Search - The Scarecrows

A suspenseful and chilling exercise in supernatural horror, this film opens with some speedy exposition during a mood-setting opening credits sequence, inter-cut with radio news reports of a violent paramilitary-style robbery on the Camp Pendleton payroll carried off by a thuggish team of commandos. Making their escape by hijacking a cargo plane -- along with its pilot and his teenage daughter -- the robbers are betrayed by one of their own number, Bert (B.J. Turner), who parachutes with the crate of stolen loot over a Florida cornfield. The team makes a landing in the same field, filled with eerie scarecrow effigies, and begins to sweep the area in search of their defector, working their way toward an abandoned farmhouse. Once there, the team members find themselves cut off from their means of escape by a band of living scarecrows, who stalk and kill the commandos one by one, gutting them and stuffing their bodies with straw; the victims then return to life as scarecrows themselves, joining their undead comrades and closing in on the rapidly dwindling group of survivors. Tightly paced and consistently tense, this low-budget film has slick production values (making it appear more expensive than it probably was) and only falters in some laughably overwrought performances. Taking a cue from Night of the Living Dead, director William Wesley eschews any definite explanation for the supernatural goings-on, instead relying on a nightmare logic that adds to the paranoid atmosphere. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

MGM has turned a solid barebones disc with this edition of Scarecrows. The key attraction of this disc is the transfer: it is an anamorphic, letterboxed affair that does justice to the film's dark, shadowy look. The entire film takes place at night so the disc's strong black levels and the crisp detail are not only pleasing but crucial to enjoying the film. It's also worth noting that this disc represents the full unrated version of the film. In terms of audio, the disc utilizes the film's original stereo mix and, despite its non-5.1 status, it's a nicely layered and active mix. The disc's one problem area is its lack of extras. Horror fans are likely to be disappointed as this is a lesser-known film and any information would have been particularly illuminating. That said, the fine transfer makes this disc of Scarecrows worthwhile for the film's fans and a great way for novices to get acquainted with its spooky charms. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

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10	Puppet Master (R)
8	Puppet Master II (R)
2	Black Roses (R)
2	Prime Evil (R)
27	Friday the 13th, Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan (R)
2	Howling V: The Rebirth/Howling VI: The Freaks (R)
11	Silver Bullet (R)
5	The Unborn (R)
39	Christine (R)
23	Dead Alive (NR)
33	Mary Shelley's Frankenstein [Widescreen/Fullscreen] (R)
These movies have the subject or theme of The Scarecrows...
1	Crypt of Terror: Land of the Minotaur/Terror
4	Mirror, Mirror (NR)
6	Magic (NR)
35	The Omen (R)
2	Chilling Classics: 50 Movie Pack
10	Puppet Master (R)
2	Witchcraft Part II: The Temptress (R)
51	The Exorcist (R)
4	Omen IV: The Awakening (NR)
8	Puppet Master II (R)
These movies are similar to The Scarecrows...
28	Children of the Corn (R)
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