In the intro a couple is out in the woods when a masked killer appears and kills them.
Billy arrives in the small town of Devil's Lake to do his internship in forensics(?). He's following the same path of his father, who did the same. He meets the lovely coroner office manager and they connect immediately. But her ex is a deputy sheriff and has a hard time letting go. More killings ensue. It's the yearly harvest festival and college kids flock to the town to party. We meet some of these kids as they meet their demise at the hands of the masked killer.
The town's sheriff is more interested in keeping the lid on things and is clueless about any possible suspects. He talks to some old townspeople who give some obscure hints. 20 years ago the town was in the same situation with a serial killer on the loose. They caught the guy who killed himself before trial. But these guys at least have their doubts whether he was the right guy.
Killings continue and Billy and the girl have to start investigating on their own. There's also a retired cop who has his suspicions. There are a couple of candidates for killer and a twist at the end.
Harvest of Fear looks, feels, and sounds like an 80s movie. But for the tiny budget it's actually alright. There's no shortage of problems. There is really no main character. Billy starts of as the main character but then vanishes for a good part of the movie and re-appears at the end. There's not any character development either. The only thing that develops is the relationship between Billy and the girl. For a whodunnit there's a complete absence of possible killers, of sinister or mysterious characters. That movie starts out with some great nudity and even though it deals with partying college students doesn't feature any additional nudity. Overall it's on OK movie if you know what you're getting yourself into and don't expect some masterpiece.
