The suspense and horror factor  was deliberately present, coupled with the  dark and gloomy colors.  The scene  where 3 persons were seen doing a ritual in the midst of a cornfield who were then eventually killed by a  hooded creature with a bird mask could be a  symbolism of the plague that swept the town.  A memorable shot in this film was that of the hundreds of birds  flying from a big tree,  done in perfect timing.  Do check out this film.