Dark Night of the Scarecrow is a 1981 American made-for-TV horror film in which four vigilantes wrongfully execute a mentally-challenged man, but after the court sets them free mysterious “accidents” begin to kill them off one by one.
The movie was directed by veteran novelist Frank De Felitta (author of Audrey Rose) from a script by J.D. Feigelson. The latter’s intent had been to make an independent feature, but his script was bought by CBS for television; despite this, only minor changes were made to the original screenplay.
The movie stars Charles Durning (When a Stranger Calls and sequel; The Fury), Robert F. Lyons, Claude Earl Jones, Lane Smith, Tonya Crowe, Larry Drake (The Secrets of Emily Blair; Darkman; Doctor Giggles), Jocelyn Brando, Tom Taylor, Richard McKenzie, Ivy Jones, Jim Tartan, Ed Call, Alice Nunn, John Steadman and David Adams.
In 2022, Dark Night of the Scarecrow 2, a belated sequel written, directed and produced by J.D. Feigelson was released.
Plot:
In a small town in the Deep South, “Bubba” Ritter (Larry Drake), a large but gentle mentally challenged man, befriends young Marylee Williams, (Tonya Crowe). Some of the townspeople are upset by the friendship between Marylee and Bubba, and the brooding, mean-spirited postman Otis Hazelrigg (Charles Durning) harbours the most animosity.
When Marylee is almost killed by a vicious dog (Bubba saves her) and lies unconscious at a doctor’s office, Otis promptly assumes that Bubba has murdered (and likely carnally assaulted) her. Otis and three friends – gas station attendant Skeeter Norris and farmer-cousins Philby and Harliss Hocker – form a lynch mob. They chase Bubba to his mother (Jocelyn Brando)’s house. She believes her son and they play “the Hiding Game”: disguising Bubba as a scarecrow and posting him in a nearby field. Otis’ bloodhounds sniff Bubba out, however, and all four vigilantes empty multiple rounds from their guns into him, killing him.
Afterwards, they discover that Marylee is in fact alive, thanks to Bubba, whom they have just murdered. Acting fast, Otis places a pitchfork in Bubba’s lifeless hands to make it appear as if he were attacking them with a weapon.
A day later, Harliss finds a scarecrow in his fields like the one Bubba was hidden in. Neither Harliss nor his wife can figure out how it got there as neither of them placed it. That evening, the scarecrow has disappeared…
Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com
Trailer:
Free online on YouTube [4K UHD]:
Free online on YouTube [1080p HD]:
Technical specs:
1 hour 36 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.33: 1
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