Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

I have watched this one a couple of times to make sure I felt about it the way I did the first time I watched it, and I do. It's a slow-building drama with a lot of quiet dialog, but that makes Samantha Morton's outbursts that much more jarring and intense. Michael Shannon is able to convey a lot of emotion with very little action, and the child actors in the film do a good job holding their own. I won't give away any plot, as to talk about any of it would lead me down the spoiler path, but if you like a good thriller with a disturbing concept, this is worth a watch (or three). It's not a "lights off" type of movie, and I wouldn't classify it as horror, but it's a tense thriller in the vein of Fatal Attraction or The Gift. And, it's worth mentioning Samantha Morton again - she plays her role with utter abandon. You believe that she is her character and she's utterly captivating. While she does have shouting and drooling to get her point across, her subtle changes in facial expression and the scariness of her smile is awesome too.

CAN'T COME OUT TO PLAY - originally titled THE HARVEST - is a great example of movie mis-selling. Looking at the DVD box you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was a supernatural horror either about psychopaths, devil worship, or an evil entity residing inside a family home. In reality it's about none of those things, rather this is a psychological thriller about a couple of maladjusted parents and the disabled and lonely son they care for.The film is directed by John McNaughton, who made the infamous HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER back in the 1980s. That was an example of edgy, independent film-making, whereas CAN'T COME OUT TO PLAY is strictly by-the-numbers Hollywood fare. I was mainly interested in watching it because Michael Shannon plays the father, although he doesn't have very much to do here other than play the usual kooky character and he's a bit more restrained than usual. By contrast, I wish Samantha Morton had been more restrained; her character is larger than life here and her acting suffers for it.The film is quite slow paced although the child angle of the story is refreshing and reminded me of THE SECRET GARDEN, of all things, at some points. Sadly it gets less and less believable as it goes on, closing with one of those ridiculously contrived and clichéd climaxes that Hollywood knows and loves. It's a sour end for a film which occasionally promises much but delivers nothing out of the ordinary.

..."The Harvest," John "I made Michael Rooker a star" McNaughton's first feature film in over a decade (not counting a smattering of TV work), and even pros like Michael "Bug" Shannon and Samantha "Control" Morton can't save it from itself. It's the sort of thriller that fades from memory within a few days; even the twist isn't that interesting in the long run. It's a stylistic choice that only accentuates the rickety structure of coincidence that moves the plot along to its Wagnerian conclusion. Nonetheless, I didn't dislike "The Harvest" so much as wished it had somehow been better. Rachel "Fruitvale Station" Morrison's DP work is solid, George S. "Austin Powers" Clinton's score works well, and Bill "Body Double" Pankow's editing is on the ball, and the acting is acceptably convincing from all concerned. No, the nuts and bolts of the film are all reasonably solid; it's that doggone script.Ultimately, "The Harvest" doesn't provide much in the way of emotional nutrition, but at least it's not another McHollywood CGI burger. Notch another up for Sturgeon's Revelation. Your life won't be made better watching it, but it won't be made worse, either. I know that's damning with faint praise, but so be it.

The Harvest came out of nowhere for me. It's a film about power and deception, which makes for a truly fantastic film. This film gets well under your skin, making it a very effective psychological thriller, NOT a horror. The one thing I truly love about this film is that it gets straight to the point. It starts off fast, there is no filler, every scene has a point and the finally is epic and perfectly paced.The Harvest really did surprise me. With such low user ratings, I was expecting something overly pretentious or just plain bad; both of these it was not. If there could be one criticism it would be the lack of suspense leading up to the unveiling, but other than that, nothing is at fault.