Reviewed by Jason S. LockardMade for TV movie dramas are a lot of times really good entertainment, but made for TV horror films not so much! That was until Saturday Night October 24th, 1981 when Dark night of the Scarecrow took the air on CBS. VCI Entertainment released this movie for the 30th anniversary on Blu-ray. Let's take a look at this film.
The film follows Bubba Ritter (Larry Drake), a mentally handicapped 36-year-old who loves playing with 9-year-old friend Marylee, much to the dismay of postal worker Otis Hazelrigg (Charles Durning) and his gang of friends. When Marylee is attacked by a dog and apparently killed, Otis and his friends feel that Bubba did it and they hunt Bubba and gun him down as he is hiding as a scarecrow in the field.
When they get word that Marylee is fine they try to hide the fact of what they did. When they go to trial in the small town the gang pleads self defense and get off scot-free. End of the story... right? No that is just the beginning. For the true horror begins as the gang of men die in 'accidents' one by one. Is it Bubba's Mother? Is it Marylee? Or is it Bubba? You'll have to watch the film to find out.
This film the perfect storm! An excellent story. The stellar cast. The eerie atmosphere. The scary soundtrack. This film has haunted me from the first time I saw it. I never forget it. And it is so awesome to have it on Blu-ray.
Now the Blu-ray includes a high quality copy of the TV movie. It is in full screen format. And before anyone thinks why not widescreen? This was 1981 TV movie TVs were full screen. Stretching the picture would destroy it. It looks and sounds amazing! Just beautiful!
The bonus extras include; an audio commentary by Director Frank De Felitta & Writer J.D. Feigelson. This is an awesome behind the scenes look into the making of this great feature. There is two CBS promo reels . Also Daniel Griffith's documentary "Bubba Didn't Do it". There is also a 45-minute Q&A with Larry Drake, Tonya Crowe & J. D. Feigelson discussing and recollecting the film production. There is also a behind the scenes photo gallery.
I can not express enough how much I loved this release! This release is exactly what this film deserves. It is full of bonuses and has been lovingly restored. So if your a fan of mysteries, classic horror or made for TV movies this is one Blu-ray your collection is not complete without. Head over to Amazon.com and get a copy for yourself!
Moral Rating: Mild Violence
Audience: Teens and adults
Length: 1 hour 37 Minutes
Blu-ray Release: 2018
Blu-ray Rating: A+
*Please note films rating above are my own personal opinion!
You can Follow Jason on Social Media
www.Twitter.com/TheeRealPastorJ
www.Facebook.com/TheeRealPastorJ
www.Youtube.com/TheeRealPastorJ
Listen to us talk about Dark night of the Scarecrow on Classic Cinema Rewind Podcast! The Evasive Entertainment segment starts at 9:13.
){kind=link}
0 Comments