There's a reason the young adult dystopia fad took off when it did in the 21st century. After a decade that saw the U.S. waging multiple wars overseas and a worldwide financial crisis, stories centering on oppressive, totalitarian governments and socioeconomic inequality very much spoke to the concerns of young people. While Norman Patridge's 2006 novel "Dark Harvest" is a horror-fantasy rather than sci-fi and came out two years before the first "Hunger Games" book, it, too, was clearly informed by what was happening in the 2000s, particularly how the United States' "War on Terror" paralleled its approach to the Cold War and Vietnam back in the 1960s.

By comparison, director David Slade's "Dark Harvest" movie adaptation was late to the party when it finally came together, only to be bounced back multiple times as a result of Covid-19 before quietly being released on digital just in time for the 2023 scary season.