Dark Night of the Scarecrow

It's strange this was a movie made for TV and it wasn't released in DVD yet! It was extremely good! The story was original and touching, the atmosphere throughout the movie was just perfect and don't let me tell you about the acting: EVERYONE in this movie portrayed its role exceptionally. I think the best were Bubba, his mother and the mailman, but as I said, everyone even the kid was just perfect.

This movie had several and tremendous creepy moments! It's interesting to see those moments were not based in gore or special effects. Instead, they were based in suspense, atmosphere and acting. That makes this movie better than many others of its genre. And the ending? Well... I will just tell you it's one of the most chilling endings I have ever seen. It's VERY haunting. The first time I had seen this movie was 20 years ago and today I still remembered it!

Recommended 100% for all horror and suspense lovers. You won't be disappointed! If you see the VHS at your club or library go for it!

It's probably for the best that this was originally made for TV. That way, "Dark Night of the Scarecrow" doesn't have to rely on blood, disembowelings and gratuitous special FX for its shock value.

All you old-school horror fans check this out: here's a relatively recent movie that earns every shock and scare it gets with its eerie atmosphere, earnest performances and an especially villainous turn by Durning as tyrannical postman.

Everything is sweaty, nail-biting and almost unbearably tense from first frame to last. If you can bear the fright, watch very carefully at the end. I won't tell what happened, but it's intriguing how they combined such emotions as shock, fear and love in only two shots. Just watch it and see what I mean.

Ten stars. No wonder Larry Drake gets these kind of parts.

Frank DeFelitta, who also happened to write the novel Audrey Rose, turned to directing for this 1981 horror fantasy. The film opens with an eerie credit roll set on a pastel-colored windmill backdrop, and this is when we first hear the film's unforgettabley chilling score. Twenty years after seeing this film for the first time, I can still play it over in my head. The film soon progresses to its undeniably clever storyline, which I won't bother describing in detail as that has been done for me by previous reviewers. The atmosphere of this film is almost unbearably suspenseful at times, and the fact that we never see even a far-off image of the murderous culprit during the film adds to the creepiness. Charles Durning gives one of his best performances as the selfish, provincial mailman who is stalked by a vengeful killer. This film is best viewed alone late at night!

I remember watching this when it first aired, as well as having trouble sleeping many nights afterward. This was particularly effective for me, since I grew up in a setting much like the one depicted in the film.

The sense of dread and terror is very heavy throughout the movie. What would normally be a typical idyllic rural setting is transformed into a place where fears are realized. The wind is always blowing leaves across a lonely road, the shadows seem especially deep, and as the title states, the night seems especially dark.

There is minimal blood and special effects - the film relies on the setting and the performances of the actors to deliver the goods. If you can find it at the video store, then you are certainly in luck. Highly recommended.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) is a very good entry into the horror genre from the 1980's particularly given it is made for television - so many entries that made it to screen were outperformed by this film. It is also an example of horror that is not reliant on overdoing violence and gore while still making it a good thrill.

The movie is greatly supported by uniformly strong performances with Charles Durning displaying his talent well (as usual) and Larry Drake (Benny Stulwicz from L.A. Law) providing a believable and sympathetic character in the same vein as the one that would made him famous 6 years later. Jocelyn Brando and young Tonya Crowe round out the main characters and both were well done.

This is a movie which is clearly a bit derivative and follows a slightly standard path, particularly for the era, but is done well enough that you really don't care. It is engaging, entertaining and thrilling if not al that horrifying. The short and sweet twist at the end is an added bonus which adds to the thrill as well.