By Brooke Kamishlian
Officer Brown, a big city cop comes to Adams, Massachusetts to get away from all the crime, but stumbles across a deadly secret. Adams is the sort of town that you can visit but never leave.
I watched this in preparation to watch the sequel, Rise of the Scarecrows: Hell on Earth, which a Facebook friend was promoting on his page. He directed both flicks!
Well this is a true example of independent backyard film making. It is clear that everyone involved is an amateur at this point in their career but that they are having a hell of a time putting this movie together.
Geno McGahee wrote, directed, and acted in this horror movie about a bunch of REAL ASSHOLES getting killed off by undead scarecrows (well not exactly “scarecrows”. The mythology of the Big Bads is briefly explained in the movie, but I wish there was a bit more time spent on the origins of these devilish creatures that the townsfolk have made an unholy deal with).
I mean, these characters are top tier jerks and bottom of the barrel misogynists, and honestly I couldn’t wait for them to die. The one likable character is the big city cop, Officer Brown. And as the good guy he just isn’t isn’t good enough to balance the downright disgusting behavior of the rest of the townsfolk.
Even so, he is the most realistic character in the movie, and therefore the most relatable; struggling with his common sense and good judgement in the face of official orders from his superior.
I would be remiss to not mention the gratuitous nude scene showcasing the unbelievably beautiful Amanda Nigro. Gratuitous? Yes. Enjoyable? HELL yes. What is this lovely lady doing hanging out with these across the board unlikable yahoos?
This film is not great. It’s not polished, the special effects are home grown, and the acting is less than believable in most cases; but for a fledgling group of filmmakers this is a great foray into the most forgiving of genres. As an avid horror fan I have slogged through some of the worst of the worst to find gems in a highly saturated market of horror and sleaze. And this is not the worst by far. In fact, I found myself enjoying the whole thing and laughing quite a bit along the way. If you, like me, are a fan of movies like Peter Rottentail you will find a lot to like here. And a lot that can be improved upon. Which brings me to sequel…..
