Scarecrows (1988)

SCARECROWS is a dark and mean-spirited late-80's Slasher with a supernatural twist that generates successful scares and atmospheric suspense using a small cast and only a single shooting location. The film begins shortly after a daring robbery, when a group of elite military thieves become stranded at a remote farmhouse during their run for the border. As they attempt to recover their loot, the demonic forces at work outside in the corn fields set in to destroy them for their evil deeds. William Wesley creates a large feel to the cramped production by incorporating the soldier's hi-tech equipment into the storytelling. In slower expository moments when the characters become separated, the pacing and suspense are maintained over their radio headsets as their terrifying encounters are relayed over the airwaves. Wesley also makes use of their night vision goggles and rifle scopes in a number of first-person shots that are filled with frights! On top of the unique filming, SCARECROWS packs in a great deal of unexpected gore, with everything from a bloody decapitation to several dismembered limbs, a knife through the skull, a pitchfork through the hand, and several sickles through the leg. It also hits on several psychological terrors, where the mocking voices of friends and loved ones call to the soldiers from the darkness and lure them out into the fields. Later, the corpses of the fallen soldiers return to taunt their remaining comrades in order to drive them slowly insane. With creepy costuming and blackened sets, SCARECROWS drives home a constant feeling of dread and an unsettling mood. The film is only crippled by its short run-time and weak performances, but it ranks closely with INTRUDER as one of the better late-80's Slashers in the genre.

Rating: 7/10.
Gore: 6/10.

If you liked SCARECROWS, check out:
MALEVOLENCE, DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW, DEAD BIRDS.