Scarecrows (1988)

Criminals hijack a plane and force the pilot and his daughter to fly them to Mexico. However, an unexpected landing finds them in a cemetery inhabited by killer scarecrows.

Director:

William Wesley

Writers:

William Wesley (story), Richard Jefferies (screenplay)

Stars:

Ted Vernon, Michael David Simms, Richard Vidan

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Ted Vernon	...	Corbin
Michael David Simms	...	Curry (as Michael Simms)
Richard Vidan	...	Jack
Kristina Sanborn	...	Roxanne
Victoria Christian	...	Kellie
David Campbell	...	Al
B.J. Turner	...	Bert
Dax Vernon	...	Dax the Dog
Tony Santory	...	Jakob Fowler
Phil Zenderland	...	Norman Fowler
Mike Balog	...	Benjamin Fowler
Don Herbert	...	Radio Newscast (voice)
Howard E. Haller	...	Helicopter Pilot / Base (voice)
Dyanne DiRosario	...	Kellie (voice)

Storyline

Five people heist the Camp Pendleton payroll, kidnap a pilot and his daughter, who are forced to fly them to Mexico. Enroute a double cross has one of the thieves parachute with the loot into an abandoned graveyard surrounded by strange scarecrows. Two of the team jump after their loot and their former partner. Everything happens during the course of one very dark night.

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Plot Keywords:

scarecrow | graveyard | heist | theft | airplane | 

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Taglines:

They Only Want A Brain ... Yours.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's theatrical run was simply a one-week engagement at a single Des Moines, Iowa theater. This was done solely for the purpose of being able to tell potential video distributors that the film had had a "theatrical release".

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Goofs

When Bert watches Corbin jump from the plane through the night-vision googles, it is obvious that it daytime. Despite the film taking place at nighttime.

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Quotes

Corbin: God to Bert - your birthday has been cancelled!

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Crazy Credits

In the final credits the cast is listed in two sections: Crows and Scarecrows.

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Alternate Versions

Forum Home Video released the film in both R-rated and unrated versions, with all of the gory effects removed from the former.

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Connections

Referenced in Adjust Your Tracking (2013)

User Reviews

Don't be fooled by the "buzz."

OK, look. In my opinion, there are five catagories of horror films.

GRADE A - These are films like "The Exorcist," "Silence of the Lambs," "The Shining," "Rosemary's Baby," etc. They are usually bigger budget horror films that have managed to escape the giant cookie cutter of Hollywood due to such visionaries as Stanley Kubrick and Roman Polanski.

GRADE B - These are lower budget films like "Halloween," and "Night of the Living Dead." The good ones work because they are directed by such visionaries as John Carpenter and George Romero.

GRADE C - These can be either big budget or low budget. Most of them suck big time, but once in a while a "guilty pleasure" comes along like The Howling," "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," or "The Evil Dead 2." In other words, no one is saying they're great films, but there is enough originality and/or inspired lunacy to make it worthwhile.

GRADE D - Trash filmmaking. Films like "Leprechaun," "Witchboard 5," "Puppet Master," etc etc. These are just plain bad films, but they defy criticism because there is an audience out there who just like to watch people die.

GRADE Z - These are usually straight to video films with the word "zombie" or "blood" in the title." I don't typically watch Grade D or Z movies, but apparently many people do.

"Scarecrows" is a Grade Z movie disguised as a Grade D movie. It's got high enough production values to manage a D rating, but the story, characters, pacing, direction, and special effects are strictly Grade Z.

I saw several good reviews of this movie on IMDB and hoped that maybe I'd discovered a rare gem. I'm always optimistic about finding a new discovery like the original "Ring" from Japan, or the underrated "Dogs of War" from England.

Believe me, folks. "Scarecrows" ain't no gem.

I personally found the film to be unwatchable. About half way through, I stared to fast forward through parts. It was THAT awful...and worse, BORING.

I've seen better character motivation and acting on UPN sitcoms and the story is thinner than Bruce Willis' hair. Actually, there IS no story. It's just a bunch of alleged paramilitary types running around...talking a lot (with amateurish dialogue)...and getting killed by stuntmen dressed like high-school-production scarecrows.

These filmmakers don't understand any of the rules of horror. There is no BUILD of suspense. There are no characters to invest in. There is nothing to interest you except the anticipation of the credits rolling at the end.

If you like amateurish movies, with shoddy production values, uninspired direction, and zero plot, then by all means watch this film.

But for those of you who truly appreciate a good horror film, go rent something you've already seen twice before. Actually go watch some paint dry or grass grow. I guarantee it will be more interesting than this stinker.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 March 1991 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Scarecrows

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$425,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Effigy Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min 79 min (R-rated)

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1