Review of Scarecrows (1988) by Tim S — 12 Jun 2015

Scarecrows in an obscure 1988 action/horror hybrid. The plot centers on a group of military personnel who decide to make off with their base's payroll and hi-jack a cargo plane. One of the thieves decides to turn on the others, dumping the money and parachuting out of the plane.

The group follows him down to an old farmhouse, whereby they come upon a field full of rotting scarecrows. When watching the movie, it's easy to see why it slipped between the cracks so easily. The ridiculous amount of dialogue (which is ridiculous itself sometimes), as well as some slightly over-the-top performances make it a movie that's prime for the trash heap.

However, I wouldn't go so far as to call it complete junk either. It's certainly a movie that requires a bit of patience because of all of the aforementioned details, but for a horror fan, it has plenty to embrace.

The scarecrows themselves are actually quite spooky, especially considering what they do with their victims, which is stuffing them full of straw and turning them into zombies (more or less). To say the least, the real star of the film are the make-up effects (courtesy of KNB alumni Norman Cabrera), which are quite gruesome, as well as effective.

There's also plenty of suspense that's built up over the course of the movie. Shot by cinematographer Peter Deming (who also shot Evil Dead II, the Scream sequels, and Cabin in the Woods), and with an effectively creepy score by Terry Plumeri, it's a movie that's surprisingly successful with its plot at times.

Director William Wesley managed to make a horror movie that uses what it has to the best of its abilities, and that's all you can really ask for.