Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) (TV)

“I know what you did to Bubba!” 20 November 2020

A mentally challenged man, Bubba (Larry Drake), wrongly accused of attacking a young girl, is hunted down by a gang of vigilanties.  Bubba tries to hide by posing as a scarecrow.  The men, bent on vengeance and filled with bloodlust, aren’t fooled and murder Bubba in cold blood.  Soon afterward, the men involved in Bubba’s murder are haunted by the image of a scarecrow. Has Bubba returned from the dead to get revenge?  

It’s amazing how good some of the made-for-TV movies from the 70s and 80s actually were - especially some of the horror movies.  Whether it’s Satan’s School for Girls (1973), Gargoyles (1972), or The Night Stalker (1972), there was real quality horror entertainment to be had on TV.  Add Dark Night of the Scarecrow to that list.  I hadn’t seen this one in years until last night and I”m pleasantly surprised at how well it’s held up.

Given it’s TV origins, Dark Night of the Scarecrow obviously has a limited budget.  In this case, I think that works in the movie’s favor.  It’s a “less is more kind of thing”.  There’s not a lot of blood and gore, just creepy situations that leave a lot to the imagination.  It also added a bit of suspense to the film - had Bubba returned from the grave or were these men haunted by what they had done.  It adds an extra layer of mystery to the film that worked for me.  Having said all that, I was, however, surprised how little we actually see the titular scarecrow.  He’s a creepy looking fellow, that’s for sure.  Just a few more sightings of the Bubba the Scarecrow would have made the movie even better.

A real highlight of the film is the acting - especially Charles Durning.  His character, Otis Hazelrigg, may be even creepier than the scarecrow.  Durning could play slimy and conniving about as well as anyone.  His character’s unnatural obsession with the little girl Bubba was accused of hurting is especially troubling - and Durning plays it brilliantly.  I’m convinced that Hazelrigg’s hatred for Bubba had a lot of do with his jealousy of Bubba’s relationship with the little girl.  LIke I said, in these moments, Durning is far more frightening than the scarecrow.  

I also need to mention a couple of other performances.  Drake is fantastic in the limited role of Bubba.  He’s quite the sympathetic figure.  Lane Smith is great as one of Hazelrigg’s gang.  The name Lane Smith may not ring bells, but he’s one of those guys you’ve seen a thousand times and he always does a solid job.  Finally, Tonya Crow is outstanding as the little girl, Marylee.  I’m surprised she didn’t have a bigger career.  

I can’t recommend this one highly enough.  It’s rock solid entertainment and a must-see for fans of old school, slow burn horror.

8/10

Fistful of Diamonds (1967)

Will it ever end?, 19 November 2020

A PI is hired to track down a killer.  In addition, his client’s murdered husband was carrying a fortune in diamonds that she’d like to get back.

Overall, Fistful of Diamonds is pretty much a dud.  I’m not sure of the actual runtime, but it felt like it lasted hours.  It took me two excruciating nights to get through it.  The film features the same action set-pieces over and over.  Good guy fights bad guys, good guy rescues girl, girl ends up back with bad guys - repeat ad nauseum.  The fights scenes, in particular, are especially boring and seem to go on forever.  And, it doesn’t help that the movie was intended to be a comedy.  The bits and pieces that were meant to be funny go over about as well as the action - boring.  On the acting side, I’ve seen Franco Ressel and Erika Blanc in plenty of other, better films, so I know they’re capable.  Unfortunately, they don’t have anything to work with here.

On the positive side, the score was nice.  Very reminiscent of something from a 60s James Bond film.  And, given the film only has 6 votes on IMDb at the time I’m writing this  means it’s something of a rarity.  Even though Fistufl of Diamonds is pretty horrible, it’s always a little fun to discover something so few people have seen.

  

3/10

The Woman in Green (1945)

“Then we shall walk together through the Gates of Eternity hand-in-hand”, 19 November 2020

Sherlock Holmes is approached by Scotland Yard for help investigating a rather grisly series of murders.  After each murder, one of the female victims’ fingers has been removed.  

For me, The Woman in Green is a nice entry in the Rathbone Sherlock Holmes series - nowhere near as good as something like The Scarlet Claw, but few movies are.  The viciousness of the murders, even though we see nothing, made for an interesting plot detail.  The rest of the writing is especially strong.  There are bits of dialogue between Holmes and Moriarty that are as good as any you’ll find in the series.  The supporting cast, featuring a terrific performance by Hillary Brooke in the title role (though being in black and white, it was difficult to tell if she was, in fact, wearing green), is more than capable and made for an interesting adversary for Holmes.  I even enjoyed Henry Daniell in the role of Moriarity.  I know he has his detractors, but I think Daniell could play a villain with the best of them.  Finally, I actually enjoyed much of Watson’s schtick - something that has been known to get on my nerves.  Sure, the scene where he’s hypnotized goes a bit too far, but his bumbling ways in The Woman in Green actually add to the plot (and also to the fun).

The films’ greatest flaw is it’s ending.  Up to that point, The Woman in Green is as good as most any of the Holmes films.  I’m not going to give too much away other than to say Moriarity’s means of doing away with Holmes is ridiculous.  Just shoot him for crying out loud!  And the ease with which Moriarity is taken into custody (again, not really a spoiler - you didn’t think he’d get away, did you?) is equally hard to swallow.  

7/10

Omega Cop (1990)

A waste of time, 18 November 2020

In yet another post-apocalyptic future, a cop works to bust up a band of slave traders and save a few women along the way.

In all honesty, Omega Cop probably deserves a 1/10, but it’s saved from that rating because it was so stupid in parts I was mildly entertained on occasion. So what very little entertainment I got out of this thing was purely unintended.  Star Ronald Marchini may have been a martial arts expert, but it didn’t translate well to the screen.  He’s too wooden and unnatural.  The rest of the movie is filled with equally poor acting, poor special effects, poor fight choreography, and poor everything else.  And I’m convinced that Adam West had no idea what movie he was making.  His character is so out of touch with the action in the rest of the film, it was often laugh-out-loud funny.  Finally, I sort of felt sorry for Stuart Whitman.  He made some bad career decisions, but this might have been the worst.  Did he need a job this bad?

The makers of Omega Cop didn’t try real hard on the whole post-apocalyptic thing.  People with dirty faces, weird haircuts, and trash blowing across an empty parking lot was hardly convincing and just plain lazy.  

 2/10

Freddie Steps Out (1946)

The second in the Teen Agers series, 17 November 2020

Our old pal Freddie Trimball is mistaken for singing heartthrob Frankie (not sure of the last name) who’s gone missing.  The misunderstanding is natural as both characters are played by Freddie Stewart.  When Frankie’s wife and baby show up and Freddie’s high school, it naturally leads to much hilarity.

Freddie Steps Out is the second in Monogram’s Teen Agers series.  And, these “kids” aren’t getting any younger.  Don’t misunderstand, June Pressler looks great, but she aged quit a bit between Junior Prom and this movie.  

As with Junior Prom, Freddie Steps Out is all harmless enough.  I had some of the same problems I had with the first film, however – dull musical interludes and lame comedy.  I was especially annoyed by all the baby shenanigans as every character in the film exhibited the brain power of a sponge.  Had one person stopped to honestly analyze the situation, everything could have been resolved in seconds.  But then again, I suppose that wouldn’t have been much of a movie.  

I see that there are several more films in the series.  I suppose the actors will be approaching middle-age and still playing teen agers.  We shall see.

4/10

Junior Prom (1946)

From a more innocent time, 16 November 2020

The father of one of the students running for class president promises to buy new football uniforms if the school administration can guarantee his son will win.  Fortunately for the other candidate, Freddie Trimball (Freddie Stewart), the principal balks at the plan.  But with a musical show to get ready, a prom to plan, and endless singing in the school’s Teen Canteen, does Freddie have enough time to campaign?

Junior Prom is filled with harmless enough “high school” shenanigans from a much, much more innocent time.  I put “high school” in quotes because it’s obvious that most of the actors are way past high school age.  I might have enjoyed it more had it not been for some of the duller than dirt musical numbers and the lame comedy from man-child Murray Davis (What did Dunne do? – Arrrrgh!) that I found excruciating. June Preisser and Noel Neill give it their all, but a lot of their good work is undone by male lead Freddie Stewart.  He’s just so bland.  I can’t imagine how anyone thought he could carry a movie.  

I know that 1946 was a simpler time, but were the kids really jazzed about music like that in Junior Prom?  I can’t imagine any high schooler being excited over some of the elevator music featured here.  

4/10

52 Pick-Up (1986)

“So long, Sport”, 16 November 2020

Successful businessman, Harry Mitchell (Roy Schieder), finds himself the target of blackmail after he has an affair.  The situation escalates when he refuses to pay up.  The blackmailers turn the tables on Mitchell making him the prime suspect in a murder.  Can Mitchell get out of his hopeless situation?

Wow - what a nice discovery!  Overall, 52 Pick-Up is a really strong film.  Based on an Elmore Leonard novel and screenplay, director John Frankenheimer created an extremely effective, tension-filled noir-like film.  It’s the kind of movie where no one gets off easy and everyone comes out damaged in the end.  The murder of Mitchell’s mistress was much more brutal than I was expecting.  And the scene where the baddie breaks into the Mitchells’ house - what an amazing sequence.  It was all so much grittier, dirtier, and raunchier than I could have imagined.  Other than a shot or two of Mitchell’s house, I don’t remember seeing a film that portrays Los Angeles in such a negative light.  We see the seedy side of LA in all its glory.  Instead of movie stars and mansions, 52 Pick-Up is filled with back alleys, adult movie houses, and abandoned warehouses.  It’s really a well-written and well-directed film.

The film's baddies epitomize nastiness. John Glover is Alan Raimy - a smarmier dude never existed.  He’s the kind of guy you’d like to punch in the face the minute you meet him.  Robert Trebor is Leo Franks - the weak-link in the group. He may seem like a clown, but I wouldn’t turn my back on him.  Finally, there’s Clarence Williams III as Bobby Shy.  He’s the muscle and the last guy you’d want to meet in a dark alley.  Schieder and Ann-Margret may be the “names” in the film, but Glover, Tregor, and Williams (and the city) are the real stars.  Also, pay attention to 80’s icon Vanity in a small, but important role.  I never imagined she would be this good.  

Finally, I’m confused as to why Doug McClure is even in this film.  He has about 30 seconds of screen time and about 10 words of dialogue.  Did he need the work that bad?

Other than a couple of minor contrived moments near the film’s climax, I’ve got nothing to complain about.  A strong 8/10 from me.

8/10