Dark Night of the Scarecrow
1981  NR  HORROR/TELEVISION  1h 36min
CAST— Larry Drake, Charles Durning, Tonya Crowe, Jocelyn Brando, Lane Smith
MUSIC— Glenn Paxton  DIRECTOR— Frank De Felitta

     Midnight of the Murderous Mailman may be more accurate. In this entertaining little telefilm Larry Drake plays Bubba, a gentle, mentally challenged man whose days are spent playing with the local children. When one little girl is injured while out with him, people are quick to blame him (even though it's pretty clear that the girl was attacked by a dog, but whatever). A group of hothead yokels, led by Charles Durning as the bigoted mailman, soon corner and murder Bubba, who tried to hide from the vigilantes by dressing as a scarecrow in his mother's field. The District Attorney tries to take legal action against the four murderers, but they're soon off the hook for the crime. Life goes on for these guys until they begin to sight a mysterious scarecrow that inexplicably appears right before their untimely deaths. As his accomplices are being picked off, Durning panics and starts killing those he believes to be behind the scarecrow garb. But could it be Bubba back from the dead, exacting his vengeance on those who killed him? A surprisingly effective chiller, the suspense building throughout. Well played by a fine cast, Durning a standout as the pessimistic postal person. Better than most low budget television movies usually are.
OUR RATING— ** ½