The Locusts

Year: 1997

Runtime: 124 mins

Language: English

Director: John Patrick Kelley

RomanceDrama

Betrayal starts with trust. Ranch owner Delilah Potts is accustomed to choosing men who work her land and share her bed, but the arrival of Clay Hewitt—a handsome drifter with a mysterious past—upends her world. When Clay rejects her, she releases a flood of forbidden passion and deadly secrets, showing him that the darkness he flees is matched by the peril waiting on his new doorstep.

The Locusts (1997) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

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In the sweltering summer of 1955, a small Kansas town clings to the rhythm of dust‑laden fields and modest ambitions. The heart of the community is a sprawling cattle ranch owned by a widowed matriarch whose name carries as much reverence as it does whispered caution. Into this world wanders Clay Hewitt, a handsome drifter with a shadowed past, hoping a few weeks of honest work will fund the journey toward a promised reunion with his brother. Shortly after his arrival, he catches the eye of Kitty, the town’s celebrated beauty queen, whose charm masks a curiosity that pulls her toward the outsider. The quiet, observant farmhand Earl becomes Clay’s first point of contact, offering a steady presence amid the unspoken tensions that linger on the acreage.

Delilah Ashford Potts commands the ranch with an alluring blend of authority and sensuality, known for intertwining business with intimacy among the men who tend her land. Her reputation is steeped in stories of whispered affairs and a lingering melancholy that hints at a tragic family history still felt by the townsfolk. Sharing her side of the estate is Joel Carter, a loyal companion whose presence adds a layer of rivalry and intrigue to the daily grind. Also residing on the property is Joseph “Flyboy” Potts, the proprietor’s introverted son whose quiet demeanor and fragile confidence suggest a past riddled with hidden wounds, and whose bond with the animals offers him a fragile sanctuary.

As Clay settles into the rhythm of the ranch, he finds himself caught between Delilah’s magnetic pull and the cautious warmth offered by Kitty and Earl. The dynamics among the residents are a careful dance of attraction, unspoken obligations, and lingering secrets that refuse to stay buried beneath the prairie sky. Beneath the dusty horizons, a palpable tension thrums, promising that the simple act of earning a wage may unravel far more than Clay ever anticipated, drawing him deeper into a world where trust is fragile and betrayal waits in the shadows.

Last Updated: October 27, 2025 at 16:35

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Gritty rural tragedies like The Locusts

Dark secrets fester and erupt in isolated, small-town settings.If you were captivated by the dark small-town secrets and tragic character arcs in The Locusts, this collection features movies with a similar slow-burning sense of dread. These rural noir stories explore themes of psychological damage, family secrets, and betrayal, set against isolating landscapes where hope is scarce.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern typically involves an outsider's arrival or a catalyst event that disrupts the quiet surface of a rural community, forcing long-suppressed secrets—often involving abuse, corruption, or trauma—to come to light. The story builds steadily towards an inevitable, violent, or tragic conclusion, emphasizing the inescapable nature of the past.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared commitment to a dark, gritty tone, a steady pacing that builds to a devastating climax, and a focus on the psychological fallout of trauma within a closed, often oppressive community setting.

Intense psychological dramas like The Locusts

Dramas that delve into the devastating impact of severe emotional trauma.For viewers who appreciated the heavy emotional weight and focus on psychological damage in The Locusts, this thread gathers character-driven dramas with a similar intensity. These films explore traumatic pasts, emotional cruelty, and the difficult journey of characters grappling with severe psychological wounds, often culminating in sad or bleak resolutions.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative unfolds through the lens of a central character's psychological state, often revealing their traumatic past piece by piece. The conflict is primarily internal and interpersonal, driven by characters reacting to and inflicting emotional pain. The journey is one of escalating despair rather than recovery, emphasizing the characters' inability to escape their psychological burdens.

Why These Movies?

This thread unites films based on their heavy emotional weight, high intensity derived from psychological rather than physical violence, and a dominant tone of melancholy and despair. They share a commitment to portraying the grim reality of trauma without sanitizing or sentimentalizing its effects.

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Characters, Settings & Themes in The Locusts

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More About The Locusts

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