Messengers 2: The Scarecrow (2009) (V)

Director:

Martin Barnewitz

Writers:

Todd Farmer (characters) and
Todd Farmer (written by)

Release Date:

21 July 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The Beginning Of The End

Plot:

The family man farmer John Rollins is stressed with his financial situation: the crows and the lack...

Plot Keywords:

Scarecrow | Crow | Cornfield | Six Pack Of Beer | Secret Room

Cast

Norman Reedus	...	John Rollins
Heather Stephens	...	Mary Rollins
Claire Holt	...	Lindsey Rollins
Richard Riehle	...	Jude Weatherby
Darcy Fowers	...	Miranda Weatherby
Matthew McNulty	...	Sheriff Milton
Laurence Belcher	...	Michael Rollins
Vladimir Yossifov	...	Scarecrow (as Vladimir Yosifov)
Todd Jensen	...	Banker Chapman
Michael McCoy	...	Mr. Peterson
Kalina Green	...	Little Girl
Erbi Ago	...	Randy
Atanas Srebrev	...	Tommy

Directed by
Martin Barnewitz

Writing credits
Todd Farmer		(characters)
Todd Farmer		written by

Produced by
Jeffery Beach	....	co-producer
John Cappilla	....	line producer
Andrew Pfeffer	....	producer
Phillip J. Roth	....	co-producer
William Sherak	....	executive producer
Jason Shuman	....	executive producer
Valeria Stefanova	....	production executive
Robert G. Tapert	....	executive producer (as Rob Tapert)
J.R. Young	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Joseph LoDuca

Cinematography by
Lorenzo Senatore

Film Editing by
Matt Michael

Casting by
Sunday Boling
Gillian Hawser		(casting: UK)
Meg Morman

Production Design by
Bobby Michaels		(as Bobi Michailovski)

Art Direction by
Asen Bozilov		(as Asen Bojilov)

Set Decoration by
Svilen Kratunkov

Costume Design by
Maria Mladenoza		(as Maria Mladenova)

Makeup Department
Iveta Petrova	....	makeup artist
Petya Simeonova	....	assistant special makeup effects
Yana Stoyanova	....	key special makeup effects artist
Greta Velikova	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Jack Schuster	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Asya Chakarova	....	second assistant director
Todor Chapkanov	....	first assistant director
Todor Chapkanov	....	second unit director
Mirela Hristova	....	second second assistant director (as Mira Hristova)
Natasha Roth	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Ognyan Alexsandrov	....	carpenter (as Ognyan Aleksandrov)
Boris Atov	....	carpenter
Valentin Bogdanov	....	swing
Bjarke Brint	....	additional storyboard artist
Yavor Denev	....	swing (as Yavor Danev)
Zornica Dieva	....	draftsman
Svetozar Doichev	....	swing
Darin Donkov	....	carpenter
Alexander Dryanvski	....	labor
Igor Eletski	....	carpenter (as Igor Eletskiy)
Andrey Filchev	....	property master (as Andrei Filchev)
Aneta Filipova	....	assistant designer
Dimitar Iliev	....	labor
Jordan Jordanov	....	storyboard artist
Plamena Karaliyska	....	swing
Dimitar Kichukov	....	carpenter (as Dimitur Kichukov)
Georgi Kodzhabashiyski	....	swing (as Georgi Kodzhabashiyski)
Mihela Kondeva	....	swing
George Kotselov	....	carpenter (as Georgi Kotselov)
Kiril Kovachev	....	carpenter
Ivan Malakov	....	labor
Stefan Manov	....	swing
Veselin Milanov	....	carpenter
Rumen Minev	....	carpenter
Kolio Nachev	....	swing (as Kolyo Nachev)
Nikola Nachev	....	labor (as Nikolay Nachev)
Dimitur Nalbantov	....	construction coordinator
Lubomir Nedkov	....	labor
Anton Nikiforov	....	swing
Nikolai Nikolaev Markov	....	carpenter (as Nikolay Markov)
Tsvetan Peplyarski	....	swing
Georgi Petkov	....	props assistant
Petko Petkov	....	swing
Plamen Petrov	....	swing
Iva Petrova	....	on-set props
Nikolai Platnarov	....	carpenter (as Nikolay Platnarov)
Rumen Radev	....	set dressing assistant
Nikolai Spasov	....	swing (as Nikolay Spasov)
Lyulin Tarkalanov	....	swing
Stefan Tassev	....	carpenter (as Stefen Tasev)
Georgi Tomov	....	swing
Svetlana Topurska	....	swing
Seraphim Trendafilov	....	swing
Vladimir Vladimirov	....	carpenter
Dacho Yotov	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Peter Albrechtsen	....	additional sound designer
Leo Cassan	....	audio assistant
Adam De Coster	....	foley artist
Mihail Dichev	....	adr recording mixer
Emil Evtimov	....	sound mixer
Judah Getz	....	foley assistant
Joshua Aaron Johnson	....	sound editor
Kiril Kaloyanov	....	boom operator
Danny Kim	....	sound effects editor
Eric Lalicata	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eric Lalicata	....	supervising sound editor
Petko Manchev	....	adr supervisor
Tom Marks	....	dialogue & adr editor
Ryan McBride	....	sound effects editor
Andrew Morgado	....	adr and foley mixer
Steve Neal	....	sound editor
Beauxregard Neylon	....	adr mixer
Jan Petrov	....	adr recordist
Kunal Rajan	....	sound effects editor
Monique Reymond	....	foley artist
John Sanacore	....	adr and foley mixer
John Sanacore	....	dialog & adr editor
Dan Snow	....	sound supervisor
Matt Soule	....	foley editor
Aran Tanchum	....	foley mixer
Mandell Winter	....	supervising sound effects editor
Ryan Young	....	assistant dialogue editor

Special Effects by
Vasko Dikov	....	special effects
Georgi Drinov	....	special effects assistant
Ivan Drinov	....	special effects assistant
Stoyan Drinov	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Benjamin H. Bernard	....	lead visual effects artist
Ryan Spike Dauner	....	visual effects supervisor (as Ryan Dauner)

Stunts
Parvan Parvanov	....	stunt coordinator (as Tzatzata)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alexander Alexandrov	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Alexandra Bachvarova	....	still photographer
Boyan Begov	....	epk
Dimitar Cvetkov	....	best boy electric
Alexander Dimitrov	....	grip: second unit
Dimitar Dimitrov	....	grip
Emil Dimitrov	....	loader
Lubomir Dimitrov	....	loader: second unit
Liudmil Donchev	....	second assistant camera
Julian Filipov	....	grip: second unit
Vasil Galabov	....	key grip
Stefan Gekov	....	cgi video assist
Svetlozar Hristov	....	grip: second unit
Anton Ivanov	....	electrician
Ivo Kostov	....	electrician
Kiril Kurtov	....	best boy grip
Vladislav Mateev	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera (as Vlado Mateev)
Neven Mihailova	....	camera operator: "b" camera (as Neven Mihaylova)
Ivo Peichev	....	director of photography: second uint
Ivo Peitchev	....	director of photography: second uint
Dimitar Petkov	....	electrician
Konstantin Popov	....	gaffer
Lorenzo Senatore	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Lorenzo Senatore	....	steadicam operator
Emil Spasov	....	electrician
Miroslav Stoilov	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Konstantin Stoychev	....	electrician
Patel Vladimirov	....	grip: second unit
Dimitar Vuchkov	....	grip (as Dimitur Vuchkarov)
Mihail Yanakiev	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Teodor Yordanov	....	electrician

Casting Department
Daniel Pintauro	....	casting associate: US
Natasha Roth	....	casting production assistant
Ivo Simeonov	....	extras casting
Jonas Talkington	....	casting: Bulgaria

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marieta Duncheva	....	wardrobe assistant
Nikolai Kirilov	....	wardrobe assistant
Vladimir Yossifov	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Vladimir Yosifov)

Editorial Department
Grits Carter	....	post-production coordinator
Laura Jans	....	final colorist (as Laura Jans Fazio)
Travers Morgan	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Peter Albrechtsen	....	additional music
Steve Damstra II	....	composer: additional music
Mads Heldtberg	....	composer: additional music
Tobias Hylander	....	composer: additional music
Cory Milano	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Martin Dimitrov	....	driver
Rosen Dimitrov	....	transportation coordinator
Petur Georgiev	....	driver
Albena Georgieva	....	driver
Ivo Ginovski	....	driver
Ilian	....	driver
Nikolai Ivanov	....	driver
Dimitur Lentchev	....	driver (as Dimitur Lenchev)
Nikolai Milev	....	transportation captain
Dimo Penkov	....	driver
Valio Sakaliiski	....	driver
Dencho Salabashev	....	driver
Petar Slavchev	....	driver (as Peter Slavchev)
Liubomir Slavov	....	driver (as Lubo Slavov)
Vasko	....	driver
Peter Vatzov	....	driver (as Peter Vatsov)
Ilia Zaprianov	....	driver

Other crew
Yves Albiez	....	travel arrangements
Barry S. Babok	....	legal services
Bobi Borisov	....	craft service assistant
Gabby Botava	....	location assistant
Jacqueline Buda	....	office production assistant: U.S.
Joe Cappelletti	....	adr voice director
Michael Frayeh	....	production accountant: Europe
Mariana Furtado	....	completion guarantor
Mario Georgiev	....	production accountant
Mario Georgiev	....	production accountant: Europe
Lena Grosse	....	production assistant
Tzvetelina Hadjieva	....	set medic (as Tsvetelina Hadzieva)
Kent Hamilton	....	insurance
Cherise Honey	....	production coordinator: U.S.
Bogdan Hristov	....	production assistant
Ivan Ivanov	....	craft service
Borislava Ivanova	....	craft service
Nikolai Kalachev	....	production assistant: second unit
Kristina Kambitova	....	legal advisor: Bulgaria
Julia Karaivanova	....	craft service assistant
Milena Karova	....	production coordinator: Europe
Eddie Kazasian	....	production assistant
Ronald J. Levin	....	legal services
Borislava Mankova	....	set medic: second unit (as Borislava Mankovska)
Svetla Mladenova	....	cleaning
Nikolai Mrue	....	production assistant: second unit
Valentin Peev	....	production assistant
Carol Peters	....	completion guarantor
David Pollison	....	development associate
Sarkis Sarkisyan	....	office production assistant: U.S.
Petur Shipkov	....	key production assistant
Ivo Simeonov	....	location manager
Petko Slaveikov	....	production assistant
Marion Speigelman	....	completion guarantor
Valeria Stefanova	....	producers asssistant
Shelly Stoyanova	....	script supervisor
Greg Trattner	....	completion guarantor (as Gregory Trattner)
Aileen Trombatore	....	production accountant: U.S.
Ivanka Tsvetkova	....	craft service assistant
Yanko Ushatov	....	payroll assistant
Ina Vaseva	....	assistant production coordinator
Stefania Velichkova	....	production assistant
Matt Warren	....	completion guarantor
Kurt Woolner	....	completion guarantor

Production Companies

• Stage 6 Films (presents)
• Ghost House Pictures (presents)

Distributors

• Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) (2009) (worldwide) (all media)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Viva International Pictures (2010) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Excesso Entertainment (2013) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (double feature with "The Messengers")
• Excesso Entertainment (2013) (Netherlands) (DVD) (double feature with "The Messengers")
• Falcom Media (2010) (Germany) (DVD)
• Icon Film Distribution (2009) (Australia) (DVD)
• Nordisk Film (2010) (Finland) (DVD)
• Nordisk Film (2012) (Finland) (DVD) (double feature with "The Messengers")
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Anarchy Post  sound post-production
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Soundtrack  ADR facility

Also Known As:

"Ghost House 2" - Japan (English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence, sexual content, nudity and some language

Runtime:

USA:94 min (DVD) | Argentina:94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | UK:15 | Australia:MA (2009) | Singapore:M18 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Mexico:B15 | Spain:18 | South Korea:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Sofia, Bulgaria

Company:

Stage 6 Films

Trivia:

Filmed in 18 days.

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Soundtrack:

Crowfight

Not a great film, but a nice surprise

Some years ago, distribution company Ghost House Pictures acquired a screenplay written by Todd Farmer in order to make a movie about the supernatural experiences suffered by a family on a remote farm.However, when screenwriter Mark Wheaton joined to the project, he decided to substantially change the story and adjust it to the structures from Asian horror cinema.The result was the atrocious movie The Messengers.2 years after that movie, Ghost House Pictures decided to wheel out Farmer's screenplay to make a movie out of it and sell it as a prequel with the title Messengers 2: The Scarecrow.Needless to say, my expectations for this film were minimum...however, I ended up taking a nice surprise with it.It may not be an excellent film, but it is competent and it is hugely superior to The Messengers.

Because of the trailers and title from the film, I expected Messengers 2: The Scarecrow to be an absurd "slasher" film with a scarecrow killing people.And, on some way, it was like that...but not on the way I expected to see.The emphasis from the movie is not on blood and deaths, but on the atmosphere of angst which generates the credible situation from the main characters.The alleged supernatural events keep their ambiguity until the end, making us to ask ourselves if there is any evil influence on the farm or if everything is due to the frail mental state from the main characters, exacerbated by their anguish and untrue future.I was surprised of finding those mature elements on a straight-to-DVD prequel.

As for the cast, Heather Stephens makes a competent work, but Norman Reedus tends to exaggerate without noticing that a more subtle performance would have been more appropriate to the tone from the film.The screenplay is generally good, but the characters occasionally do stupid things, whose bad decisions make some things convenient.And the ending is not bad by itself, but it does not seem to totally suit in the context of the movie.As for the direction, Martin Barnewitz shows a good control of the minimalistic narrative, and he also made a competent work on the "jump" scenes.Finally, I liked to see the absolute absence of digital effects.

If it was not for the unnecessary incursion in the horror genre the movie makes in the ending, I would consider Messengers 2: The Scarecrow as a thriller with subtle supernatural details which emphasize the drama and make the atmosphere richer.However, I cannot deny the fails from the movie, and the fact that it is not very memorable, so I can recommend it, not as a great movie, but as a competent prequel which ended up being much better than the previous film.