Scarecrows is a dumb but kind-of-fun actionish/slasherish hybrid from the late 80's. There isn't an awful lot to it story-wise, but it goes by pretty fast, there are a lot of guns, the scarecrows look cool, and the gore is halfway decent. Sometimes that's all you're looking for, right?
It starts off with a convenient radio news story, telling of a group of well-armed thieves who have stolen 3.5 million dollars, gunning down numerous Military Police in the process. They hijack a plane (piloted by a father/daughter flight team) and head south for Mexico. But their plans head south (ha!) when one of them decides his cut isn't enough - he wants it all! So he attaches a parachute to the money (and one to himself) and dips, attempting to blow up the plane in the process. It's a bad plan though, for a couple of reasons. (1) he doesn't kill anyone on the plane, and (2) he lands in a field where there just happens to be a bunch of killer scarecrows lurking about. Too bad for him. So the rest of the gang lands and tries to find the deserter and the money - but get a lot more than they bargained for: killer scarecrows. (I just like killer scarecrows, for some reason.)
The first issue is that it's hard to know who to root for in this scenario. There isn't really a hero - I guess you'd default to the father/daughter pilots, but they are pretty much non-entities as characters. You are told right away that these crooks viciously mowed down a bunch of people in the robbery, so why should you like them? Predator wouldn't have worked as well if they were criminals, you know? (For example, see Predators.) Maybe you're *supposed* to like the scarecrows? But they make the gang kind of likable too - so you end up in this weird grey area where you don't feel strongly about anyone, one way or the other.
The scarecrows are rather undefined too. There really isn't any explanation as to what they are, why they are there, or what they are after. They can't be killed, can make people hear voices, tear out people's guts and stuff them with straw, and cut off parts of people's bodies to use as their own. But who knows what their motivations are. They keep cutting back to this old picture of 3 men in an abandoned house, like that's supposed to mean something. But the scarecrows look cool, and that's the important thing. (Their sack-masks are very form-fitting - not practical for an actual scarecrow, but nice looking in a movie.)
The deficiencies in the story are mostly rendered moot when you realized writer-director (and just about everything else-er) William Wesley isn't aiming too high. As if making a killer scarecrow movie wasn't enough. There is some Grade-A awesome/terrible dialogue in Scarecrows. My favorite exchange: "I think this place is possessed by demonic demons!" "Your head's gonna be possessed by the butt of my gun if you don't shut up!" That line doesn't make the final cut unless you are tacitly acknowledging the film's B-grade-ness.
Scarecrows is mostly well made though, considering Wesley did just about everything behind the scenes (in addition to co-writing/directing, he edited, co-produced, and gets a "Story By" credit). The action is competently shot, the atmosphere is well-suited to the story (creepy, but in a fun-house way), and the gore effects are solid if not particularly innovative. There are a couple of obvious day for night shots, but those mostly involve the plane (which I'm guessing they only had for a limited amount of time).
And then there's Dax! The father/daughter flight team have a dog that travels around with them:
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| Look out for that grenade, Dax! Don't worry, he's okay... for now. |
Name: Dax
Breed: Mutt - I'm guessing a bulldog / beagle mix
Function: In real life, Dax belongs to star/producer Ted Vernon - the dog is billed in the credits as Dax Vernon. So I guess the main idea was to get his dog in the movie? Plot-wise, he doesn't do anything - he just sort of hangs around in the plane, even with the shit hits the fan. He is pretty cute though.
Fate: He makes it! Although a radio newscast that plays over the credits implies he *might* not be in the clear. But he's happy and well as the credits roll, so that's a win in my book.
Overall, I was perfectly satisfied with Scarecrows. It's not award-worthy stuff, but it had a hearty helping of 80's corniness, which I often find irresistible in the right circumstances. And "gory killer scarecrow movie" is one such circumstance. It's kind of dumb, but it's still a fun enough ride.
I would recommend this film.
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