Editorials
[It Came From the ’80s] We Need More Horror About ‘Scarecrows’
With horror industry heavy hitters already in place from the 1970s, the 1980s built upon that with the rise of brilliant minds in makeup and effects artists, as well as advances in technology. Artists like Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Tom Savini, Stan Winston, and countless other artists that delivered groundbreaking, mind-blowing practical effects that ushered in the pre-CGI Golden Age of Cinema. Which meant a glorious glut of creatures in horror. More than just a technical marvel, the creatures on display in ‘80s horror meant tangible texture that still holds up decades later. Grotesque slimy skin to brutal transformation sequences, there wasn’t anything the artists couldn’t create. It Came From the ‘80s is a series that will pay homage to the monstrous, deadly, and often slimy creatures that made the ‘80s such a fantastic decade in horror.
If there’s one thing that 1988’s direct-to-video Scarecrows proves, it’s that the world could really use more horror movies about killer scarecrows. There really aren’t that many of them, far too few to really warrant their own sub-genre, but spooky enough to remain effective any time one pops up in horror. Scarecrows is a flawed film with a sort of wacky premise, but it works well because it managed to nail its special effects and cinematography.
Co-written/directed by William Wesley, who never really did much else, the plot sees a group of bank robbers who kidnapped a pilot and his daughter to escape by plane. One of the robbers steals the loot and parachutes into a dark, desolate rural field, causing the rest of the group to follow in pursuit. Naturally, that bit of land is inhabited killer scarecrows, who pick the group off one by one. Though it sounds like a pretty great setup, there are some overwrought performances among the cast of unknowns, and between the low budget and inexperience, Wesley makes some odd directorial choices.
The first third of the movie is devoid of dialogue, so Wesley decided to fix that by adding in voiceover dialogue and radio chatter among the robbers. The inner voice-over dialogue that we get from the backstabbing robber is clunky and weird, which is further compounded by the remaining crew consistently talking to each other by radio, though we never actually see them speaking. The whole disembodied voices thing gets a bit jarring, but that’s ok, because once the plot really kicks into gear, it gets much more entertaining.
Shot on a very low budget, with actor Ted Vernon providing most of the film’s backing (therefore getting top billing in the cast as lead robber Corbin), Scarecrows has two tremendous aspects that elevates the film from schlock to worthwhile watch; cinematography by Peter Deming and special makeup effects by Norman Cabrera.
Save for a handful of recycled shots of the titular scarecrows, the cinematography really contributes to a creepy atmosphere. The use of dark shadows, the isolated setting, and the angled shots gives the film an uneasy atmosphere that can be attributed to Deming’s talent. Fresh off his role as director of photography of Evil Dead II, the only other credit in his career at the time, his work here makes it no surprise that he’d continue to a very productive career with work in films like Lost Highway, From Hell, The Cabin in the Woods, the new Twin Peaks revival and so much more.
While Deming brought the tension, Cabrera brought the scarecrows to life with his makeup effects. Each scarecrow was distinct enough on their own, but Scarecrows introduced a mythology in that each victim of a scarecrow would essentially become a soulless, killer scarecrow. It’s a mythology that’s never quite explained beyond the surface level, but the concept alone meant that Cabrera came up with amazing designs for the victims’ return. I should mention that Cabrera was only 18 at the time. At 20, Cabrera would go on to work with Stan Winston on Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Harry and the Hendersons, and Men in Black 3, before moving on to work on films like Hellboy, Death Becomes Her, From Dusk till Dawn, and more.
With a reported budget of only $425,000, finding Cabrera and Deming at the beginning of their careers was a huge win for this movie, making it easy to see why Scarecrows has a cult following. It’s a simple, yet ambitious plot full of bad guys getting offed by more terrifying bad guys, but none of that matters much because the scarecrows are so cool. And extremely violent. It’s easy to look the flaws when a film nails its monsters and atmosphere, and Scarecrows does it in spades. I think it’s long past time that these killer monsters get their own sub-genre.
Editorials
‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel
The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.
The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.
Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.
With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).
It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.
The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.
The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.
Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.
Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.
Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.
The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.
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