Scarecrows Movie Review from 1988!

Scarecrows is an enjoyable atmospheric horror/action/slasher from the late eighties. Make sure to track down the unrated version which contains the extended gore scenes for full satisfaction. If Effigy Films presents is in the opening credits, then Scarecrows is the unrated version. It’s not super gory regardless but it has some satisfying scenes of carnage.

Scarecrows has a group of paramilitary bank robbers who just pulled off a daring heist at army base Camp Pendleton. They have hijacked a cargo plane piloted by a father, Al, played by David Campbell (Deadly Prey, Killer Workout) and his daughter Kelly played by Victoria Christian (Hunter). One of the thieves named Bert played by B.J. Turner (Night Angel) decides to double cross his partners in crime. Bert makes a daring escape and rolls a grenade into the cockpit before jumping out of the plane. The grenade doesn’t ignite before an overlong period until it’s tossed out the plane and explodes in mid-air.

Bert lands in what appears to be a creepy cornfield adorned with various ominous scarecrows sitting atop their perches. The team eventually pursue Bert and are forced to land the plane nearby. The rest of the team are made up by Corbin played by Ted Vernon (Zombie Infection). Vernon has become a somewhat legendary character off the screen and known for his larger-than-life personality. Corbin is the muscle of the group while Curry played by Michael David Simms (Eight Below) portrays the leader. The team is rounded out by the bumbling Harmonica playing Jack played by Richard Vidan (Terminator 2, Hardrock Zombies), and Roxanne played by Kristina Sandborn (General Hospital). 

After much pondering and harassment of Bert over their radio headsets the team arrive on the ground to find an abandoned dilapidated farmhouse and no sign of Bert. Even stranger, but unbeknownst to our team of thieves, it seems the farm comes to life when they arrive. An old water pump starts working and a rustic generator begins kicking in. We see a picture of people in the house with the name Fowler. 

Bert drives an old truck he found at the farm towards the location he believes he dropped the money while making his escape. Shit gets weirder when he lifts the hood of the truck to see no engine in the vehicle. Paranoia gets the best of him, and he becomes the scarecrows first victim. All the while the scarecrows sit atop their perches as we see into their dead black lifeless eyes.  

Bert appears again later but something is wrong with him, he has been turned into a walking living scarecrow himself stuffed with the money the robbers are trying to locate. The team try to recover the money but are picked off one by one until Curry realizes their situation. He even puts forth a cool scenario where he believes they are all dead and were killed during the heist and this farm is their purgatory.

The recovery mission eventually becomes a survival mission as Corbin attempts to get Kelly back to the plane so she can fly out of there as her own father Al the pilot earlier in the movie was murdered and strung up like a scarecrow himself. 

Scarecrows is a cult gem. It has a dark, sinister, and foreboding atmosphere that closes in on you. The scarecrows look crusty, dry rotted, and embedded with filth. They are truly terrifying in appearance. Considered a low budget film (shot for just over $400,000) Scarecrows really delivers in that realm with high rewatch value.

The gore is not in the category of over-the-top splatter level but there are some memorable scenes as the scarecrows stab, saw, eviscerate, and mummify in barbwire various victims. 

The actors’ performances are respectable especially Michael David Simms as Curry and of course Ted Vernon as Corbin, a tough as nails yet likeable character. That musical score is suitable as well and does a great job in delivering that extra atmospheric touch. The music also adds a creepy touch to the film. It helps convey a sense of impending doom on our characters especially the memorable opening theme. Scarecrows is a film I can see myself coming back to revisit time and time again.

A.K.A.: Evil Stalks, A Maldição dos Espantalhos, Espantalhos, Paratroopers, Madárijesztők,ヘル・ゴースト 悪魔のスケアクロウ, Espantapájaros, Żywe trupy, A Maldição dos Espantalhos, Strašila, Пугала, Zona restringida

Directed by: William Wesley
Written by: Richard Jefferies, William Wesley, William Wesley
Produced by: William Wesley, Cami Winikoff
Cinematography by: Peter Deming
Editing by: William Wesley
Music by: Terry Plumeri
Special Effects by: J.B. Jones
Cast: Ted Vernon, Michael David Simms, Richard Vidan, Kristina Sanborn, Victoria Christian, David Campbell, B.J. Turner
Year: 1988
Country: USA
Language: English
Colour: Colour
Runtime: 1h 23min

Studio: Effigy Films
Distributor: MGM Home Entertainment, Shout! Factory