During the ’70s and ’80s, TV movies weren’t all fluffy and sweet. While they did have to work within the confines of broadcasting standards, quite a few filmmakers figured out how to make nightmare inducing horror flicks that had commercials breaks. They learned how to work with tension and not rely on R-rated gore. TV horror films offered a chance to cast TV series actors during their primetime hiatus. While filmmakers craved the theatrical experience, TV Movies weren’t discards. During this era, millions of viewers saw the films since this was back when people mainly watched network television in primetime. Back then, more people saw Dark Night of the Scarecrow than today watch a Sunday Night Football broadcast. The film was a sensation when it was broadcast near Halloween in 1981. Now Dark Night of the Scarecrow will look better than you remember with a transfer onto 4K UHD along with its long-awaited sequel.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981 – 97 minutes) starts out the story of Bubba (Darkman‘s Larry Drake) a mentally challenged grown up and a young Marylee Williams (Knots Landing’s Tonya Crowe). Thet two are hanging out in a field in the farm country. While walking home, they cross a house that has lots of gnomes in the gated backyard. Marylee wants to get a closer look, but Bubba isn’t so sure. When she sneaks into the backyard, a dog attacks her. Bubba breaks through the gate to save his friend. When the initial news breaks, it sounds like Bubba attacked the girl. The local postman (The Muppet Movie‘s Charles Durning) hates Bubba and gets an armed posse to track him down. Bubba’s mom has her son hide in the field disguised as a scarecrow. The postman and his group spot Bubba and shoot him to death. When word comes out that Bubba was the hero, the foursome doctor up the crime scene to make Bubba look like he attacked them. The local judge declares the Postman and pals innocent. The mother tells them that they won’t escape real justice. There seems to be something coming after the Postman and his pals at night. Who is behind it?
Larry Drake’s ability to play a character with mental challenges was legendary. A few years after Dark Night of the Scarecrow, Drake was hired to play Benny on L.A. Law who was also a mentally challenged character. He delivered such a sympathetic performance that I was shocked when he played the heavy in Darkman. Drake was an actor who could pull it off without looking like he was acting. Charles Durning is equally horrific as his paranoid anger turns him into an out-of-control killer. He’s more frightening than what lurks in the corn fields. Dark Night of the Scarecrow is a movie that should have played your local theater instead of your parents’ family room.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow 2 (2021 – 85 minutes) might hold a record for the longest time between sequels with the same screenwriter (who also takes over as director). Forty years after Dark Night of Scarecrow, J.D. Feigelson returns to the cornfields with Bubba. The scarecrow is back or more importantly, no longer hanging out in the fields. He’s ready to roam. Chris (Amber Wedding) and her son Jeremy (Aiden Shurr) show up in farming town with trouble on their heels. While trying to lay low, Jeremy finds himself attracted to a scarecrow that’s Bubba from the first film. When trouble comes looking for Chris, Bubba has no problem walking out of the cornfield to beat up the bad guys. It has an extremely different vibe from the original. The lack of a real score is noticeable since there’s quite a bit of silence during the dialogue scenes. It’s a fun bonus feature with the original flick.
Dark Night of the Scarecrows Double Feature is a great trip back to when a TV movie could scare you more than the side effects of the prescription drug commercials.
The Video is 1.33:1 full frame for Dark Night of the Scarecrow. The restored 4K UHD brings out the details when Charles Durning gets nasty. The Dark Night 2 is 1.78:1 and was shot in HD Video. The Audio for the first film is DTS-HD 2.0 and Dolby Digitial 2.0. Both movies are subtitled.
Audio Commentary with J.D. Feigelson & Frank De Felitta reunites the writer and director. They get into the score by Glen Paxton. It’s always nice when the main creative talent compliments each other instead of constantly declaring what’s their genius on the screen. There is talk about how people really thought Larry Drake was mentally challenged. This is on the Blu-ray.
Audio Commentary with Heath Holland (Cereal At Midnight), Robert Kelly and Amanda Reyes. There’s discussion of how the film did on TV and VHS over the years. This is on the 4K UHD.
Audio Commentary on Dark Night of the Scarecrow 2 has J.D. Feigelson talk about what he was doing with the sequel. He explains how he found the crow at an animal rescue.
Bubba Didn’t Do It – 30 Years of the Scarecrow (31:41) is a documentary by Daniel Griffith’s Ballyhoo Productions. Has J.D. Feigelson talk about how as a filmmaker, he didn’t intend to be a writer. He realized early on he need to write to create his own material. He met and learned from Ray Bradbury and Rod Serling. He tapped into his childhood love of horror to write a script. Stuart Gordon talks about Bradbury being his mentor too. He talks about the first version being more about a couple living in the country and finding a scarecrow. Bradbury helped him find a real direction to the film. He gets into how he talked CBS into making the film after they rejected it based on coverage.
CBS World Premiere Promo (1:07) is from when it aired in 1981. It’s the big intro you might remember when you watch TV movies.
CBS Network Re-Broadcast (1:05) is from when it ran on 1985. New graphics had been made for the TV movies for Saturday Night Movies.
DNOTS Cast Reunion Q&A (46:04) is a panel from the 2011 Frightfest Film Festival. On the podium are Tonya Crowe, J.D. Fiegelson and Larry Drake! This was Larry’s first convention. Tonya is happy that the fans embraced the film. Fiegelson was amazed at people were eager for the restoration. Drake found it higher on the beloved scale. He talks about the ending. Crowe got the part because she was already working on CBS’s Knot’s Landing.
Behind The Scenes – Photo Gallery (10:03) has what went on during the short shooting schedule. There’s also press photos. They caption the pictures so you can know who the various crew members are.
VCI Entertainment presents Dark Night of the Scarecrows Double Feature. Directed by Frank De Felitta & J.D. Feigelson. Screenplays by J.D. Feigelson. Starring Larry Drake, Charles Durning, Tonya Crowe, Jocelyn Brando, Lane Smith, Amber Wedding, Carol Dines, Adam Snyder, Tim Gooch and Mike VanZant. Boxset Contents: 2 movies on the 4K UHD disc and only the first on the Blu-ray disc. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: September 10, 2024.
