Horror film, “The Barrens,” shows us what happens when a dad, Richard Vineyard, goes off the deep end. However, this film, which is released on October 9th to Blu-Ray, DVD, and Video On Demand, isn’t the first one to show a dad going a little crazy. Here are a few other film fathers whose actions are horrifying:
Jack Torrence – “The Shining”
This strange dad becomes a murderous lunatic after staying at the Overlook Hotel. Jack Nicholson portrays this infamous dad who takes an axe to his family and utters the famous line, “Here’s Johnny!” Like Mr. Vineyard, Jack Torrence’s sanity slips from him, and he’s finally overtaken by the spirits of the hotel.
Henry Morrison/Jerry Blake – “The Stepfather”
Serial killer Henry Morrison doesn’t exactly go crazy, he sort of starts out that way. In “Stepfather,” the film begins as Morrison (played by Terry O’Quinn) adopts a new identity after killing his family. He goes on to marry a new woman and attempt to live a normal life, but, upon being discovered by his ex-wife’s brother, he begins his killing spree again. Perhaps Mr. Vineyard doesn’t start out as crazy as Mr. Morrison, but both dad take a terrifying plunge into the insane.
Harry Powell – “Night of the Hunter”
Scam preacher Harry Powell is one of the most terrifying dads-gone-bad in film history. Powell (played by Robert Mitchum) woos a widow just to get the wad of cash her dead husband stole. When he weasels his way into her family, he lets his villainous tendencies show when he murders her and pursues her children who have run away to escape his clutches.
All of these dads went a little off the deep end, and you can see another dad-gone-bad in “The Barrens,” released on October 9.
It’s known as the Jersey Devil, the winged beast spawned 400 years ago by Satan himself. Some say this creature still inhabits the dense pine forests of southern New Jersey, where Richard Vineyard (Moyer) takes his family for a rustic weekend camping trip. As the Vineyard family ventures further into the woods in search of the perfect campsite, Richard teeters on the edge of sanity. Welcome to a new kind of horror that lives – and kills – in a place called The Barrens.
