The Greatest Made-for-TV Horror Movie Ever is Now Free to Stream
I love made-for-TV horror movies. They are sort of a relic of a bygone era and I find that comforting. I have covered numerous televised features during my tenure at Dread Central. I previously penned a listicle spotlighting TV films that are better than they ought to be. I have additionally championed several via my column, The Overlooked Motel. On that note, a TV horror movie I have nothing but love for is now free to stream and that’s all the more encouragement I need to proclaim my appreciation and sing its praises loudly. I’m talking about Frank De Felitta’s Dark Night of the Scarecrow.
I once spoke about the many merits of this moving made-for-TV horror picture via a roundup of standout made-for-television terror flicks. Below is an excerpt from my past coverage.
“This tense and suspenseful tale of a malevolent scarecrow frightened audiences upon its initial broadcast forty years ago and continues to delight and frighten viewers discovering it for the first time via DVD or streaming. The flick features sincere performances from its leads and a series of relatively tame but still intense kill sequences. Dark Night of the Scarecrow avoids many of the made-for-television trappings and stands out as a picture that people will continue to revisit for years to come.”
This backwoods horror plays out something like this:
In a small Southern town, four vigilantes wrongfully execute a mentally challenged man, but after the court sets them free mysterious “accidents” begin to kill them off one by one.
I wish I could say that if you end up digging Dark Night of the Scarecrow that you should check out the sequel. However, you probably shouldn’t. I critiqued the follow-up a while back, calling it “a sequel nobody asked for.” That about sums it up. None of the magic of the original. Just a cynical cash grab.
As for the first film, however, you can currently find it streaming for free (with ads) on Tubi. If you haven’t seen it, this flick is a bona fide cult classic worth experiencing.
Frank De Felitta directed the film with J.D. Feigelson tackling the script. Larry Drake, Tonya Crowe, Charles Durning, Lane Smith, Claude Earl Jones, and Robert F. Lyons star.
There you have it, dear reader. Now is as good of a time as any to check out Dark Night of the Scarecrow on Tubi. Stay tuned to the site for more exciting updates in the near future. Until then, you can find me on Threads as @FunWithHorror.
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