The Dark Night of the Scarecrow [Blu-ray]

Director: Frank De Felitta Frank De Felitta

Overview

Misguided townsfolk, blinded by bias and fear, mistakenly kill a mentally retarded man after someone accuses him of raping the young girl he had befriended. Shortly thereafter the entire town is beset by a supernatural terror. The story originally aired on television.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/11/2011
UPC:	0089859900723
Original Release:	1981
Rating:	NR
Source:	MUSIC VIDEO DIST.***
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:36:00
Sales rank:	13,751

Special Features

New! Production Documentary; New! Q&A with Larry Drake, Tonya Crowe and J.D. Feigelson; New! Rebroadcast Promo; New! Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery; Direcor and Writer Commentary; CBS Network World Premiere Promo

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Charles Durning	Otis P. Hazelrigg
Tonya Crowe	Marylee Williams
Robert F. Lyons	Skeeter
Claude Earl Jones	Philby,Mrs. Williams
Lane Smith	Harless
Larry Drake	Bubba
Jocelyn Brando	Mrs. Ritter
Tom Taylor	DA Sam Willock
Richard McKenzie	Actor
Jim Tartan	Mr. Williams
Ed Call	Defense Attorney
Alice Nunn	Mrs. Bunch
John Steadman	Mr. Loomis
Dave Adams	Deputy
Ivy Bethune	Mrs. Hocker
Dennis Robertson	Ray
Jetta Scelza	Mrs. Whimberly
Modi Frank	Waitress
Glenn Paxton	Composer

Technical Credits

Julius Feigelson

J.D. Fiegelson

Frank De Felitta	Director
Janet Greek	Producer
Joe Wizan	Producer,Executive Producer
Bobbi Frank	Producer
Julius Feigelson	Screenwriter
J.D. Fiegelson	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

This spooky little gem is one of the best made-for-television horror films ever made. J.D. Feigelson's script is built on a familiar (and satisfying) supernatural vengeance motif but it finds a number of clever wrinkles to keep it engaging: a surprise revelation about one of the characters that occurs two-thirds of the way in is particularly effective. Along the way, this carefully crafted tale reveals it has more than scares on its mind as it uses this story to communicate a message about how ignorant fear and repressed desires can turn people into something worse than a monster. Frank DeFelitta's direction is wonderfully atmospheric, mixing traditional horror film stylization with a believably seedy evocation of the darker aspects of small-town life. He also crafts the film's scary setpieces with equal parts precision and flair. These scenes never linger on gruesome sights: instead, DeFelitta uses the characters' reactions to unseen threats to effectively build tension and trick the audience into thinking they are seeing more than they actually are. Best of all, the film has wonderful performances: Larry Drake is emotionally affecting as the gentle giant whose murder sparks the plot and Robert Lyons and Claude Earl Jones as two of the conspirators, both of whom become slowly consumed by fear as the phantom avenger starts bumping off the killers. However, the film belongs to Charles Durning and his intensely creepy turn as the manipulative fear-monger behind the innocent man's murder: his character starts out unlikeable enough but Durning digs deep to reveal extra layers of the character's manipulative nature and secret insanity as the film goes along. By the end, his character's monstrous, amoral acts are as terrifying as the unseen menace enacting its revenge. To sum up, Dark Night Of The Scarecrow is an effective and surprisingly thoughtful creepfest that stands alongside The Night Stalker and Salem's Lot as television's finest horror films.