NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW

Night of the Scarecrow Movie Review

The Goodman family once captured an evil warlock, crucified him, and stole his book. The warlock has now returned, in the form of a scarecrow, to seek revenge on the family and retrieve his book, which will give him unlimited--and unstoppable--powers. The Goodman family features an interesting cast, including Stephen Root (Office Space, O Brother, Where Art Thou?), Dirk Blocker (son of Dan Blocker of Bonanza fame), and Bruce Glover (father of Crispin). Speaking of actors you will likely recognize, future Academy Award nominee John Hawkes (Identity, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer) appears as Danny, the town troublemaker (and presumably a teenager, though the actor was around 34 years old when this was shot). The scarecrow is scary enough looking, but in a most peculiar way.

I hate it when I lose a button too

The acting ranges from pretty good to fairly awful--unfortunately, the worst of the performances are from the two leads-- Elizabeth Barondes as Claire and John Mese as Dillon. The dialogue also leaves a lot to be desired here--Claire, in one of the most predictable hero one-liners, even quotes The Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz at one point. What makes this movie so enjoyable, however, are the memorable death scenes. We see everything from farm equipment being used to slice and dice to somebody being killed by straw--from the inside.

And what is about to happen here is awesome

This low budget 1995 film has, in many ways, flown under the horror radar for over twenty years, but it has long been a favorite of mine, and ranks among the better horror films of the 90s. Night of the Scarecrow is not a great movie, and it likely won't scare you out of your boots, but this is a really fun movie to watch and one I recommend. 

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 7

Night of the Scarecrow Movie Trailer

THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN (2014)

The Town That Dreaded Sundown Movie Review

In 1976 a movie titled The Town That Dreaded Sundown was made--this film was based on actual events, specifically a 1946 killing spree dubbed "The Texarkana Moonlight Murders". That is a fairly terrifying film that I will one day get around to reviewing--the 2014 The Town That Dreaded Sundown is some sort of strange hybrid of remake and sequel. We start this film with a scene of people in Texarkana gathered at a drive in theatre to see the original The Town That Dreaded Sundown on Halloween night--this is a take on a real life event wherein the city of Texarkana shows the 1976 film every year around Halloween. So we establish right from the get go that the 1976 film was just that--a film. However, the 1946 killings were very real, and now the killer appears to be back to wreak havoc on the town in 2013. The killings are practically identical to the ones from the 1976 film, which were similar (but not really) to the real life murders.

Don't think too hard about it

We see early that this film delivers in the gore, and that's done very well here. The cast is pretty likable--for the most part they don't hit us with the usually horror cliché characters, except the pastor, who is of course a lunatic (and played wonderfully by Edward Herrmann of The Lost Boys in one of his final film appearances). The direction and editing of this film leave a lot to be desired--it is so jumpy and distorted that it unintentionally ads a comedic element that feels way out of place in this film. The movie is actually fairly enjoyable and will keep you interested...until the reveal at the end takes absolutely all the air out of the balloon. A movie that feels so plausible should never deliver such an impossible ending, but alas, The Town That Dreaded Sundown does just that.

They should have gone with the ending from this one

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 5

The Town That Dreaded Sundown Movie Trailer

FRANKENSTEIN (1931)

Frankenstein Movie Review

Mad scientist Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) sets out on a mission to create a human out of body parts of the recently deceased. When his plan actually works, Frankenstein and crew are not prepared for what comes next. This 1931 classic is a great way to start off my favorite time of year--October. Horror movies, falling leaves, Halloween, haunted houses, postseason baseball...what's NOT to love about October?! What's that you say? My birthday? Okay, yes, there's that, and getting older is no fun--the psychological scarring of another year gone is a lot to deal with, but my girlfriend always makes that dreaded day special, so I can get past it.

"I wish you would"

Okay, right, back to the movie. Frankenstein is considered one of the all time great horror classics, and I am a bit ashamed I have never reviewed it before. Boris Karloff brings the monster to life in one of the most legendary performances in film history. His ability to effectively scare us and make us feel a connection to, and even compassion for, this character is a true testament to what a fantastic actor Karloff was. To me it's not necessarily anything the monster actually does in the film that makes him so memorable--it's Karloff's performance that has stood the test of time. Tragically overshadowed is the performance of Clive. The sheer number of emotions this guy goes through in this film, from the feeling of being God to the ultimate regret, requires a special kind of actor to pull off successfully, and Clive does just that. Visually the movie is stunning. The movie is not without its drawbacks--the acting of some of the secondary characters comes to mind, along with the borderline absurd plot and outcome--but it's easy to see why Frankenstein is considered one of the all time greats.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 8

Frankenstein Movie Trailer