Search - Scarecrows on DVD

Keith A. (Keefer522)
Reviewed on 8/26/2013...

A troop of bank robbers parachute from their escape plane and land in an abandoned farm surrounded by creepy scarecrows... which, of course, are possessed by the spirits of the former landowners, and which don't take kindly to trespassers.

Fairly brutal little flick that makes up for what it lacks in logic with some impressive gore bits (disembowelments, beheadings, etc.) and an overall atmosphere of creeping dread.

Another lost gem of 80's horror exhumed

the amazing maltzi | the belly of the beast | 08/10/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When direct-to-video horror films were a legitimate market in the 80's and early to mid nineties, thousands upon thousands of low or modestly budgeted movies flooded the market and squeezed themselves onto local mom and pop and mainstream movie rental stores. More than often, these films would be all promise and no delivery, with glitzy artwork and enticing taunts from the ads and synopsis claiming that these films were full of true terror and unrelentling carnage. About 80% of the time they were totally misleading. Time after time we would be duped into watching some boring and/or heavily edited time-wasters with so much left to be desired. Then a movie like William Wesleys Scarecrows peeks out from behind the usual "Satan's _______ whatever" and the countless Slumber/Sorrority party slash and stalk. So being jaded by the usual selection, I took a chance so many years ago and found a truly underscovered gem of fright flick. William Wesley isn't an auteur by any means. In fact his only other directorial credit to my knowledge is the passable Route 666 starring a washed-up Lou Diamond Phillips. But Route 666 aside, with Scarecrows, Wesley does know how to deliver a straight forward horror tale with enough action, gore, suspense, and clever creature design on a low but not impoverished budget. They just make them like this anymore. Oh and i forgot to mention that I liked this film so much that I kept the vhs copy I rented back in the day and just payed the full ammount because I knew i would never be able to find another copy. I have shown this film to my friends countless times over the years and my tape is in pretty bad shape, so I am more than overjoyed that MGM is releasing it. Check it out if you're a fan of old-school 80's horror."

Creepy, atmospheric and great 80's horror film .

Puzzle box | Kuwait | 05/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At first I was a bit apprehensive when it came to Scarecrows thinking that it was a cheap and very lame 80's horror flick and the fact that some of the reviews were saying that it was dull turned me off for a while but I'm glad that I finally got a copy of Scarecrows and I was actually surprised that the film turned out to be quite impressive it was also great fun. The film is low budget so don't expect it to be like any of those modern horror flicks with tons of CGI in them, the atmosphere was very dark and eerie and it also has a good storyline it's about a bunch of mercenaries who get attacked and killed by a bunch of supernatural and psychotic scarecrows I know it doesn't sound like much but trust me this film was fantastic and you'll like this especially if you have a particular fondness for 80's cult horror films. A group of mercenaries hijack a plane after a robbery as their heading off to Mexico but they soon get double crossed by one of their partners who decides to steal the money for himself and parachutes off near a cornfield by an abandoned farmhouse, the cornfield is filed with creepy looking scarecrows that have the ability to imitate their victim's voices and they are not that easily killed off they also have an advantage of sneaking up on their victims in the dark. The rest of the team go chasing after their partner who has betrayed them but they don't suspect that they are being stalked and killed by these scarecrows, the makeup on these scarecrows looks really good and menacing I thought it might be cheesy but it wasn't it really does work and the gore scenes were neat theres a decapitation, a hand slowly being sawed off and a body stuffed with money so it was impressive and the farmers were devil worshipers which explains why the scarecrows are able to move. The only criticism I have is that the acting was bad especially from the pilot's daughter who was looking for her dog, her dialogue was unintentionally hilarious but its not really awful I've seen much worse, director William Wesley did a terrific job with this film despite having some low budget constraints. This MGM dvd has a great transfer and the picture quality was great but there aren't any special features in it not even a lousy trailer but I still thought it was worth it so make sure that you don't miss this film."

Just a superb film

R. John | London, England | 04/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is just how a horror film should be made. The fact that the 'Scream' series is known to just about everyone and this film is known by virtually no one shows what an unjust world this is. [sob]



I first saw it about 15 years ago when i was 14, it left a big impression on me and i always used to check video shows when i was browsing to see if it was available. It never was of course, and then along came amazon...



If you think that a horror film should be about special effects and gore then you should probably leave this film alone. If you think that atmosphere, setting, excellent acting performances (esp. from the guy who plays Curry) and a good story makes a horror film then i strongly suggest you invest some money in this film, you won't be disappointed.



Have to say my favourite bit is when the Scarecrows kill Bert and you suddenly realise that the voices that sound like the other hijackers taunting him are actually coming from the Scarecrows themselves.



"Put the gun down Bert, you're not going to hurt us."



Just a brilliant film."