Review by Peter Syslo
RISE OF THE SCARECROWS (2008) is another film by the guys and girls at X Posse Productions, which will be released in the near future (for info go to www.xposse.com). This time around, X Posse focused their talents on that slightly misunderstood and formidably creepy horror character… the scarecrow. Honestly, this was a great film – it was most impressive for an independent production. I admit it, they had me hooked from the start, my attention was held throughout, and I was eager to see how it all ended. I thought that X Posse’s EVIL AWAKENING was a very good production, but RISE OF THE SCARECROWS is even better. I think that that kind of quality is the mark of anyone who is definitely devoted to their craft – you see their work constantly improve. The film is very well-done and a lot of it is t he visual kind of story-telling that you would expect from a big-budget, Hollywood creation – I will say it again, I was extremely impressed with this film.
RISE OF THE SCARECROWS is directed by Geno McGahee and Jeremy Weiskotten. The film is written by Geno McGahee and it stars Jeremy Weiskotten, Geno McGahee, Cedric Howard, Anthony Brown, Steven Joseph Adams, Matthew Walker Wallace, and Mark Scarborough. Again, every aspect of this production was done in-house by X Posse and I give a huge “pat-on-the-back” to everyone involved.
The film is about a town named Adams , which seems to have a mysterious curse attached to it. Townspeople and random visitors just “disappear” and there is talk of would-be-victims actually seeing three scarecrows present when those “disappearances” occur. The Sheriff (Howard) is basically in charge of the town but he seems to have a sinister and secretive side to him. One of the townspeople, Pete ( Scarborough ), knows “a little too much” about these scarecrows (he paints pictures and see visions of them) and he unfortunately gets caught up in the curse. However, Pete does manage to persuade the new police officer (Brown) that things in the town of Adams are seriously wrong. When two visitors, Carlos and Bi ll (Adams and Weiskotten), speak to the Sheriff the pieces start to fall into place. The film builds to a climax as Carlos, Bill, and Officer Brown work together to find out what is really happening – are the three “murderous” scarecrows real or are they just a legend?
RISE OF THE SCARECROWS is a mix of conspiracy thriller, slasher film, and film noir/morality tale. From the opening scene, to the final “twist”, the picture flows as smoothly as a Boston lager. McGahee’s writing is excellent and the story really seems to be “airtight”; he accounts for every little detail and the scenes logically progress and build tension towards the climax. Again, McGahee creates rich texture, with his eccentric characters, and he really takes the time to develop each one. For example, Bill (Weiskotten) is coming out of a bad relationship and he seeks the support of his friends as they embark on a road trip to Adams . Bill grows as a character because he eventually finds the strength to take control of the situation in t he town of Adams – the strength that he couldn’t find to tell his ex to get out of his life. Each character having his/her own back story is a very nice touch and it makes you care about the welfare of the cast and also about the outcome of the story.
Again, a lot of the slasher elements are in place and there is one scene in particular, with Pete, which stands out as being almost a mini-slasher within a slasher film. It is a classic, traditional slasher scenario where Pete is being “stalked” (no cornstalk/scarecrow pun intended) in his house. That scene was a joy to watch and Scarborough was excellent as Pete – his performance was one of the best in the film. Speaking about other slasher elements, the scarecrow “legend” is fairly solid, the scarecrow “look” is effective, the set design is improved and creates a perfect atmosphere for the story, and the kill scenes do contain some inventive and unique effects. My favorite was at the end when one of the cast is strangled by a scarecrow – he is lifted up (you see his feet dangling), his neck is snap ped, and blood gushes from his mouth – it was a pretty cool effect. Last but not least, this film also contains that slasher staple - the blatant, gratuitous nude scene! Let me just say guys (and/or girls), you will not be disappointed!
Moving on to other elements of the production, the acting was pretty good, across the board. Aside from Scarborough , I thought that Cedric Howard (Sheriff Howard) was outstanding and he was unquestionably the “star of the show”. He is a really good actor and was very natural in this role. Basically, everyone’s acting went up a notch from EVIL AWAKENING and it is all part of that dedication and continual improvement, of which I spoke earlier. The cinematography was also really good and the quality is especially notable in the nighttime scenes. The shots in the dark basement of Pete’s house were done with clarity and the final scene of the film also displayed that clarity, along with displaying a very professional use of lighting. The visual storytelling was very strong in this picture and one scene co mes to mind, which really blew me away. Officer Brown, Bill, and Carlos are all preparing for a conflict and a piano ballad is playing in the scene; it is a scene with no dialog, just the music is playing. You see re-visitations of some earlier scenes and you see a collage of different scenes involving the three characters making their peace with the world, before setting out to accomplish their task. It really is a beautiful scene and it was perfectly executed – it is evidence of maturity in filmmaking and it is something that you would see in a good, higher-budget, studio picture.
Cutting to the chase: RISE OF THE SCARECROWS was great and it showcases the talent of everyone in the X Posse crew. My only true criticism of the movie, is that the pacing may be a little slow in certain parts (it does take a little time to arrive at the first scarecrow encounter), but that is just a minor detail. Also, some of the depictions of violence towards women (the guy who wants to be a pimp smacks his “girlfriend” around) may have seemed a little out of place, but those instances were nothing that detracted from the overall film. To sum it all up, I recommend this film to anyone who wants to see an independent horror film and for anyone that wishes to be inspired. If you like slashers, “scarecrow” horror, or horror with in-depth writing/scripting then you should check out RISE OF THE SCARECROWS. I give it a 9 out of 10.