MGM studios recently released two uncut horror films on DVD. One of them was one of my favourite slashers, not because it’s amazing but because of a 30 something second massacre. It’s called The Burning. It’s a blatant Friday the 13^th rip-off, but a great one at that. I’ll get to that movie once I find it on DVD because unfortunately these DVDs are tough to find. The other film was a quaint little horror film called Scarecrows. I hadn’t seen it before but I figured it had to be a good horror flick if it was released alongside The Burning. It’s not amazing, but it’s got pitch perfect atmosphere and setting.

The film opens with a news broadcast telling us about a robbery as we see a plane screeching across forestland. There is an unsettling stench in the air, you get the feeling something just isn’t right. Inside the plane are five heist men and women holding the pilot and his daughter hostage as they try to make their way to Mexico with a large sum of money. It is here that we find one of them carrying his plan foreword. He throws a smoke grenade, and jumps out of the plane with the money; he’s obviously betrayed his heist mates. The four others proceed to follow him, three of which jump out of the plan for chase while the other guards the pilot and his daughter for a safe landing. Unknowing to all involved is that they land on a haunted cornfield where scarecrows await them. Once the gang comes close to their backstabber the scarecrows jump out and gut him, stuffing his body with the money.

Sadly, that’s about it when it comes to the plot. There are no explanations as to why or who or where but enough of it to carry onward in a somewhat tolerable pace. Sooner or later everyone reaches an unoccupied farmhouse where we see a photo of, presumably who used to live there. The Fowler family as billed on the credits, but even that isn’t mentioned in the film. We are to assume that they are in fact the three scarecrows. Which are actually sort of zombie scarecrows. While the acting is bad and the plot thinner than Kate Moss, director William Wesley shows off some serious talent creating profound creepy atmosphere. The silence in the air, the close ups of scarecrows (while too many) and the setting are fantastic. The scarecrows themselves are great looking, their faces resemble blank human stares while the tattered and torn clothing add to the creepy factor. The robbers have one girl who screams Barbie, while the rest of them each fit the character slot. The leader even goes insane at one point talking to his dead buddy.

The film may have some downfalls, but its atmosphere takes it up a couple pegs allowing for a really enjoyable viewing for horror fans. It’s nothing more or less than a good horror movie that feels a bit dated and at 12 bucks or so it’s definitely worth it.