Dark Night of the Scarecrow

**Dark Night of the Scarecrow** is a 1981 American television horror film directed by Frank De Felitta. The film aired on October 24, 1981 on the CBS network.

## Plot

After a group of vigilantes from a small Southern town murder a mentally challenged man who was wrongfully accused of attacking a young girl, the man returns from the dead to exact revenge on the people who killed him.

## Cast

* Charles Durning as Otis P. Hazelrigg
* Robert F. Lyons as Skeeter Norris
* Claude Earl Jones as Philby
* Lane Smith as Harliss Hocker
* Tonya Crowe as Marylee Williams
* Larry Drake as Bubba Ritter
* Jocelyn Brando as Mrs. Ritter
* Tom Taylor as D.A. Sam Willock
* Richard McKenzie as Judge Henry
* Ivy Jones as Mrs. Willams
* James Tartan as Mr. Williams

## Production

J.D. Feigelson (who wrote the script for "Dark Night of the Scarecrow") intended to make an independent feature film, but his script was bought by CBS for television and only minor changes were made to Feigelson's original screenplay.

Filming for "Dark Night of the Scarecrow" took place in Piru, California and was shot in 17 days. Originally, it was supposed to be 18 days, but one day was lost due to a fire.

J.D. Feigelson went to Texas and recorded the sounds of cicadas so they could be used in the film.

Strother Martin was originally scheduled to play the part of Otis Hazelrig, but he passed away before the film could be made; however, a few lines of script suggested by Martin remained in the final film, but they were spoken by Charles Durning, who eventually played the part of Otis.

## Critical Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, "Dark Night of the Scarecrow" has an approval score of 50% based on 6 reviews with an average rating of 5.60\10. Dread Central gave it a score of 4.5 out of 5, calling it "a spooky masterpiece"; praising the film's atmosphere, characters, and subtlety.

Justin Kerswell from Hysteria Lives! awarded the film 4/5 stars, calling it *"a slow burning, fantastically creepy small screen tale."*

In his review, Kerswell praised the film's ambiguity, writing: *"At times it's so understated, so well constructed, we are as unsure as the characters as to whether there really is something out there lurking in the dark or, perhaps, their growing paranoia has finally got the better of them."*

Angel Van Croft from HorrorNews.net gave "Dark Night of the Scarecrow" a positive review, calling it *"a well made movie with great acting, directing, and plenty of spooky atmosphere."*

Cameron McGaughy from DVD Talk offered the film similar praise, writing: *"Dark Night of the Scarecrow isn't just one of the best made-for-television films ever made, it's one of the best horror films of all time... Utilizing masterful performances, locations, shots and sounds, it's a simple and subtly scary effort that relies on restraint. It stands the test of time and features an iconic image of evil that has never been more powerful, making this a classic steeped in frightful fall ambience, colors and imagery."*

Andrew Smith from Popcorn Pictures commended the film's well-rounded characters, cinematography, and *"unsettling vibe"*; stating that the film was *"proof that even TV movies can be effective if the makers are intent on producing something more than standard."*

However, the film was not without its detractors. Scott Weinberg from eFilmCritic.com awarded it 2/5 stars, calling it *"laughable junk"* and criticized Charles Durning's casting as the main villain.