Skarecrow (2004) User Reviews

Seriously, what did I just watch?

[mdamien13 · 1/10 · 17 January 2007]

It used to be that video distributors like Sub Rosa and Brain Damage Films would release low-budget, shot-on-video horror films to a select market of gorehounds that ate them up with glee. That's acceptable to me, because you could see these movies from a mile away with their shoddy box art and cheesy titles.

Now we have Lions Gate getting into the mix, only they have decided that it'd be better to sucker in poor saps by putting a "professional" looking cover on it and charge the same price as one of their higher-budget, professionally made features. Do not be suckered in by this! Granted, if you've seen Dark Harvest 1 or 2 than you already know what to expect with 3 but there is a place for movies like this and it is not on a video store shelf beside professionally-made features.

I am a fan of independent cinema and have watched several low budget, shot-on-video productions that were still a worthy rental but this was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The "acting" (if you can call it that) was abysmal. It was amusing to laugh at the horrible line reading for a minute or two, but eventually it was too much to take and became unbearable. The story is bad, the dialogue is worse, the acting somehow manages to be even worse. The only possible saving grace to this would be one disemboweling scene that still manages to be awful but is an award winning effect when compared to the blood splatters after a girl is slapped or the mannequin decapitation.

It took me three tries to make it through this entire movie and I only did so because I paid good money to rent it and felt like I should at least finish it all the way through. Stay away - stay far, far away from this one.

Harvest of Tedium

[juliankennedy23 · 1/10 · 2 December 2006]

Dark Harvest 3: Scarecrow: 1 out of 10: In Einstein's theory of relativity time is of the perspective of the one that views time. (Or so I've heard) In other words this movie feels a lot longer that an hour and change. Even on fast-forward (And you will be reaching for that fast forward button) it clocks in somewhere around eternity.

If you are familiar with Lionsgate's own version of Project Greenlight (This is where they buy a home movie but a fancy cover on it and sneak it into the horror section of your local Wal-Mart) you will not be surprised by the complete and utter lack of entertainment value contained within.

The line reading (I refuse to call it acting) is uniformly awful. This is a collection of deadbeat dads and strippers pretending to be in a movie between cans of Schlitz. The camera work is drunken father shooting vacation film quality and while the special effects are okay the scariest effect is the breast augmentation scars in the nude scene.

The story is awful, the sets are from a haunted Halloween put on by ADHD middle school students and once again the line reading (remember this is not acting anymore than sinking to the bottom of a pool is swimming) is distracting beyond mere words. Avoid.

Lions Gate?

[nogodnomasters · 1/10 · 19 April 2019]

I can't believe this is a Lions Gate movie and not something Asylum did. The acting was extremely bad. A nasty young man inherits a cabin in the woods that is cursed by the voodoo woman who they ejected. While he is arguing with his gf near a scarecrow, he punches/slaps her to the ground and spills some blood, I think. The movie isn't too coherent in anything. At one point they go into the basement and get a book. This is apparently some voodoo book. There are still animal bones (and a dog's skull) hanging from the basement ceiling which no one seemed to notice or care. They carried the leather bound book upstairs, but when one of the girls touches the book she passes out. Why? What was in the book? Why her and not those who carried the book? It seems to disappear from the story, possibly having to go back to the set of The Evil Dead.

There is some nudity in the movie for the sake of nudity. The first nude shot was of a female torso which had no face attached to it and clearly didn't belong to the woman it was supposed to be connected. And the scarecrow that comes to life, is missing half his right arm before he becomes animated, then suddenly has a whole one. What was really sad was that this stinker movie was dedicated to the loving memory of Ben Dixon's (director/writer/producer) father. Of course I really don't know what kind of relationship they had.

Crap-Tacular

[MetalGeek · 1/10 · 7 October 2010]

I came across "Dark Harvest 3" (a.k.a. "Skarecrow" apparently) in the supermarket bargain bin and got suckered due to the cool DVD cover art and cheap price (thankfully it only cost me $3.99). I hadn't seen the previous 2 "Dark Harvest" movies but I figured, how much back story could there be in a movie series about killer scarecrows anyway? Thankfully (or perhaps not) it turns out that this flick doesn't have any connection to the prior "D.H." films anyway, it was just a quickie, ultra-low-budget indie horror flick that Lions Gate snapped up and attached the "Dark Harvest" name to it. Whether you want to call it "Skarecrow" or "Dark Harvest 3," the fact remains that the "film" is completely, utterly, unwatchable.

The film's opening flashback takes place in "The Tennessee Backwoods" circa 1921, where a gang of moonshiners have just killed an old woman and stolen her land for use in their criminal enterprise. Unfortunately this particular old woman happened to be a witch, and before dying she placed a curse on her property, which causes her scarecrow to come to life and dispatch the sleeping moonshiners with a variety of farming implements. Sounds fine so far, but unfortunately this sequence is so dark and grainy that it's damn near impossible to tell what's going on. If the photography in "Blair Witch Project" gave you a headache, expect this bit to cause an Instant Migraine. As soon as this introduction ended and the opening credits rolled, I knew I was in for a rough ride.

Flash forward to 1981, and a group of annoying twenty somethings (none of whom appear to like each other very much) are headed off to the woods on an annual camping outing. They plan to stay at a remote cabin in the middle of the woods (shades of "Evil Dead," though this film wishes it were one tenth as good as that classic) owned by the family of one of the gang. Upon arrival the group takes part in the usual slasher film activities for a while, i.e. getting drunk, having sex, and getting on each other's nerves, until one of the gals gets her head lopped off in mid-coitus by the evil scarecrow. Turns out the cabin is on the witch's former property and her guardian is still hangin' around protecting the place. Predictable, poorly shot, badly acted mayhem ensues.

Honestly, I wish I had something good to say about "Dark Harvest 3" but there really isn't one redeeming quality about it. The film looks cheap (shot on video perhaps?), the script sucks, and the performances are uniformly awful. Not ONCE will you get the feeling that these "actors" are paying attention to anything other than the cue cards that were doubtlessly being held off camera. (Just listen to the way one guy drones "Oh, baby...that feels so good" during a sex scene. Come on, if you can't even fake THAT convincingly, then there's no hope for you!) The characters spend so much time screaming and yelling at each other that I couldn't wait for the scarecrow to wipe them all out just so they'd shut the hell up. There are one or two decent gore bits but even those weren't enough to save this turkey.

Remember folks, I watch movies like these so YOU don't have to. "Dark Harvest 3"/"Skarecrow" was 90 excruciating minutes of my life that I'll never get back. If you come across this puppy in the bargain bin, treat it as if it's an explosive device and leave it on the shelf. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Are you kidding.....

[reowens · 1/10 · 18 January 2007]

I couldn't spoil this piece of crap if I wanted to. After watching Dark Harvest 1 I thought "this has got to be the worse movie ever made" then I watched Dark Harvest 2 and that made 1 seem a little better. Then I watched Dark Harvest 3 or tried too. The only thing I have to say is "when is this going to end?" Very bad acting and really bad special effects the only good thing about this movie was the boob shot. Don't waste your time of money on this piece of crap... And now I have to write 3 more lines to get this to submit. I was going to sing a song but I can't think of any right now. But the movie finally ended (though it had an ending that might mean they are going to make another one of these)

76 wasted minutes I'll never get back

[kmats33 · 1/10 · 1 June 2007]

This is just about the WORST piece of garbage I've ever had the displeasure of sitting through. The story was embarrassingly amateurish, the graphics were horrible, and the acting... I've never seen worse acting in my entire life. A kindergarten class could come up with a scarier, better written, and more entertaining concept than this. I pity anyone who wastes their time on this film, as well as the actors who agreed to doing the job. It was obvious that they were not given appropriate direction. The writers must have spent their time at film school in the "back room" playing peaknuckle. A lot of professors wasted a lot of time on these two. I would be truly embarrassed to admit that I knew them.

Good For Some Laughs At Least...

[rhennigar · 1/10 · 7 March 2008]

OK i gave this a three A three! It deserves only one star no questions asked.

If your going to look at the movie seriously and take it as a legit B-Horror movie than yes it will get one star. But i believe it is apparent within the first minutes of the movie what we are dealing with is a piece of crap.

With this movie me and the buddy i was watching it with could of turned it off and put on something more "Hollywood" but instead we just decided to rip this whole movie apart from start to finish. We laughed so many times it was almost if i was watching a comedy.

The acting is terrible..... The effects and death sequences are so bad.... The Story complete crap.....

But the fact they are trying to make a serious horror movie..Priceless!

The most memorable part for me is when two of the characters are walking in a supposed "dark basement" which is clearly lit, and they pretend to not be able to see bumping into bones hanging from the ceiling bahahahaha just terrible.....

So if you want to laugh at how crappy this movie is, along with the fact it was made in 2004 than see this movie....

Wait why am i writing so much? no one knows about this movie...i doubt anyone will even read this hahahaha.

a pitiful excuse for a horror film

[joewillis5656 · 21 September 2005]

you'd be better off watching the Andy Griffith show than this piece of Podunk Tennessee trash. this movie may have had some comedic materials if it were filmed in 8mm but this movie is trying to be too serious. rent movies like demon child 666 and you'll see what i mean. Anyways pass this one up if possible and don't forget not to watch crap like this. i think after seeing this you'd probably rather jump of a cliff or something. good films to watch would be slaughter high, blue monkey, or even some other scarecrow movie. I also believe there is like 4 scarecrow movies already so WTF???? I also don't understand the whole deal with putting in the k in scarecrow, I guess it's trying to be hip with the new horror fans.

Time Thief

[saint_brett · 1/10 · 23 August 2021]

There's a million trailers on this Dark Harvest 3 DVD. They're all R-rated and they all look and feel the same. I don't even have to watch that "Zombie Nation" one to know that I'd rate it 1/10.

Backwards of Tennessee 1921. (I wonder if the Body Farm was around here even back then?) So some balding witch from Double Dragon 3 is tampering with a corpse. That's a violation of the law right there. (Count one.)

These choppy edits are worse than my attemps on YouTube.

For a Lionsgate release this is so amateurish.

How'd standards drop so bad?

An indie movie? Yuck.

Is this like a lottery movie funded by taxpayers, or something? Look at the chemistry between this cast. They jel so fluently.

Oh I get it, they're trying to channel Texas Chainsaw Massacre at the start here from the no gas station to the blurry evening sun, right down to the lady reading astrology from the book, right?

Is that Prune Face from Return of the Jedi?

I was gonna title this review Dung Harvest but I'm going with Time Thief instead.

Now they're ripping off Evil Dead. This is so blatant. Oh God, there's even a prized deer trophy framed on the wall. Is it going to start laughing blood in a minute?

Just when you thought the bar couldn't be lowered any farther along comes Dark Harvest 3 in all its despicable presentation and hits you with a wet cabbage. And I thought Dark Harvest 2 The Maize The Movie was bad.

So when your brain absconds and abandons you in the company of a movie like Dark Harvest 3 then you know the forces of evil are working against you.

Where'd they conjure up the meek looking scarecrow from - a hand-me-down thrift store?

Is that Elaine from Seinfeld?

These actors seem to be on a delayed response cue with their actions.

I'm 34-minutes in and I want out.

They just found the necronomicon down in the basement. (You forgot to bring the cassette player and dagger up, folks.)

At prisoners sentencing hearings instead of giving them the death sentence they should be sent to 10 years of Dark Harvest 3 and be made to watch this from sun up to sun down.

I saw a short documentary in California back in 1996 of a kid who killed a woman while DUI and he was given a choice - either send a post card to the parents every week, and write of his regret and mistake, or be imprisoned for 10 years. He buckled under the pressure of sending the postcards every week and could no longer maintain this small gesture and preferred to go back to prison. What this has to do with Dung Harvest 3, I don't know?

Oh, the witch from Double Dragon 3 and her sacred stones again.

Penalty - there WEREN'T even any water in that cup when she took a swig! Don't insult me.

And this is the problem - the cast and crew of this entire production are showing the viewer no respect. They're insulting our intelligence.

You're gonna vomit? Me too.

Where'd they get these actors from - a quick fire sale bin on discount thespian's?

"Oh my God, whose hair is that?" And the Oscar for best male actor goes to shane from Dark Harvest 3.

Now it's turned into Captain Howdy's strangeland.

Talk about telegraphing this fight scene.

Oh, they've ripped off Evil Dead again with the swinging porch seat.

"We'll tear your soul apart." Are you really going to go down that track and be so blatant in your thievery?

These people need some acting lessons.

I want my head read for watching this.

Oh man... it only gets worse as the end credits roll.

They've left out an initial in Mr. Directors name Ben Dxon. Serious?

Are you deliberately testing me, movie?

I have no further comment.

The defense rests, your honor.

oh my GOD

[anomie666-1 · 1/10 · 15 August 2013]

I bought this movie on a whim because the cover looked good and thought I'd be seeing a legit horror movie. When I put this in and it looked like it was filmed on a VHS tape with "actors" who were comically reading their lines.

Literally, this has to be the most godawful piece of cinematic crap in history.

This movie makes Troll 2 seem like the Godfather in comparison.

It truly is amazing how every single thing about this movie is so perfectly bad. You couldn't make a movie this bad if you tried.

Stay away from this movie unless you are into some sort of self torture thing. I mean there are conceivably worse things you could do with your time, but its hard to imagine what that might be. If it comes down to watching this movie and being sodomized by a rabid goat, well, I might go with the goat.

Again- awesome looking poster but a really crappy movie

[jordondave-28085 · 1/10 · 17 August 2023]

(2005) Dark Harvest 3- Skarecrow HORROR

Great looking poster and that's not saying much for this straight-for-rental horror flick like it was made as a quick class project since it was filmed via cam corder with some second rate acting and body doubles were used, about teenage redneck along with his friends deciding to visit an isolated cabin for the weekend, unsuspecting that a curse was made years earlier! The last remaining relative wakes a planted scarecrow by accidentally splashing it with his girlfriends blood by smacking her for the first time- how convenient! And of course, this Scarecrow starts slashing everyone in plain view sight. There's also supposed to be a surprise near the end which some should be able to figure out at the beginning.

oh god, the worst movie ever made maybe

[sarah-dmonrx · 10/10 · 26 September 2007]

This movie is just.. terrible. Terrible doesn't even come close really. I could tell from the first 5 min. that it was going to be bad and I kept watching sadly. The acting is HORRIBLE, and the fx (if you can call them that) are like something you would see two 11 year olds doing in their back yard with a video camera. Their are so many holes in the plot, for instance.. they clearly state in the beginning that the cabin has no running water. Flash forward 10 min. later, the guy is running his finger under the faucet after getting cut. The whole movie is like this, I didn't end up finishing it b/c it just got too bad, even for my standards (and they are pretty low) I wonder.. how can so many talented people be trying to get their films made, and this crap makes it to the shelves? I can honestly say this is the worst film I have ever seen, don't even waste a second of your time.

Dark Crap 3 - When will the pain stop!

[lordzedd-3 · 1/10 · 22 September 2007]

As you may remember I have seem all three of the trilogy of trash and the first movie is the only one even remotely close to be watchable. Part two was low grade sewage and this installment is slightly better then two, but still one steaming pile of something I removed from my backyard last Monday. The premise doesn't make sense, why did the moonshiners murder that poor old lady and even in 1921 I think someone would notice a bunch of oily guys where a sweet little old lady once lived. Second, that scarecrow is pathetic compared to how cool they looked in the first movie. It's just old clothes and a burlap sack. Let's face it, the series is garbage and should be forgotten about. THE NOOSE!

It was the sKarecrow!

[neonlove88 · 1/10 · 10 July 2007]

I rented this movie under the impression that it was "Scarecrow 3:Dark Harvest", thinking it was a continuation in the Scarecrow Slayer series (another extremely laughable and all together awful series of movies). I wasn't disappointed though. It was just as awful, if not worse, than what I expected. I was laughing throughout the entire movie. Every piece of bad acting, poorly shot and cut footage, and terrible special effects is what makes this movie worth renting.

The special features include a pathetic view into the cast and crew's six months of filming.

Favorite line, "The sins of my forefathers! They've trickled down to this very moment of time!"

Worst movie ever.

[AmandaLayne · 1/10 · 29 July 2007]

If it were possible, I would have given this sorry excuse for a movie a ZERO star. It was by far the worse I have ever seen. It was as if it were a home movie that some bored highschoolers decided to make as a joke. The "acting" was horrific. The "actors" didn't even react to the fact that they were being murdered.

Honestly, I bought this movie by mistake. The Spanish title said Jeepers Creepers 3, so I thought hmm maybe it'll be OK. Wrong. It was honestly the worst ever. I didn't get past 20 minutes of the stupid movie. I skipped through chapters and nothing interesting ever seemed to happen.

The cameramen were also terrible. It was like a home movie. I would NEVER recommend anyone to watch this. Terrible terrible moronic movie.

Another Great "Bad" Movie

[albinovagino · 8/10 · 4 September 2023]

This is another great example of what low budget horror can bring to the slasher genre. The crew worked with the budget they had and made a successful horror movie with a functioning plot, interesting characters, and all the great stuff you've come to expect from a low budget R rated slasher with plenty of blood, fun kills and bad acting. The camera work was really great, you can see a lot of different techniques being applied throughout the movie really expressing the creativity of the people working on this movie. The special effects were awesome too, there's dismemberment, guts, slicing, slashing, pitchforking and corpse stuffing to name a few. Taking everything into consideration, this is quality work for the estimated 10k budget they were working with all while staying true to the slasher genre.

Would Rather Smell My Own Farts For An Hour And Seventeen Minutes

[lennic · 24 October 2007]

This Movie Was One Of The Worst Movies I Have Ever Seen , I Have To Tell What Happens So Nobody Makes The Same Mistake , It Starts Off With Some Hillbillies Who Kill Some Guy And Then A Skarecrow Kills All Of Them , Then Some Guy In His Mid Thirties Playing A Teenager Picks Up Some Friends And Goes To The Cabin Where It Happened , They Stop For Gas And Meet Some Crazy Blind Guy With A Big Nose Who Warns Them To Stay Away From The Cabin , So You Know They Don't Take His Warning, They Start Getting Killed Off , The Main Character Goes To Get Help From Some Obese Lady And A Full Grown Woman Wearing A Costume , They Try To Kill Him But Fail , The Blind Guy Shows Up And The Main Character Kills Him And Runs Away , Goes Back And Gets Taken Hostage , The Scarecrow Shows Up And Kills Everybody Except The Main Character And Runs Away , The Main Character Is Framed For The Crime And Locked In The Nuthouse...Which Looks Like It Was Filmed In Someone's Basement , And The Scarecrow Gets Away Whoever Wrote This...Needs Therapy I Hope I Have Saved Someone Out There Pain ,Anguish, Time, And Money With This Review