Scarecrow (2002) [DVD]

Though perhaps not worthy of classic status, William Wesley's Scarecrows recalls some epic 1980s-era slasher films, with its liberal blood gushing and semi-New Wave art and costume design. Set in a... more

Though perhaps not worthy of classic status, William Wesley's Scarecrows recalls some epic 1980s-era slasher films, with its liberal blood gushing and semi-New Wave art and costume design. Set in a haunted cornfield, a group of military criminals are stranded after trying to escape to Mexico with $3 million in stolen cash. Dressed in Terminator or Alien-like solider of fortune gear, the group combs the dark field while sporting headphones and night goggles, lending the many shots from their points of view an eerie, green glow. While Roxanne (Kristina Sanborn) guards a hostage, other team members Corbin (Ted Vernon), Jack (Richard Vidan), and Curry (Michael David Simms), each die at the hands of murderous scarecrows coming to life after stepping off their crosses. Great shadowy segments show the scarecrows' burlap masks undulating slightly due their zombie breathing. It doesn't quite matter that the viewer never learns why these scarecrows seek revenge on the living, because the most fascinating and disturbing scenes occur when the dead soldiers return to their friends in attempts to trick them into an unholy alliance. In the first grisly sequence of this sort, one recoils to discover a man whose innards have been replaced with money. Worse, his friends cut him up to extract some blood-soaked cash. As body parts fly, blood puddles up, and zombies face the camera up-close, Scarecrows looks increasingly like Hellraiser, though it lacks a needle-poked, iconic anti-hero. Scarec... less