Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'The Fields'

Written by Scott Edwards

Frustration is something that none of us can avoid, but the ways we deal with it can help in determining what kind of person we really are. While there are some people that like to take it out on social media, there are others that would rather take to violence and put their hand through a wall. Even though it is important to let these frustrations out, you should never take it out on someone else; much less hurt somebody that you really love. Learning to focus this into something that can be beneficial is something that a few people have been able to master, put it in your workout, or in writing a new story, and while these might be a less satisfying way to release, they serve as a better way to keep you from losing yourself when things get really bad.
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Waking up late in the night to his mother coming home, Steven listens as his parents fight once again. As Bonnie has been out drinking once again, Barry is sick and tired of being married to a drunk and is ready to end the relationship once and for all. After the shouting stops, Steven makes his way downstairs to see what is happening and is shocked to see his father pointing a rifle at his mother’s head. With nothing else that can be done, Bonnie decides to take her son to his grandparent’s house, so he will not have to deal with what might come next.

Deciding to take Steven to her parent-in-laws house instead of her own shows that she really has a concern for her son’s well-being, since her parents are no more well off than she is. Getting to the farm and being welcomed with open arms by Gladys and Hiney, Steven is sent off to play but is given strict instructions to stay out of the corn fields behind the farm. Telling her story to Gladys about the fight and what is happening with their son Barry, Bonnie is able to convince her mother-in-law to take her son for a few weeks while they try to work things out. While Steven is a very independent boy, he will be able to find all kinds of things to do around the farm, but once he starts getting curious, there is nothing stopping him from entering the corn fields and that leads to the troublesome discoveries that Steven finds out about his own family, along with others that live in the area.

While playing with his dinosaurs in the back, Steven spots a strange crow that seems to want the boy to follow it. Following it into the corn field and reaching an opening, Steven finds a spot where people have been squatting, but that is not the worst of it, since he stumbles across a body of a girl. Making a run back to the farm and being taken in by Hiney, Steven stays quiet about his find until he is taken shopping with his pappy. With the old man not believing what the boy is saying, he does know that the area is starting to get infested by hippies making their way across the country and spots them at the dairy farm after seeing one of the local worker’s excitement upon discovering his grandson is in town. But that is only the beginning of the strangeness that takes place on and around the farm as Steven is starts to hear people moving about at night and threats against the family start to get real.

This is one of those movies that really can become a thinker once you reach the conclusion and I must admit that I want a sequel. With all of the characters that you get introduced to throughout, you get enough of their backgrounds to try and put things together, but there is so much more that you want to know. I really liked the obsession that Steven started to have with the Charles Manson story and while you see everything that is going on around him, everything starts to look like Manson is on the way for the boy. The meeting of the extended family was awesome as well, as Barry seemed to be part of the madness that went on in the house but seemed to come out normal one way or another. With some toy dinosaur and Godzilla fights, an undertone to the Manson murders, a corn field, a dead body, someone stalking the farm in the shadows, a creepy clown bank, an abandoned amusement park, a creepy farm hand and the total fear of falling asleep, this is just a solid little mystery/thriller movie overall. While I missed the hippie craze in the seventies, I am sure that they were as frightening as they were made out to be in this movie, because hippies are scary! Stay Scared.

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