Los mensajeros 2: el espantapájaros

I'm a huge horror fan, and I tend to watch most dvds I can get my hands on.

This straight to DVD "prequel" of the original film should please most horror fans. It's not a great movie, and you'll likely forget it not long after watching, but it's entertaining enough if your expectations are low.

It has good acting and a big-budget look. I didn't know much about the plot going in, so some of the twists towards the end were a little unexpected for me. It doesn't have much at all to do with the original Messengers.

The plot is a little goofy. But I think it gives this B movie some of its charm.

The Messengers 2 is a very prototypical low grade horror sequel. These types of movie never feature the stars that made the first and try to capture the mood of the first without stepping on it's toes too much. The idea would be to elaborate on the parts that worked and avoid the parts that didn't. Unfortunately most of them do the opposite and this entry is no different.

As a full movie this isn't as terrible as some horror movies you'll see out there. There are a few interesting ideas and twists but not many. The movie is also acted well if not lacklusterly under toned.

The concept of being scared of the scarecrow just didn't work for me. It never really seemed like anything other than an inanimate object. The movie kind of crawled along and was predictable as well. There was too much emphasis on the farm (which albeit is a key theme) and not enough focus on the horror. The first movie was good because it mixed the farm setting with an inherited horror and human interaction. This movie left the interaction out and elaborated on the farm.

I would really only recommend this movie to farm lovers. If you loved the first movie then it's worth a watch but you'll likely be disappointed.

Another direct to DVD film to fill the shelves of Blockbuster, this film wasn't THAT bad. It also wasn't that good.

The plot is that a down on his luck farmer is getting it from all sides. The bank wants to foreclose on his farm, the old friend from high school is making moves on the wife, and even the damned crows are eating your corn and pooping on it... The poor guy can't get a break, until he finds the scarecrow. Well, it's the best scarecrow ever, because not only does it kill the crows, but the banker and the interloper die in amusingly ironic ways as well...

Well, you know how these things always go. Some diabolical force (never really specified) is behind the scarecrow, and he'll want your loved ones, too. (Don't they always?)

Still, the movie has some genuine thrills, as well as being fairly interesting as a character study. (The farmer does this Faustian bargain, but he doesn't recoil away from it right away.)

Certainly a lot better than most of the usual "bottle of ketchup" horror films who just think gore and cheap thrills make these movies work.

John Rollins (Norman Reedus) is under pressure with his failing family farm. He has his wife Mary (Heather Stephens), daughter Lindsey (Claire Holt) and son Michael (Laurence Belcher). His farm is over-run with crows. He finds a creepy scarecrow in the barn to scare the crows. His son wants him to get rid of it. His new neighbor Jude Weatherby (Richard Riehle) convinces him to put it up. He hears voices. All the crows die. Sleazy banker George Chapman comes with an offer to buy him out. The broken water pump starts working again. The banker dies getting run over by a truck. There seems to be an evil possessing John. He grows more jealous of his wife's friend Tommy.

It's questionable if this is related to the first movie. It's just as well. The first one wasn't any good. This one is a little better. It has some personal drama that's not relying on a cheap reveal. The scarecrow is an old cliché but that's not a problem. I do like Reedus but he doesn't have enough range to project a big creepy change. I like the story in this one slightly better than the original but the production quality is straight-to-video level.

Believe it or not, this movie used the script that was originally intended for THE MESSENGERS. Obviously, something went wrong, and it ended up becoming the basis for this sequel. A corn farmer down on his luck finds a creepy old scarecrow hidden away in his barn and puts it up in his dying cornfield, which is plagued by crows and lack of water. The nasty crows soon disappear, and the farm's faulty irrigation system begins working again. Unfortunately, people start dying as well, and the farmer begins to believe the change in fortune is tied to the creepy scarecrow. He attempts to burns it, but ... well, you get the idea. Highly reminiscent of ":Children of the Corn" and any number of previous killer scarecrow-oriented horror flicks, M2 is still eerie enough on its own terms to hold one's attention. Award-winning character actor Norman Reedus plays the haunted farmer, otherwise the cast is nondescript. There are a couple of surprising twists and turns near the end that add to the overall enjoyment of this STV. Moody and atmospheric throughout, M2 is for connoisseurs of intelligent horror, as it can be slow-moving and is definitely not into JASON territory -- at least, not until the grand finale. Enjoy.