When I think about 70s horror, I think about The Exorcist or something bizarre like The Sentinel. Someone compared Samson to Shirley Jackson, and there's definitely similar quiet menace, although it's otherwise a more straightforward drama-heavy horror for people who don't like the bloodier stories.

A charismatic auctioneer arrives in Harlowe, an isolated New Hampshire farming community, and every week the people donate something to his auction. Slowly the requests become more forceful and gently threatening, and more and more men become his deputies doing his dirty work.

What happens when progress becomes intimidating and sinister? Or when the rich benefit from the poor without giving a thought what the sacrifices are doing to them? When a piece of land has been with a family for generations and both your possessions and your confidence are slowly drained, a decision needs to be made. Will you surrender or will you stand up? The ending is haunting, because it doesn't really solve anything. You're just left on the precipice to fend for yourself.