By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Scarecrows is a great, little known, cult-classic that provides suspense, horror and even a little bit of existentialism. The film follows five robbers who hijack a plane forcing a pilot and his daughter to fly off. One of the robbers jumps out with the money causing them to land on an unknown island.
The island seems to have been abandoned leaving only empty housing, phones that are disconnected and odd looking scarecrows behind. Bert (B.J. Turner) soon comes face to face with the Scarecrows who cut his insides out and fill him up with the money he stole. They sewed him up, and though dead, he makes his way back to the house.
Some in the group foolishly thinks he ate the money, though can’t explain where his organs disappeared to. Bert speaks in an odd fashion, showing he is really possessed by the minds of the scarecrows. Even when he is decapitated, his head moves and he speaks.
Though the robbers aren’t exactly good guys, they’re definitely not evil. They simply seem flawed. The worst of the bunch is Curry (Michael David Simms). When he sees the scarecrows, he loses his mind. As he descends into madness, he delivers some of the greatest dialogue. In one scene he questions, whether or not the plane actually landed. He theorizes that perhaps they all died and are now in hell. He tries to explain himself to the group telling them that guns don’t work on these creatures.
Soon, he believes he hears his best friend Jack (Richard Vidan) who they all know is dead. Through his headpiece he can hear Jack’s voice, but one of the other robbers Roxanne (Kristina Sanborn) attempts to tell him that nothing is coming through.
Meanwhile, the pilot’s daughter Kellie (Victoria Christian) pleads with the group to leave. The nicest of the robbers Corbin (Ted Vernon) tries to calm her down. As Curry gets crazier and crazier, he refuses to leave and holds a gun on Kellie, Corbin and Roxanne. The trio leave together, but Roxanne gets preoccupied with money she finds on the ground.
Soon, the Scarecrows emerge and it’s a race to the plane to get off the island.
This movie should have been a huge hit. I’m not sure why it wasn’t more acclaimed, but sadly horror films rarely get positive attention from critics. This is an intelligent action-packed thriller with great characters and a tense atmosphere. Scarecrows was clearly shot at night as the sky is black. It is superior to the awful blue hue placed over day-shots we see today. When the blue hue is used to give the illusion of night, the scenes nearly always fail because the viewers are taken out of the film. It isn’t natural. Here, it is easy to get lost in the movie because everything is so well-done.
The direction and writing feels almost like a John Carpenter movie. The writer and director William Wesley has done a few other things, but by far this is his best work. I wonder what he would have gone on to had this been a large hit.
I can’t recommend this one enough. It isn’t just a horror movie though it is filled with suspense and genuinely creepy moments. It is well-written, interesting and brilliantly casted. Even when Kellie seems to do something selfish, she feels instant remorse and turns around. I’m not sure how old she’s supposed to be but she’s most certainly young, and her actions and reactions are understandable.
Corbin is my favorite character. He’s definitely a sympathetic anti-hero. Though he committed an awful crime, he’s not a bad guy. He watches over Kellie. He’s willing to go the extra-mile and risk his own life to save his hostage.
I also compliment the movie for not going for the easy ‘attempted rape’ scene that happens in a lot of movies. Sometimes the attempted (or committed) rape is used to break a female character or to strengthen them. At times, it’s used to redeem an awful character. It’s overused and unless there’s merit to the scene, I wish it wasn’t a tactic. It would have been easy to have Curry go after Kellie and Corbin to come in and rescue her. Instead, Corbin is much more human. He’s not a superhero but he has morals and character.
This is definitely one that people should watch. The powers of the Scarecrows to emulate voices and to fool people into doing what they want is fascinating. Their origins are never discovered but it’s easy to see how the island became uninhabited (at least by humans). Another great aspect is that there are some scarecrows that throughout are lifeless and never move. One has to wonder whether they’re just scarecrows or if they have different powers. Maybe, they’re the leaders and telepathically communicate with the other scarecrows. It’s never delved into.
There’s definitely room for a sequel. I’d love to see one where Kellie and a group go back to the island to prove that these things actually exist. Then maybe we can get a little more information about them, however, I will admit not knowing almost makes it scarier.
I would be all for another production written and directed by Mr. Wesley. As the love and adoration for Scarecrows grows within the community, I certainly hope he picks up the story rather than have it remade by the likes of Michael Bay. There are so many places to go. It would be awesome if the original cast who were murdered, had cameos as zombies or Scarecrows themselves.
One can only hope.
Scared Stiff Rating: 9/10 – Brilliant Film
