|
SCARECROWS (1988)
Directed by William Wesley
Forum Home Video VHS
Reviewed 08.10.06
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
Look close. It's breathing. A Scarecrow
is breathing. There will be no sleep
tonight.
Relish this moment. Scarecrows
tingles with a fundamental low budget
horror concept -- a group of people
are stranded in the middle of nowhere
and must fend off the ravaging unknown
-- and never misconstrues. So let's
hear it for simplicity; let's hear
it for shocks; and most importantly,
let's hear it for cutting off all
ties to the outside world for 80
minutes. You're on an island. So
are the Scarecrows. They're starting
to stir.
After a botched robbery, four commando-outlaws
hijack a plane. They've got a cool
3.5 million, two hostages, and one
slight problem; there's a greedy
Benedict Arnold named Bert on board.
When Bert nose-dives with the money,
his parachute brings him to a decrepit
graveyard in the thick of the backwoods.
Wooden crosses, pitch blackness,
an abandoned house, and...Scarecrows.
Lots of them. Soon enough, the other
bandits follow suit. They're on
the hunt for Bert. Bert's on the
hunt for the money. The Scarecrows
are on the hunt for everyone. Maestro,
take it away.
Filmed in Florida by first time
director-writer-producer William
Wesley, Scarecrows is an
ultra-violent archetype of independent
horror gone good. It sticks to the
obvious, yet remains fresh, through
sheer intuition; a star pupil of
the succinct lessons that were laid
out by Night Of The Living Dead
and Zombie in the decades
before. There's no need for explanation.
Padding can take a hike. From the
get-go, Scarecrows outlines
its goals; to startle, thrill, and
disorient whomever may be watching.
Feeling tense yet?
Murk and mist replace any mention
of daylight, while the singular
location remains aloof. Sensible
edits and shadowy photography work
towards a brisk pace and ideal scare
placements. A low-toned oboe juts
your guts as shimmering violas roll
off the top. Speaking of guts, in
addition to the big hook (killer
Scarecrows, of course) and assured
backbone, Scarecrows racks
up the odd gore. No Savini intestine-fests
here, though. Just plenty of unconventional
stabs of blunt 'n' juicy brutality;
a move which only brightens the
film's attractive qualities, rather
than replacing them.
The events of Scarecrows
are bookended by an ominous radio
broadcast. I'm still anxious. Are
sleepless nights supposed to feel
this good?
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Be careful. Forum Home Video released
the complete, uncut version of the
film, as well as an R-rated version
that slices out most of the profanity
and gore. Check the box. It'll let
you know what's what. The uncut
print is generally clean, but a
little on the dark side. My copy
has a few tape rolls and the audio
popped every so often.
EXTRAS
Forum Home Video. What a bunch of
maroons.
FINAL THOUGHTS
When the Scarecrows rise, you're
gonna be scared. Live it up. The
sincere Scarecrows is like
Listerine for late 80s indie horror.
Find an uncut copy and wash it all
away. |
There's something out there...
Poor Bert
They'll take your money
Magnifique
|
