Messengers 2: The Scarecrow

I found the film Messengers 2: The Scarecrow, not to be as good as the first film, It did have a lot of nice scenery in the film. I did think that it was just as creepy as the original, It is about a farmer called John Rollins(Norman Reedus) John's corn crop is being eaten up by a swarm of crows. While John is going through the barn he finds an old scarecrow is found and John thinks it may scare away the crows. The next morning his cornfield is covered with dead crows. This film had quite a supernatural and a creepy kind of feel to it which made it a good film. Although i did think the actors were far better from the first movie. 4/10

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.

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.

Basically The Shining meets Signs meets Children of the Corn but it's better than it sounds. John Rollins is an out of luck farmer, his corn is diseased, crows are eating what's not, he can't afford to fix his irrigation or buy fertilizer, he's on the outs with his wife and an evil banker is foreclosing on his farm. Then he finds a hideous scarecrow that frightens his son but a new neighbor convinces him to put up. Suddenly his luck changes... the crows die, the corn is healthy, the water pump works, he finds a wad of money and even gets laid. Soon bad things happen to his enemies, his family situation grows worse and he starts to worry about the scarecrow.

On the face of it, M2 isn't a very good movie but two things save it, Norman Reedus and Heather Stephens. Reedus fully develops John Rollins, in the beginning a good Christian, a tad paranoid and an almost broken man. When things improve his confidence and virility grow as do his bad habits with a little nudging from the new neighbor; and finally desperation when the price of success grows too high. Stephens does a very good job in her supporting role as John's wife, Mary Rollins. Between them, they make the movie believable. The filmmakers allow Reedus to act and don't burden him or Stephens with too many lines. For most of the movie, the scarecrow is just a totem but eventually comes to life and the film loses effectiveness. From other reviews I get that M2 doesn't work well as a sequel but I never saw the original. As a standalone, it's worth a watch.

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.