Frank DeFelitta, who also happened to write the novel Audrey Rose, turned to directing for this 1981 horror fantasy. The film opens with an eerie credit roll set on a pastel-colored windmill backdrop, and this is when we first hear the film's unforgettabley chilling score. Twenty years after seeing this film for the first time, I can still play it over in my head. The film soon progresses to its undeniably clever storyline, which I won't bother describing in detail as that has been done for me by previous reviewers.
Dark Night Of The Scarecrow Youtube
The atmosphere of this film is almost unbearably suspenseful at times, and the fact that we never see even a far-off image of the murderous culprit during the film adds to the creepiness. Charles Durning gives one of his best performances as the selfish, provincial mailman who is stalked by a vengeful killer.
This film is best viewed alone late at night! It's probably for the best that this was originally made for TV. That way, 'Dark Night of the Scarecrow' doesn't have to rely on blood, disembowelings and gratuitous special FX for its shock value. All you old-school horror fans check this out: here's a relatively recent movie that earns every shock and scare it gets with its eerie atmosphere, earnest performances and an especially villainous turn by Durning as tyrannical postman.
Everything is sweaty, nail-biting and almost unbearably tense from first frame to last. If you can bear the fright, watch very carefully at the end. I won't tell what happened, but it's intriguing how they combined such emotions as shock, fear and love in only two shots. Just watch it and see what I mean. No wonder Larry Drake gets these kind of parts. First off I have to say this is one of the best scary movies ever made for television, hands down. This movie truly scared me the first time I saw it.
In October of 1981 when this movie first aired I was staying with some second cousins on there ranch and we all stayed up to watch it. After it was over we watched the local news and went to bed, and boy I hardly got a wink of sleep the entire night. I can remember laying in the bed just staring around the room all thru the night thinking of the ending to this movie. I just kept thinking that scarecrow was coming into the room at any moment. Keep in mind that I said early I was on a ranch were there might actually be a scarecrow. This movie stayed with me for a long time and I only saw it once more in the early 90's and even then much older I still got the creeps from it. About 6 years ago I was going thru the TV guide and saw that it was going to be on TBS and I took the time to record it.
This movie still gets me every time that I see it. There is a great mood that is set right from the start with the opening credits and the music that is playing, and that mood never goes away thru out the movie.
It is so surprising that this was a made for television movie. The performances that the actors convey, especially Charles Durning and Larry Drake are great. I mean you truly hate Charles Durning character so much that you want him to die. It shows how great of an actor he is. I wont give away the ending but I just love it, there is a great justice and truth that the guilty parties didn't get away with murder.
This is one of my favorite television movies of all time simply because I will never forget that first time I saw it. I have grown to love horror movies over the years and wish I would have of watched more of them when I was a kid in the 70's. I've noticed that a lot of the television horror movies out of the 70's and early 80's have quite a following. There are a couple of people who have left reviews who say this movie is terrible and I completely disagree with them. I guess it goes to show that not everyone will love the same movie you love. Dark Night of the Scarecrow is directed by Frank De Felitta and written by J.D. Feigelson and Butler Handcock.
It stars Charles Durning, Larry Drake, Tonya Crowe, Jocelyn Brando, Lane Smith and Claude Earl Jones. Music is by Glenn Paxton and cinematography by Vincent Martinelli. Small town Americana and Bubba Ritter (Drake), a friendly but mentally challenged man, is falsely accused of attacking and severely injuring young Marylee Williams (Crowe). Four of the town residents, with hate and ignorance driving them on, hunt down Bubba and find him hiding as a scarecrow in a field. Murdering him, they claim self defence and walk free from court.
It's not long afterwards, though, that the men start to see a scarecrow in their midst Some things from movies just stay with you from when you were a wee youngster, I still remember the first time I heard the anguished cry of Bubba Ritter stating that he didn't do the crime he was being hunted for. Dark Night of the Scarecrow stood out by some considerable mile as one of the best TV horror movies I saw as a youth, not for things that I would later appreciate in film making as I got older, but just for sheer terror of a scarecrow stalking his prey for divine retribution.
How wonderful to revisit the movie three decades later and find that it is still one of the best TV horror movies out there. Oh it doesn't terrify now, though it still packs a sense of unease and keeps scarecrows firmly in the realm of creepyville, but it has a style so sorely lacking in many of today's horrors. There is no need to bludgeon us with slash and stalk, showing us gore front and centre, the makers here are subtle, refusing even to put the scarecrow in the limelight like Michael or Jason.
There's a smart ambiguity about the supernatural elements, keeping the mystery element strong as the guilty men begin to crack and head towards their real judgement. Simmering away nicely in the narrative is of course the vile stench of bigotry, and the pain inflicted by such narrow minds. There is also a dark thread left dangling that suggests one of the guilty men is impure of thoughts towards little Marylee, one of the very things he whipped up as reason to hound Bubba for.
Some thought went into the screenplay, and it's credit to the writers that it never becomes a moral crusade, while the crafting of the lovely innocent friendship between Bubba and Marylee is beautifully born out by actors and technicians alike. Durning and Drake dominate the movie with classy shows, impressive in Drake's case as he is only in it for a short amount of time, but the work of young Tonya Crowe puts her in the club that houses best child performances of the 80s. Her reactions to Bubba and Otis (Durning) naturally call for different human emotions, and she in turn nails the aspects of youthful innocence and mature awareness of who the monster actually is. The photography is textured, the music equally so, and there's even some shards of humour and irony along the way. I can imagine many of today's horror fans going into Dark Night of the Scarecrow and being very disappointed not to get a Voorhees type movie, while some more sensitive viewers may find the portrayals of backwater folk as being ignorantly stereotyped by the makers. It isn't for every horror fan, without a doubt, and clearly it's not perfect, but to those who loved it back when it first showed, those who are jaded by how this type of sub-genre of horror has evolved into bloody overkill and remake/sequel hell, then Dark Night of the Scarecrow is in fact a minor classic.
I remember watching this when it first aired, as well as having trouble sleeping many nights afterward. This was particularly effective for me, since I grew up in a setting much like the one depicted in the film. The sense of dread and terror is very heavy throughout the movie.
What would normally be a typical idyllic rural setting is transformed into a place where fears are realized. The wind is always blowing leaves across a lonely road, the shadows seem especially deep, and as the title states, the night seems especially dark. There is minimal blood and special effects - the film relies on the setting and the performances of the actors to deliver the goods. If you can find it at the video store, then you are certainly in luck. Highly recommended. It's strange this was a movie made for TV and it wasn't released in DVD yet! It was extremely good!
The story was original and touching, the atmosphere throughout the movie was just perfect and don't let me tell you about the acting: EVERYONE in this movie portrayed its role exceptionally. I think the best were Bubba, his mother and the mailman, but as I said, everyone even the kid was just perfect. This movie had several and tremendous creepy moments! It's interesting to see those moments were not based in gore or special effects.
Instead, they were based in suspense, atmosphere and acting. That makes this movie better than many others of its genre.
And the ending? I will just tell you it's one of the most chilling endings I have ever seen. It's VERY haunting. The first time I had seen this movie was 20 years ago and today I still remembered it! Recommended 100% for all horror and suspense lovers. You won't be disappointed! If you see the VHS at your club or library go for it!
Everybody seems to generally love this film and I am no exception. I have not viewed it since it aired in 1981 but, like everyone else who is leaving comments here, it creeped me out. It is a pretty heavy-handed movie for being made for television. The themes are intense, as is the violence, although I don't remember much gore. What does stick in my mind is the slow crawl camera shot when Bubba is hiding in the Scarecrow, up to the eye hole in the scarecrow.
We see a single, trembling eye before Charles Durning and co take justice into their own hands. The other thing that I remember is Larry Drake's brief performance. He was so convincing as a semi-retarded man that it wasn't until I saw him in Darkman years later, that I discovered that he wasn't retarded. I had only seen him in this movie and on LA Law where he played mentally challenged characters. Hopefully, it will be released on DVD one of these days. I was completely impressed with this early 80s TV movie. It features an outstanding script that echoes the later 'Pumpkinhead' in its revenge/mysticism thematics.
High production values, strong performances (especially by Charles Durning, who plays the creepiest postal worker you'll ever meet), subtle writing, and grisly (by TV standards) murders all give this pluses in my book. Plus it's got authentic location shooting and early 80s ambiance, and a murder scene that was ripped off four years later (in Witness.) Highly recommended and much better than I expected. It's true, Durning never changes his clothes! 'Dark Night of the Scarecrow' is an effective TV horror film. A Halloween viewing would be totally appropriate.
Charles Durning plays a bigoted, evil character, who happens to be the local mailman. Obviously he loves his postal job, as he never seems to take off his uniform. Along with three local rednecks they set the story in motion by hunting and killing a mentally challenged man. After the lynch mob mentality has prevailed, they learn they have killed an innocent man, who happened to be hiding inside a scarecrow. The movie is extremely atmospheric, has good acting, and has become somewhat of a cult item.
I just saw it 2 days ago on TBS with my girlfriend and it's still spooky!!!I cant believe this was a made for t.v movie!!!!SCARY AS HELL!!!Ten time scary than Friday the thirteenth, Halloween, or Nightmare on elm street.This movie, along with 'The Shining',prove you don't need lots of pointless blood and guts to give you the creeps.The first time i saw this movie i was around 7/8 in my mom's bed one night and two scenes were forever stuck in my mind.(1)Otis' hate-filled look at Bubba while he hides in the Scarecrow get up (2) the scream that poor Mrs. Ritter yelled when alone with Hazelrig.In fact, I could not finish watching the movie when i was a kid because of Jocelyn Brando's scream scene so i told mom to shut it off.it wasnt till i was 24 i would learn who the scarecrow was - at least i think, i know. Great acting by Charles Durning as Otis Hazelrig.an old mailman so cheap he lives in an old folks home and practically lives in his mailman fatigues.He who seems too interested in young Maylee. Awesome scenes.when Hazelrig and Skeeter go the graveyard and dig up Bubba's casket,open it and find what their looking for or what their NOT looking for?the climactic scene where Hazelrig confronts Maylee for the truth.Is it indeed the girl?is is the D.A?or as Mrs. Ritter said 'some other justice in the world'.I'm not telling the music just adds to the whole creepyness.that violin gets me spooked everytime.
WATCH THIS FLICK NEXT TIME IT'S ON TBS OR TNT!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! I got DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW from a friend a few years back who has a thing for scarecrow-themed horror films (admittedly not really my bag in most cases.), but I never got around to watching it. I knew that it was a made-for-TV film which didn't much bolster my enthusiasm either. But I've been on a bit of a kick of '80s oddities lately-so I decided to finally give this one a chance. The weird looking guy that plays Doctor Giggles effectively assumes the role of a retarded man-child named Bubba, whose only friend is a young girl who resides in their small town. The local redneck population has a hard-on for Bubba for no reason other than the fact that he's different.
When the girl is killed in a dog-mauling incident, the yokels of course blame her death on Bubba. In true redneck fashion-the hicks form a lynch-mob headed by the local mailman-and when they find Bubba hiding inside a scarecrow, they dispatch him with a bit of double-barreled down-home 'justice'.
But surprise-surprise.the girl isn't actually dead-and when she explains that Bubba in fact saved her from he dog-attack, the hicks responsible for his death are put on trial. They beat the rap by claiming that the killing was in self-defense and they all walk. But shortly thereafter-strange things begin to happen around and to those involved in the murder. In all seriousness-DARK NIGHT.is a solid and effective little chiller-especially for a made-for-TV film.
Frankly, despite the lack of any gore or graphic material-I'm sorta surprised that it ever played on television. It's honestly pretty dark and a bit twisted for mainstream television fare. Although a bit dated-the acting is solid, the storyline is pretty straightforward, and there's a genuinely creepy atmosphere throughout. There's a few things that don't work so well (like how a man can't out-maneuver a tractor that's moving in a straight line at all of 5 miles-per-hour.) but the gripes are minimal in this one.
A decent film that I'm glad I finally took the time to check out-I'd especially recommend DARK NIGHT.to those that enjoy more 'classically' styled horror/thrillers. I was genuinely spooked and completely on the edge of my seat when I saw this well-made, well-acted little shocker. I was surprised to find that my local Blockbuster carried the movie, so I picked it up. The plot deals with a retarded man named Bubba who is accused of murdering a little girl.
A group of four rednecks grab their shotguns and shoot Bubba repeatedly, only to find out later that he was innocent. Soon, a dark figure begins to murder the men one by one. Suspicion falls on everyone in the cast.
Believe me, you will be surprise. The bloodiest murder is saved for the conclusion (hint: it involves a pitchfork), but this movie is so eerie and well-made that blood and gore does not matter.
Tonya Crowe (as the little girl, Mary Lee) does a fine job with her acting. Dark Night of the Scarecrow is a very good film that has a good cast which includes Charles Durning, Robert F. Lyons, Claude Earl Jones, Lane Smith, Tonya Crowe, Larry Drake, Jocelyn Brando, Tom Taylor, Richard McKenzie, Ivy Jones, James Tartan, Ed Call, and John Steadman! The acting by all of these actors is very good. Durning and Drake were great! The horror and thrills is really good and some of it is surprising. The movie is filmed very good.
The music is good. The film is quite interesting and the movie really keeps you going until the end. This is a very good and thrilling film. If you like Charles Durning, Robert F. Lyons, Claude Earl Jones, Lane Smith, Tonya Crowe, Larry Drake, Jocelyn Brando, the rest of the cast in the film, Horror, Thrillers, Dramas, and interesting Halloween films to see around the season then I strongly recommend you to see this film today! Greetings from Lithuania.
'Dark Night of the Scarecrow' (1981) is a movie made for TV. It's genre is horror, and it's a nicely made one. It's not particularly scary, but it's a well made movie. It's nothing original or greatly made, but it does it's job for 1h 36 min of keeping you involved in a basic story, with OK acting, nice script and a very tight directing.
Overall, there isn't much to say about this 80's made for TV horror flick. If you like not complicated horror movie plots, OK acting, simple story but with simple and very good direction - 'Dark Night of the Scarecrow' is surely to be check one. It's superbly well paced and you very worth watching it once.
I never recall myself getting so wild with the 'Scarecrow' tales. 'Dark Night of the Scarecrow' is one such masterpiece that has no budget to boast but simply a great attitude that brings a win-win situation to both director and the audience. Frank de Felitta is a miraculous man and has proved that the scarecrows don't just scare the crap out of birds! The background music adds tension to the plot and is one of the most haunting soundtracks I can ever think of.
The artistry lies in the way scarecrow has been pictured and this solely makes the story alive. Fiegelsen (The godfather of scarecrow sub-genre and also the author of 'Audrey Rose') has penned down the script with a meticulous and fervent mind that itself is a terrific combination. What impresses me most is that DNOTS was a TV movie! They don't make like this anymore nowadays. The plot revolves around few townsfolk who kill a mentally-challenged and nitwit Bubba for no apparent reason, but someone who lives in the sky and writes our fates decides to wreak havoc on the culprits and settles the scores in bizarre and supernatural ways. Buba Ritter (Larry Drake) is a retarded but fully-grown up man, who lives with his mother Mrs.
Ritter (Jocelyn Brando) in a small town. He befriends a little girl Marylee (Tonya Crowe) and it seems that they both are on the same note and love each other's company. Marylee and Bubba spend their time playing near a windmill in the lemon-yellow fields. Their friendship is despised by the town's mean mailman Otis (Charles Durning), farmer-cousins Philby (Claude E Jones) and Harliss (Lane Smith) and gas station attendant Skeeter (Robert Lyons) and they are only looking for a good time to punish Bubba. One day while playing with Bubba, Marylee is mauled by a ferocious dog and falls unconscious.
Bubba is attacked by the dog but he somehow manages to save a fainted Marylee and takes Mary to her mother. The news spreads like a fire and Otis quickly assumes that Bubba might have raped and murdered the girl. Otis, Skeeter, Philby and Harliss promptly form a lynch mob and go after Bubba with a pack of hunting dogs. Ritter realizes that her son is in danger and she disguises Bubba as a scarecrow and plants him at a field. The lynch mob arrives and the dogs sniff Bubba out in no time. Otis and his friends empty their revolvers on poor Bubba. Minutes later, Otis is informed that Marylee had only fainted and is alright after medical care.
In order to make the murder look like a self-defense assault, Otis puts a pitchfork in dead Bubba's hands to make appear as if he were about to attack them and was therefore killed in response. The murder is prosecuted in court where on the grounds of zero proof, the culprits are somehow able to save their necks. The district attorney Sam Willock (Tom Taylor) doesn't believe on Otis and his friends, and promises to send them to the death row, if he ever finds a clue. Otis and his friends want to keep their misdeed a secret but its not very long when Harliss mysteriously falls into a chipper and is shredded to pieces.
Philby notices a scarecrow in his fields and is horrified. On Philby's tip, Otis decides to take the matter in his hands and burns Mrs. Ritter's house.
A few days later Philby, under mysterious circumstances perishes inside a grain silo and Skeeter goes insane with fear and is ultimately killed by Otis. Otis appears to be a pedophile and is after Marylee. He also accuses Marylee of orchestrating the scarecrow murders, which she denies. A game of cat and mouse begins where Marylee is chased by Otis and they finally land on a pumpkin patch. A plowing machine in the patch animates all by itself and begins to follow a running Otis. Otis soon finds the Bubba scarecrow before him and realizes that he is impaled by the same pitchfork he ever put in Bubba's hands as alibi. DNOTS is one of the best Halloween films that follows a simple plot, has a weird atmosphere and crazy soundtrack.
I never get satisfied watching it once and can watch it all day long. It has some magic that keeps you tied to your seat. Unlike splatter films, the film has very little gore and takes inspiration from evergreen horror milestones like Halloween and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It is noteworthy that Halloween and TCM also have very little gore, but they boast on the effect they cast on the viewers.
DNOTS certainly is a great combination of fear, anxiety, insanity and trauma all seasoned in the curry of devilish Halloween atmosphere. The portrayal of rural culture adds great taste to the movie, where empty fields, chippers, plowing machines, grain silos and pumpkin patches have been used as horror intensifiers. DNOTS simply rules! In a small town, two gentle souls have a friendship going: young Marylee Williams (Tonya Crowe) and mentally impaired adult 'Bubba' Ritter (Larry Drake).
However, the postmaster, Otis Hazelrigg (Charles Durning) doesn't like what he sees; he believes that Bubba is a blight on their fair town. When Marylee is attacked by a dog, and (erroneously) assumed dead, Otis is all too ready to believe that Bubba was responsible (when, in fact, he saved Marylee's life) and collects his friends (played by Robert F.
Lyons, Claude Earl Jones, and Lane Smith). They hunt Bubba down, find him hiding inside a scarecrow, and pump a good number of bullets into him. However, there's no evidence the district attorney can provide to suggest that the murder was anything other than self defense.
Have no fear, however, as these four men will soon start to be psychologically terrorized and ultimately killed. To start with, this is an exceptionally good looking film, even more so now that the movie is available on DVD and Blu-ray and has been restored.
Scarecrows
The rural atmosphere is vividly realized, right from beginning to end. The story allows for some genuine scares and suspense - more to be found than in a good number of theatrical productions - and 'Dark Night of the Scarecrow' gets high marks for its potency; while its horrors are mostly implicit rather than explicit, they still pack a punch. Even the extreme violence that the movie suggests is intense for anything made for prime time network TV; one of the deaths may well have inspired a similar sequence in 'Witness' approximately four years later. Give credit to writers J.D. Feigelson & Butler Handcock and director Frank De Felitta for keeping things ambiguous right up until near the very end.
They merely present a few possibilities as to who could be doing the killing, and leave it at that. Memorable images include the sight of Bubba's terrified eyes behind the scarecrow's eye holes, and the big finish in the pumpkin patch is incredibly spooky. The cast couldn't be better. The always rock solid Durning is compelling in a rare lead role. As the story progresses, we learn his ulterior motive for wanting Bubba away from Marylee, and we can see what a stone cold creepy s.o.b. Young Crowe is appealing, as is Drake in a role that will automatically have TV viewers thinking of the similar role that propelled him to fame years later on 'L.A. Lyons, Jones, and Smith are no less than believable as a worthless trio of jerks who understandably start coming unglued as their own guilt adds to their terror.
And Jocelyn Brando (Marlon's older sister) is wonderful as Bubba's loving mother, who reminds us all that the law isn't the only form of justice that exists. This is great stuff that could be enjoyed at any time of the year, not just Halloween. I unfortunately missed the original TV airings, but this is why it's so nice to finally have it on the digital format for many people to discover or visit again. Eight out of 10.
A gang of armed vigilantes led by mean postmaster Otis P. Hazelrigg (a marvelously hateful portrayal by Charles Durning) track down and kill gentle giant simpleton Bubba (an excellent and sympathetic performance by Larry Drake), who's been wrongfully accused of brutalizing sweet little girl Marylee Williams (appealingly played by Tonya Crowe). The gang are found not guilty of any murder charges, but a while later they start being haunted and picked off by an enigmatic apparition that takes on the unsettling form of a scarecrow. Director Frank De Felitta, working from a crafty and gripping script by J.D. Feigelson, relates the involving story at a steady pace, depicts a strong and vivid evocation of the backwoods small country town setting, and does a masterful job of creating and maintaining a creepy, uncanny, and mystery atmosphere that retains a genuinely spooky ambiguity which keeps you guessing about what's really going on right until the smashing doozy of a surprise twist ending.
Moreover, this movie is shockingly violent for a made-for-TV feature: One guy gets mashed to a pulp in his brush grinding machine while a second fellow is buried alive in a corn silo. The uniformly bang-up acting from the sterling cast constitutes as another significant asset: Durning excels as one extremely slimy and despicable jerk of a local mail man, with fine support from Robert F.
Lyons as wimpy gas station owner Skeeter Norris, Lane Smith as grouchy farmer Harless Hocker, Claude Earl Jones as excitable mill foreman Philby, and Jocelyn Brando as Bubba's feisty mother. De Felitta and Feigelson deserve extra praise for audaciously presenting Hazelrigg as an oily, secretive, and duplicitous pedophile with an unsavory interest in Marylee (note how the movie begins with Hazelrigg's spying on Bubba and Marylee through a pair of binoculars and Hazelrigg's unsettling confrontation with Marylee in a school hallway during a Halloween party). In addition, there's even a potent central message about the harsh and unfair nature of rural vigilante 'justice.' Glenn Paxton's supremely eerie score hits the spine-tingling spot.
Martinelli's sharp cinematography gives the picture a pleasantly vibrant pastoral look. A highly recommended sleeper that's wholly worthy of its substantial cult status. I give this an 8/10 for scare factor.
I saw it back when I was 7 or 8 years old and I have never forgotten it, I was off school sick, at my Nan's house I watched it with my Uncle and it scared the crap out of me, still now at 35 I think about it and wonder if I might be able to find it. I thought this movie was called 'The night of the black scarecrow' so I googled it and came up with this. Still unsure if 'dark night of the scarecrow' was the correct title, I then found a trailer. Ooh, gave me chills to watch it after all these years. The scene in the fields at the start. Right to the very end. It is one of those movies that stays with you always.
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Finally, I saw it. And it sure as hell did not let me down!
When we're talking early 80's made-for-TV horror movies, it doesn't get more perfect than DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW. A great and eerie tale of justice gone wrong and revenge rectifying the mistake. A decent pace. Original killings. Great performances (go check out the cast!). And a wonderful twist ending. I'll leave the plot synopsis and names-dropping to others, and just point out some elements that made this all work for me.
The story is supposed to be about an innocent, mentally challenged victim coming back from the dead, reincarnated as a scarecrow, to take revenge on his murderers (Why a scarecrow? If this sounds weird, then I can assure you it does make sense after seeing the opening-scene). While every kill is highly memorable (and well-staged, I might add), the genius aspect is that we never actually see the alleged scarecrow commit those murders. We merely get a glimpse at the shape of the killer. The scarecrow does pop up in certain scenes, quite early on in the movie even, but he never moves and seems just a lifeless puppet.
Nevertheless, his appearance looks scary (even in broad daylight, in a field), and fueled by the superstition of some characters (soon-to-be victims), the mystery thickens. Is there really something supernatural going on? Or is there a more rational explanation? Is there a human out to even the score, tormenting his targets with fake ghostly apparitions?
Or is Bubba really back from the dead, out for revenge? You'll have to wait until the very end to find out. It's this ever present lingering duality of the plot, that will keep you on the edge of your seat. As said before, most scenes (especially the ones taking place at night) bath in a constant ominous ambiance that suits the story perfectly. And when it comes to the deaths of the murderers, director Frank De Felitta cleverly sets them all up. Prior to the actual death-scenes, De Fellita gives us visual hints (in previous, unrelated scenes) as to how the victims will meet their demise. That's a great way of constructing a film and as a viewer it's fun spotting the set-ups.
There are much more great elements to DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW, as pointed out by others on this site. And I for one did not expect to find them all in such a modest, almost obscure made-for-TV movie. What this movie does well is not showing too much. This could had easily turned into a cheesy monster-flick, in which you see a guy dressed up as a scarecrow killing people. The scarecrow actually isn't shown until the very end it is being implied often in the movie that the killer is not a ghostly scarecrow rising from the grave to take revenge upon his killers but a normal person of flesh and blood who has their own motivation to kill the bad men.
It relies further more on a very simple plot but due to its approach it works out original and effective nevertheless. Not that the movie is a very scary one but it still turns into a creepy and atmospheric one, when you're not fully knowing what is going to happen next. The movie is definitely less worth and cheesy than its title at first sight might suggest. You could say that the movie doesn't show much and doesn't has any gore in it because it's a cheaply made for TV movie. That might be so but however the movie simply uses this to its own benefit. In this case less is more within this movie.
Director Frank De Felitta actually directed a couple of more made for TV horror movies like this throughout his career and it's short of a shame that he never really broke through. Although I don't know if his movies would had been better though if they had a bigger budget and a global world wide theatrical release.
He actually made one big movie in his career, starring Sharon Stone which did flopped. The movie doesn't feature the world's best actors (though Charles Durning has done some good things throughout his career) but this suits the movie and its atmosphere and style well. It is a surprising sight though seeing Marlon Brando's older sister Jocelyn Brando in this. It also was weird seeing Larry Drake in this, as a retarded man, who can only think and act like a child. It was weird seeing him as this, since Larry Drake to me while always be that tough criminal Durant from the 'Darkman' movies.
A movie really worth watching. 7/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
Dark Night Of The Scarecrow 1981 Trailer
This is certainly one of the most famous TV movies of the 1980s, if not of all time. I admittedly find DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW (1981) a bit overrated, but can’t deny that it has a number of affecting things, including what is almost certainly the screen’s most eerily effective use of a scarecrow.Directed by the novelist (of AUDREY ROSE, THE ENTITY and several others) and screenwriter (of Z.P.G, THE SAVAGE IS LOOSE and numerous television credits) Frank De Felitta, it was initially conceived as an independent feature starring Strother Martin, but he died before production could get underway. Ultimately the film was reconfigured by its screenwriter/executive producer J.D. Feigelson as a scaled-down CBS TV movie with Charles Durning in the Martin role.
As such it amassed enormous popularity, and inspired a 2011 documentary BUBBA DIDN’T DO IT: 30 YEARS OF DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW.In a small Southern town (actually the outskirts of Los Angeles) Bubba Ritter, a mentally impaired man, lives. It seems most everybody in town, in particular the postmaster Otis Hazelrigg, wants to get rid of this guy. When a little girl named Marylee is mauled by a dog, for which Bubba is falsely accused, Otis and his cohorts Harless, Philby and Skeeter decide to lynch Bubba. He attempts to hide by pretending to be a scarecrow but Otis and co. Figure out the ruse and shoot Bubba to death. They escape prosecution for the killing but find themselves haunted by strategically placed scarecrows.It would appear that somebody is trying to make the men pay for killing Bubba, a surmise that would gains traction after Harless is ground up in a threshing machine.
Otis suspects Bubba’s mother of the killing, and upon confronting her about it on Halloween night inadvertently causes the old woman to have a fatal heart attack.This doesn’t stop the killings, which continue with Philby getting smothered in a grain silo. This leaves Otis and his jittery pal Skeeter, though not for long, as the latter is killed by Otis when his behavior grows dangerously unpredictable, after which Otis becomes quite erratic himselfThe film’s TV movie origins are apparent in the cut rate production values (which are ill-served by the digitally restored version currently available on DVD and Blu-ray, which gives the cheapness an unflattering prominence) and acting that ranges from strong (Charles Durning as Otis, ’ Robert F. Lyons as Skeeter) to horrendous (the late Larry Drake, who indulges every retarded-guy stereotype as Bubba).There are at least some canny directorial touches, such as a scary looking garden gnome montage during the dog mauling that opens the film and a shock cut from an off-screen killing to a splash of ketchup on a plate. And again, the film’s use of a scarecrow as an object of horror, in both wide shots and close-ups, remains unrivalled.Vital StatisticsDARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROWWizan ProductionsDirector: Frank De FelittaProducer: Bobbi FrankScreenplay: J.D.
FeigelsonCinematography: Vincent MartinelliEditing: Skip LuskCast: Charles Durning, Robert F. Lyons, Claude Earl Jones, Lane Smith, Tonya Crowe, Larry Drake, Jocelyn Brando, Tom Taylor, Richard McKenzie, Ivy Jones, James Tartan, Ed Call, Alice Nunn, John Steadman, Dave Adams, Ivy Bethune.