| The Scarecrow | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Sam Pillsbury [1] |
| Written by | Michael Heath, Sam Pillsbury [1] |
| Based on | The Scarecrow by Ronald Hugh Morrieson |
| Produced by | Robert Whitehouse [1] |
| Starring | John Carradine Jonathan Smith Tracy Mann Daniel McLaren |
| Cinematography | James Bartle [1] |
| Edited by | Ian John [1] |
| Music by | Andrew Hagen, Morton Wilson, Phil Broadhurst [1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes [1] |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
The Scarecrow is a 1982 New Zealand film, also known as Klynham Summer in America. It was directed by Sam Pillsbury based on the 1963 horror novel by New Zealand author Ronald Hugh Morrieson. [2]
Set in the fictitious New Zealand small town of Klynham in the early 1950s, teenagers Ned Poindexter (Jonathan Smith) and his friend Les (Daniel McLaren) start raising chickens, only to have them stolen. While stealing them back from Victor, the school bully, they inadvertently cross the path of a murderer who had slain a girl in the woods. [2]
When more girls in the town are killed, and Ned's 16-year old sister, Prudence (Tracy Mann) becomes the new target, Ned begins to suspect that an unsettling town newcomer – travelling magician and hypnotist Hubert Salter (David Carradine), who is living at the undertaker’s place, is responsible. Meanwhile. the police suspect Ned’s alcoholic uncle, Athol. [2] [1]
The tagline for the film was: "The same night our fowls were taken, Daphne Moran had her throat cut". [3]
According to Sam Edwards the film is not as bleak as the novel. Small-town New Zealand in the 1950s is puritanical on the surface but depraved to its depths.
Source: [4]
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Cannes Film Festival | Official Selection – Director’s Fortnight Section (out of competition) | Selected |
| 1983 | New Zealand Music Awards | Film Soundtrack of the Year: Schtung | Nominated |
| 1982 | Mystfest (Italy) | Best Artistic Contribution: (ensemble cast) | Won |
| Best Film | Nominated |
The Scarecrow was the first film from New Zealand to win official selection at the Cannes Film Festival. [4]
The Scarecrow was part of the wave of New Zealand cinema that followed the establishment of the New Zealand Film Commission in 1978. [5]
The film was produced by the National Film Unit and Oasis Films. [4]