Stars Charles Durning, Robert F. Lyons, Claude Earl Jones, Lane Smith, Tonya Crowe, Jocelyn Brando and Larry Drake. From 1969 to the early eighties, hundreds of "Made-For-TV" movies were produced. A great number of them were horror films and many were actually very, very good. From the NIGHT GALLERY pilot movie to DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK, THE NIGHT STALKER, TRILOGY OF TERROR, CROWHAVEN FARM to...this, DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW.
A superbly acted and told tale of poetic justice. A mentally challenged 36 year old man plays with the neighborhood kids. One day he saves a young girl from a vicious dog attack and is initially blamed for the tragedy. A group of four evil-minded residents take law in their own hands and track the child-like "Bubba" down and find him hiding in a Scarcrow get-up. He is shot 21 times. They skirt the law and plea self-defense when it's found that "Bubba" was a hero, not a criminal. The good ol' boys lie and continue their mean-minded ways. But at night something is stalking them now....a scarcrow. You can see they poetic justice coming, but what you can't see coming is who this phantom scarcrow is.
Spooky images, grave-digging and a top performance by Charles Durning as a sweaty pig of a man. A chilling delight. Don't miss this one -- one of the best Made-For-TV movies.