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Stars: Michael Shannon, Samantha Morton, Peter Fonda, Natasha Calis, Charlie Tahan, Peter Fonda, Leslie Lyles | Written by Stephen Lancellotti | Directed by John McNaughton

John McNaughton, enfante-terrible of the BBFC thanks to his stunning 1986 debut feature Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, returns to genre film making after two decades away from horror (his Masters of Horror episode in 2006 is his only “horror” credit in 25 years), with Can’t Come Out to Play, a psychological thriller starring Britain’s very own Samantha Morton and everyone’s favourite Superman villain, Michael Shannon, who play married medical professionals Katharine and Richard Young who keep their sick son Andy isolated from the outside world in their remote countryside house.

However that isolation is broken when Maryann, following the death of her parents, moves in with her grandparents just down the road. Having left all she knows behind and feeling alone, she eventually befriends Andy...

Harvest Home: McNaughton’s Return Yields Blighted Crop

Fans of director John McNaughton, known for his gruesome cult classic Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990), as well as that tawdry neo-noir Wild Things (1998), will be happy to realize he’s returned to filmmaking with The Harvest, his first feature film since 2001. An indie thriller written by first time screenwriter Stephen Lancellotti, it’s headlined by the likes of Michael Shannon and Samantha Morton. While there are several standout moments in the film, it’s constantly marred by an underwhelming screenplay that has a few too many inconsistencies to support the development of tension or believability. The insistent need for extravagant twists undermines the logic of the narrative, something unnecessary here considering the intensity of the performances.

Katherine (Morton) and Richard (Shannon) care for their son Andy (Charlie Tahan) in their isolated home in the countryside. Both working in the medical profession,...

Stars: Michael Shannon, Samantha Morton, Peter Fonda, Natasha Calis, Charlie Tahan, Peter Fonda, Leslie Lyles | Written by Stephen Lancellotti | Directed by John McNaughton

John McNaughton, enfante-terrible of the BBFC thanks to his stunning 1986 debut feature Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, returns to genre film making after two decades away from horror (his Masters of Horror episode in 2006 is his only “horror” credit in 25 years), with a psychological thriller starring Britain’s very own Samantha Morton and everyone’s favourite Superman villain, Michael Shannon, who play married medical professionals Katharine and Richard Young who keep their sick son Andy isolated from the outside world in their remote countryside house.

However that isolation is broken when Maryann, following the death of her parents, moves in with her grandparents just down the road. Having left all she knows behind and feeling alone, she eventually befriends Andy – despite the vehement protest of his overprotective mother,...

Today’s film is the 2007 short The Last 15. The film is written and directed by Antonio Campos, and stars Zoe Lister Jones, David Christgau, and Leslie Lyles. Campos has been steadily making a name for himself among film fans over the last decade, with his 2008 feature filmmaking debut Afterschool getting him the most notice. His second feature, titled Simon Killer, which he co-wrote with leads Brady Corbet and Mati Diop, opened in limited release in North American theatres this weekend.

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As usually happens once a film gears up for production, hot on the heels of yesterday's news that John McNaughton (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) is directing The Harvest, a casting update has come for the project.

Deadline reports that Peter Fonda (Ghost Rider, Race with the Devil) will be joining Samantha Morton and Michael Shannon in The Harvest. Natasha Calis, Charlie Tahan, Leslie Lyles, and Meadow Williams also appear in the film written by Stephen Lancellotti.

The Harvest stars Morton and Shannon as a married couple with medical backgrounds and a sick son (Tahan) who lives secluded in a controlled environment until a young girl (Natasha Calis) moves in next door and gives him hope of a better life. As the teens grow closer, the tight-knit world his over-protective mother has created begins to unravel. Fonda and Lyles portray Calis' grandparents.

Production is under way in New York...

It has been officially announced that Samantha Morton and Michael Shannon will star in The Harvest, the latest project to be directed by Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer‘s John McNaughton:

New York, NY – December 12, 2012 — Elephant Eye Films announced today that Academy Award Nominees Samantha Morton and Michael Shannon will star in “The Harvest,” a psychological thriller that questions the lengths parents will go to, to save their only child. Charlie Tahan (“Charlie St. Cloud”), Natasha Calis (“The Possession”), Leslie Lyles (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”) and Meadow Williams (“Sebastian”) will co-star. Written by Stephen Lancellotti, the film marks a return to the big screen for John McNaughton (“Wild Things,” “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.”), and will be produced by Kim Jose, David Robinson, Steven A. Jones, and Meadow Williams. Living Out Loud Productions will finance the film. Elephant Eye Films will handle international sales. Billy Hopkins...

Academy Award Nominees Samantha Morton and Michael Shannon are teaming for the psychological thriller "The Harvest,” from "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" director John McNaughton. Charlie Tahan (“Charlie St. Cloud”), Natasha Calis (“The Possession”), Leslie Lyles (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”) and Meadow Williams (“Sebastian”) will co-star. Morton and Shannon portray Katherine and Richard Young, an overprotective couple who have to care for their sick son, Andy (Tahan). The secluded, isolated world they've created around him is threatened when an innocent 13-year-old girl, Maryann (Calis) moves in next-door, exposing Andy to the outside world. The film was written by Stephen Lancellotti, and...

Variety reported yesterday that John McNaughton is helming The Harvest for Elephant Eye Films. Take Shelter’s Michael Shannon and Cosmopolis’ Samantha Morton star as a married couple whose son (Frankenweenie’s Charlie Tahan) has a medical condition that requires him to live in a controlled environment. When a new girl in town (The Possession’s Natasha Calis) befriends the boy, it gives him hope for a better life, but it’s threatened by his mother’s overprotective impulses. Stephen Lancellotti scripted The Harvest, which also stars Leslie Lyles and Meadow Williams and is being produced by Williams, Kim Jose, David Robinson and Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer’s Steven A. Jones. “This is the first horror script I’ve been interested in in 25 years, so it’s kind of cool to return to the genre,” McNaughton tells the trade. “I got the script a few years ago and loved the story,...

Variety reported yesterday that John McNaughton is helming The Harvest for Elephant Eye Films. Take Shelter’s Michael Shannon and Cosmopolis’ Samantha Morton star as a married couple whose son (Frankenweenie’s Charlie Tahan) has a medical condition that requires him to live in a controlled environment. When a new girl in town (The Possession’s Natasha Calis) befriends the boy, it gives him hope for a better life, but it’s threatened by his mother’s overprotective impulses. Stephen Lancellotti scripted The Harvest, which also stars Leslie Lyles and Meadow Williams and is being produced by Williams, Kim Jose, David Robinson and Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer’s Steven A. Jones. “This is the first horror script I’ve been interested in in 25 years, so it’s kind of cool to return to the genre,” McNaughton tells the trade. “I got the script a few years ago and loved the story,...

Variety reported yesterday that John McNaughton is helming The Harvest for Elephant Eye Films. Take Shelter’s Michael Shannon and Cosmopolis’ Samantha Morton star as a married couple whose son (Frankenweenie’s Charlie Tahan) has a medical condition that requires him to live in a controlled environment. When a new girl in town (The Possession’s Natasha Calis) befriends the boy, it gives him hope for a better life, but it’s threatened by his mother’s overprotective impulses. Stephen Lancellotti scripted The Harvest, which also stars Leslie Lyles and Meadow Williams and is being produced by Williams, Kim Jose, David Robinson and Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer’s Steven A. Jones. “This is the first horror script I’ve been interested in in 25 years, so it’s kind of cool to return to the genre,” McNaughton tells the trade. “I got the script a few years ago and loved the story,...

The Harvest psychological thriller has cast Michael Shannon and Samantha Morton in the John McNaughton film. Elephant Eye Films made the announcement today for the psychological thriller that questions the lengths parents will go to, to save their only child. Also in the cast are Charlie Tahan, Natasha Calis, Leslie Lyles and Meadow Williams. In The Harvest, Morton and Shannon portray Katherine and Richard Young, a successful heart surgeon and over-protective mother, and her co-dependent husband who has retired from his career as a nurse to care for their sick son Andy (Charlie Tahan). Andy’s healthcare is handled in-house, and all of his medical issues taken care of by his mother and father with the help of a pharmaceutical representative, Sandra (Meadow Williams), who supplies them with whatever they need, no questions asked. Home schooled, Andy lives in a controlled, secluded world, until an innocent 13-year-old neighbor, Maryann (Natasha Calis...

The Harvest psychological thriller has cast Michael Shannon and Samantha Morton in the John McNaughton film. Elephant Eye Films made the announcement today for the psychological thriller that questions the lengths parents will go to, to save their only child. Also in the cast are Charlie Tahan, Natasha Calis, Leslie Lyles and Meadow Williams. In The Harvest, Morton and Shannon portray Katherine and Richard Young, a successful heart surgeon and over-protective mother, and her co-dependent husband who has retired from his career as a nurse to care for their sick son Andy (Charlie Tahan). Andy’s healthcare is handled in-house, and all of his medical issues taken care of by his mother and father with the help of a pharmaceutical representative, Sandra (Meadow Williams), who supplies them with whatever they need, no questions asked. Home schooled, Andy lives in a controlled, secluded world, until an innocent 13-year-old neighbor, Maryann (Natasha Calis...

John McNaughton will direct The Harvest. Actors Michael Shannon and Samantha Morton have also signed on to star in the Wild Things director's latest project, reports Variety.

[Michael Shannon and Samantha Morton] Natasha Calis, Charlie Tahan, Leslie Lyles and Meadow Williams will also appear in the Stephen Lancellotti-penned psychological thriller. It centres around Shannon and Morton as a couple with medical backgrounds and a sickly son (Tahan) who must be kept in a secluded and carefully monitored environment. When a girl (Calis) moves in next door she strikes up a friendship with the boy, unwittingly causing his mother's (more)...

"Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" and "Wild Things" director John McNaughton is returning to film, after more than a decade's absence, by signing on to helm the sub-$10 million psychological horror thriller "The Harvest."

Michael Shannon and Samantha Morton play a married couple with medical backgrounds. Their sick son (Charlie Tahan) lives in a controlled and secluded environment, until a young girl (Natasha Calis) moves in next door and gives him hope of a better life.

As the teens grow closer, the tight-knit world his over-protective mother has created begins to unravel. Stephen Lancellotti penned the script, while Leslie Lyles and Meadow Williams also star.

Williams, Kim Jose, David Robinson and Steven A. Jones are producing and shooting is currently under way in New York.

Source: Variety...

It's been a really long time since Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer director John McNaughton made a horror film. Hell, it's been over a decade since he's made any kind of film for that matter. Thankfully both of those facts are about to change.

Variety reports that after an 11-year absence from the big screen, McNaughton is set to return for psychological horror thriller The Harvest, for which Michael Shannon and Samantha Morton have come aboard to star alongside Natasha Calis.

Living Out Loud Prods. is financing The Harvest for under $10 million, while Elephant Eye Films will handle international sales. In addition to Calis (The Possession), the flick co-stars Charlie Tahan (Frankenweenie), Leslie Lyles and Meadow Williams.

Written by Stephen Lancellotti, The Harvest stars Morton and Shannon as a married couple with medical backgrounds and a sick son (Tahan) who lives secluded in a controlled environment until a young...

Your absence been has so long that your presence doesn’t matter anymore. Well, this definitely has nothing to do with director John McNaughton, and I’m sure his fans will be happy to hear that Wild Things helmer is finally back, and more than ready to give us another psychological horror thriller titled The Harvest! More about the whole thing in the rest of this report…

So, here’s what we know about The Harvest at this moment. First of all, McNaughton will direct the movie from a script written by Stephen Lancellotti, which will center on:

…a married couple with medical backgrounds and a sick son who lives secluded in a controlled environment until a young girl moves in next door and gives him hope of a better life. As the teens grow closer, the tight-knit world his over-protective mother has created begins to unravel.

The good thing...

Michael Shannon, Samantha Morton, and Natasha Calis have joined the cast of The Harvest, Wild Things director John McNaughton's first movie since 2002's Speaking of Sex.

The story, written by Stephen Lancellotti, centers on two parents (Michael Shannon and Samantha Morton) who live in a secluded environment with their ailing son (Charlie Tahan). When a young girl (Natasha Calis) moves in next door, it gives the boy hope for a better life, much to the chagrin of his over-protective mother. Leslie Lyles and Meadow Williams also star.

Here's what the director had to say about the screenplay, indirectly referring to his controversial 1986 directorial debut Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.

"This is the first horror script I've been interested in in 25 years, so it's kind of cool to return to the genre."

Production is currently under way in New York, with Kim Jose, Dave Robinson, Meadow Williams, and Steven A. Jones producing.

John McNaughton has long been absent from the feature film scene.  He will return, however, with The Harvest, says Variety.  The film's been listed on the IMDb for a bit, but now it looks like it's getting some traction.  

Michael Shannon, Samantha Morton, Natasha Calis, Charlie Tahan, Leslie Lyles and Meadow Williams are set to star.  Shannon you likely know from Take Shelter or Boardwalk Empire, probably, and Calis (pictured) recently starred in The Possession.

Read more...

John McNaughton has signed on to direct the horror thriller The Harvest , Variety reports. The film, which just started production in New York, stars Natasha Calis, Leslie Lyles, Samantha Morton, Michael Shannon, Charlie Tahan and Meadow Williams. The film, written by Stephen Lancellotti, follows a sick boy (Tahan) whose illness prevents him from leaving his protected home. Calis plays a girl who moves in next door and begins a friendship with the boy only to come up against his over-protective parents (Morton and Shannon). McNaughton is best known for 1986's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer . From there, he went on to direct Wild Things and, in 2001, Speaking of Sex , his most recent big screen effort until now. Steven A. Jones, Kim Jose, David Robinson and Williams...

The Guardian have debuted the new UK trailer for the Lynne Ramsay directed movie, We Need to Talk About Kevin. It stars Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Siobhan Fallon, Ezra Miller, Anna Kuchma and Leslie Lyles. It’s not due out in the UK until 21st October but the more we see from it, the more we like it.

The mother of a teenage boy who went on a high-school killing spree tries to deal with her grief — and feelings of responsibility for her child’s actions — by writing to her estranged husband.

Have a watch of the new trailer below.