30 Days of Night) and is set in an isolated town in what appears to be the 1950s. Each year, a contest is held when the teen boys in the town are forced to hunt and kill a creature that emerges from the cornfields. The boy who wins is allowed to leave town, while the death of the monster supposedly ensures the prosperity of the town for another year.

The film was once set for a theatrical release, but after missing a couple of release dates, it was quietly released straight to digital platforms instead. Dark Harvest is destined to become a Halloween favorite, but despite mostly positive reviews, it's currently flying under the radar of most horror fans. That's disappointing, as despite its faults it's a stylish, unique and gory ride, with a great monster in Sawtooth Jack.

Dark Harvest's Sawtooth Jack Monster Explained

Just like the Norman Partridge novel the movie adapts, the mechanics behind the creation of Sawtooth Jack are somewhat vague. According to the folklore the town has created, the monster grows in the cornfields near the town all year long and rises up on Halloween night. It then makes a run for the town's church, and the one year the town failed to stop Sawtooth Jack, a huge dust cloud appeared that destroyed their crops. As part of the ritual, the town's young men are starved for three days before Halloween and then unleashed in a murderous frenzy to chase after the beast.

The monster resembles an emaciated human being with a rotten pumpkin placed on top of its head. Sawtooth Jack can breathe fire and is inhumanity strong, having the ability to rip off or sever heads and limbs with ease. The creature's stomach is also filled with candy, which is sown there by the farmer who digs him up from the soil each year. Once the monster is killed, the teens are allowed to rip open his stomach and devour the treats inside.

How Is Sawtooth Jack Created?

The secretive Harvester's Guild runs the town, and in addition to awarding the winner a cheque and shiny new car, they also place their family in a lovely new home. It appears the only way to leave town is to win the contest, and few of the townsfolk question what Sawtooth Jack is or why he grows in the fields each year. The movie answers this question in the third act, where protagonist Richie (Casey Likes) discovers Jack is the resurrected corpse of his brother Jim (Britain Dalton).

Jim was the "winner" of the previous year's ritual, but instead of being allowed to leave, he was captured by Officer Jerry Ricks (Luke Kirby) and buried alive by a mysterious farmer. Shortly before Halloween, his body was dug up and mounted on a T-shaped cross, with a pumpkin placed on his head. Richie also discovers his parents knew about this and accepted the sacrifice for the town's future, though they are both driven to despair by what's happened to Jim too.

In the finale, Richie puts his brother/Sawtooth Jack out of his mystery and wins the contest. He plans to flee town with new love Kelly (E'myri Crutchfield), but while he succeeds in killing Ricks and avenging Jim, he's still captured by the farmer and buried alive. Kelly escapes town without him, but the ritual is set to continue again the next year regardless.

Dark Harvest's Sequel Setup Explained

In the book, the Jim version of Sawtooth Jack succeeds in reaching the church. He then proceeds to burn down the town, bringing the madness to an end. The film takes a different approach to the story, though the mid-credits scene teases a potential sequel. Just like Jim before him, Richie's body is dug up from the cornfields and hung on the cross, but before the hunt can begin, his father Dan (Jeremy Davies) cuts him down and kills the farmer.

Dan then yells at Richie/Sawtooth Jack to "Burn it all down!," with the monster howling in fury before Dark Harvest cuts to credits. It seems unlikely the film has been enough of a success to warrant a follow-up, but this credits scene at least suggests Richie will bring the town's twisted ritual to an end.