What I’m watching: a trio of 1970s independent horror films in the new “American Horror Project Volume 2.”

On Blu-ray: American Horror Project Volume 2

British-based Arrow Video has made a name for itself restoring and presenting a dizzying array of films – some well known while others are quite obscure. This trio of films falls into the latter.

Before I go further I know some of my fellow movie fans have commented to me about my interest in low budget horror and science fiction films – at times fairly disparagingly. Part of the reason is I’m always eager to see how a filmmaker transcends his or her budget limitations to produce something of real interest.

Seeing how an independent can craft something that works within a tight budget is just as fascinating to me as a film with a budget in the millions – sometimes much more interesting.

The common denominator with these three films is passion. It’s evident these three films were intended to either fulfill or exceed the expectations of the genre. In two cases that’s exactly what happens.

“Dream No Evil” is less a horror or suspense film but more of a melancholy drama about a young woman whose descent into mental illness seems destined by her troubled childhood.

Director and writer John Hayes made this film in 1970. He had had an active career as an independent filmmaker with films in several genres, including the adult category. As the documentary that accompanies this feature shows, Hayes was striving to do something different with this film and in “Dream No Evil” he references quite strongly the life of his sister, who was mentally ill.

The plot revolves around a young orphaned woman named Grace raised by a minister and his wife who now tours the country with her adopted brother doing tent revivals. She is obsessed with finding her long-lost father and when she thinks she has a lead on him, she snaps. In her mind she imagines what he would be like and that they are living together on his ranch.

In reality she is imagining all of this fantasy. When her “father” decides to defend her honor, our heroine kills and doesn’t realize what she has done.

Brook Mills carries the film as Grace and it’s too bad she didn’t have a longer career, as she’s quite good. Although there are moments of violence, Hayes treats Grace as a victim of circumstances beyond her control – not typical for a story that might remind you of Hitchcock’s “Psycho.”

The same effort to push a subject out of genre expectations is “Dark August,” a movie of witchcraft and revenge made in Stowe, VT in 1976.

Co-writer and director Martin Goodman presents a story of a transplant from New York City named Sal (J.J. Barry) whose new life in a small Vermont town has been compromised by a terrible auto accident in which a young girl was killed. Although the authorities have determined he was not at fault, the girl’s grandfather does not and takes the step of placing a curse and summoning a demon to kill him.

Sal turns to a local white witch (played by noted actor Kim Hunter) for help, but things take a turn for the worst.

The interesting thing about this film is the decision to make Sal a fairly disagreeable character. He never seems to understand what being a stranger in a strange land is like and he continually does things that further isolate him from the community.

Again, though, Goodman, like Hayes, is playing with themes that elevate the proceedings out of typical genre conventions. The townspeople are not sinister – with the exception of the grandfather – and the horror grows out of Sal’s downward descent, as he barely understands what is happening to him.

The third film is far more conventional. “The Child” from 1977 is a period film in which a young teacher (Laurel Bennett) accepts a job as a nanny watching a young girl who is part of a family living in the country.

Just from the set-up – the girl is clearly disturbed as is her father – we know things will go bad quickly with the girl summoning zombies to hurt the people she doesn’t like.

There is explanation about the girl and her powers. We just have to accept it.

The film was made by two movie crazy young men for about $30,000 and it shows. The period look is not well maintained and not necessary and story-wise the movie lurches unsteadily along. The film did make money, though, and was popular on the drive-in circuit.

Unfortunately the distributor who picked the film up did not pay them their fair share of the receipts and the director was so discouraged he left the industry.

The extras in this boxed set are uniformly informative, allowing the viewer to see beyond the budgetary limitation of each film.

A hot tip

The Cohen Film Collection has just released the first set of Buster Keaton silent comedies and this combination is a winner.

The Blu-ray includes Keaton’s masterpiece “The General” with one of his best straight-out comedies, “Steamboat Bill, Jr.”

The prints of both films have been restored and provide a pristine viewing experience. The scores were created by Carl Davis and are magnificent.

This is a great Keaton double bill.