By WILLIAM J. WRIGHT
Unleashed on unsuspecting television audiences on October 24, 1981, the CBS made-for-tv movie Dark Night of the Scarecrow has since become a horror cult classic. Directed by Frank De Felitta (best known as the author of the 1975 supernatural Audrey Rose) from a screenplay and original concept by writer J.D. Feigelson, the original film starred Larry Drake (Darkman, Dr. Giggles) as Charles “Bubba” Ritter, a mentally challenged man whose friendship with 10-year-old Marylee Williams (Tonya Crowe) sparks outrage in a small Southern town. When the girl is presumed dead, an angry mob led by local postman and town bully Otis Hazelrigg (Charles Durning) exacts violent vigilante justice on Bubba as he hides in a fallow field disguised as a scarecrow. Satisfied that they’ve got their killer, at last, Hazelrigg and his posse are shocked to learn that they’ve murdered an innocent man; Bubba actually saved Marylee’s life when she was attacked by vicious dogs. Desperate to cover up the deadly deed, Hazelrigg places a pitchfork in Bubba’s lifeless hand and concocts a cover story that he and his vengeful gang acted in self-defense. Soon, Bubba’s killers begin dropping like flies as the gentle giant returns from the dead as a killer scarecrow.
One of the last great TV horror movies from the era that delivered such classics as Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and Trilogy of Terror, Dark Night of the Scarecrow fueled Gen X’s nightmares. Over four decades later, this beloved seasonal thriller has finally gotten a sequel. Written and directed by original scribe, J.D. Feigelson, DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW 2 comes to Blu-ray and DVD on May 10 from VCI Entertainment and MVD Entertainment Group. This long-awaited sequel returns viewers to sleepy Stubblefield County where newly-arrived single mom Chris (Amber Wedding) and her son, Jeremy (Aiden Shurr) inadvertently resurrect the terrifying strawman for another round of bloody mayhem. Check out the cover art and trailer below.
