Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)
Directed by Frank De Felitta
Starring Charles Durning, Robert F. Lyons, Claude Earl Jones, Lane Smith, Tonya Crowe, Larry Drake, Jocelyn Brando, Tom Taylor, Richard McKenzie
Plot: In a small town, a man is wrongfully killed for a crime he didn't commit. Soon, someone - or something - is exacting vengeance for his death.
This movie has been mentioned a lot recently on blogs, due to the fact that it has been released on DVD for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I was lucky to fall into a good spot in the Netflix line, so my wife and I watched it this weekend. And we enjoyed it.
The gore/blood is at a minimum, mainly due to the fact that this was a made-for-TV film. But this works in the film's favor, as more time is spent on the characters and their interactions with each other. The real villain here doesn't turn out to be who we expect, rather we are left rooting for vengeance to be exacted on those who have done wrong due to their nature, be that pure evil or just plain cowardice.
Some of the dark themes here are only lightly touched upon, so that it can appeal to a broader (younger) audience. With sparse diaolgue at times, the thoughts or intentions of some characters are hinted at, but we are left to let our own imaginations fill in the blanks. As usual, this works to add deeper, creepier layers that would be lost if things were more blatantly shoved in our face. As I have said before, less truly is more in thriller, suspense and horror movies.
Acting and directing is all well done here, as everyone brings their best to the production, from Larry Drake as the simple-minded man (how often was he cast in these roles?) to Tonya Crowe as his young, non-judgmental friend. A couple of surprises for me were Durning as a highly-unlikable man with a superiority complex and Jocelyn Brando (Marlon's sister) as Drake's caring mother, soon turned angry and mournful.
Highly recommended, this film may be almost 30 years old, but is great for those looking for a good, scary film on a dark and spooky night!
Heh heh... I was just talking about this one.
ReplyDeleteWow, welcome to the way-back machine. This one scared the hell out of me when it was on TV all those years ago. I have had a fear of scarecrows ever since. I think I need to revisted this one. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteHi! Wings,
ReplyDeleteThanks, for sharing...Unfortunately, I have never
watched this film...It seems harmless enough, but yet still..."scary."
DeeDee ;-O
Watched this last week as well, very creepy and lots of fun. Oddly, I was the perfect age for this in 1981 but I don't recall it at all. Glad those rabid fans were able to get it an official DVD release!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the trailer. I remember this one!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, this is one of my favorite tv-movies. They really worked within the boundaries of 1981 broadcast tv - great edit (that I won't spoil) with that scene with the woodchipper guy.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a big fan of these movies in the 80's, but I don't think that I ever saw this one.
ReplyDeleteA new personal fav, and MAN does that picture quality look great on the transfer! I was scared it was going to be worn and tattered after all of these years. Glad you liked it Wings!
ReplyDeleteThis might be the last of the truly classic made-for-TV horror movies. A couple of the later-day Stephen King adaptations were very good - like IT and Storm of the Century - but off-hand I'd be hard-pressed to think of anything else that matches the excellence that DNoTS represents. It marked the end of an era.
ReplyDelete