The Scarecrow (1982 film)
| The Scarecrow | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Sam Pillsbury[1] |
| Written by | Michael Heath, Sam Pillsbury[1] |
| Based on | The Scarecrow by Ronald Hugh Morrieson |
| Produced by | Robert Whitehouse[1] |
| Starring | John Carradine Jonathan Smith Tracy Mann Daniel McLaren |
| Cinematography | James Bartle[1] |
| Edited by | Ian John[1] |
| Music by | Andrew Hagen, Morton Wilson, Phil Broadhurst[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes[1] |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
The Scarecrow is a 1982 New Zealand film, also known as Klynham Summer in America. It was directed by Sam Pillsbury based on the 1963 horror novel by New Zealand author Ronald Hugh Morrieson.[2]
Plot
Set in the fictitious New Zealand small town of Klynham in the early 1950s, teenagers Ned Poindexter (Jonathan Smith) and his friend Les (Daniel McLaren) start raising chickens, only to have them stolen. While stealing them back from Victor, the school bully, they inadvertently cross the path of a murderer who had slain a girl in the woods.[2]
When more girls in the town are killed, and Ned's 16-year old sister, Prudence (Tracy Mann) becomes the new target, Ned begins to suspect that an unsettling town newcomer – travelling magician and hypnotist Hubert Salter (David Carradine), who is living at the undertaker’s place, is responsible. Meanwhile. the police suspect Ned’s alcoholic uncle, Athol.[2][1]
The tagline for the film was: "The same night our fowls were taken, Daphne Moran had her throat cut".[3]
According to Sam Edwards the film is not as bleak as the novel. Small-town New Zealand in the 1950s is puritanical on the surface but depraved to its depths.
Cast
- Jonathan Smith as Ned Poindexter
- Tracy Mann as Prudence Poindexter
- Daniel McLaren as Les Wilson
- John Carradine as Hubert Salter
- Bruce Allpress as Uncle Athol
- Philip Holder as Constable Ramsbottom
- Stephen Taylor as Herbert Poindexter
- Desmond Kelly as Mr. Poindexter
- Anne Flannery as Mrs. Poindexter
- Denise O'Connell as Angela Potroz
- Jonathan Hardy as Charlie Dabney
- Martyn Sanderson as Ned as Adult (voice)
- Greer Robson as Lynette
- Roy Billing as Mr. Potroz
- Greg Naughton as Victor Lynch
- Mark Hadlow as Sam Finn
Awards
Source: [4]
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Cannes Film Festival | Official Selection – Director’s Fortnight Section (out of competition) | Selected |
| 1983 | New Zealand Music Awards | Film Soundtrack of the Year: Schtung | Nominated |
| 1982 | Mystfest (Italy) | Best Artistic Contribution: (ensemble cast) | Won |
| Best Film | Nominated |
The Scarecrow was the first film from New Zealand to win official selection at the Cannes Film Festival.[4]
Production
The Scarecrow was part of the wave of New Zealand cinema that followed the establishment of the New Zealand Film Commission in 1978.[5]
The film was produced by the National Film Unit and Oasis Films.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "The Scarecrow". Variety. 31 December 1981.
- ^ a b c "The Scarecrow (1982)". www.moriareviews.com. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "The Scarecrow movie poster". www.teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ a b c "The Scarecrow". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "The Scarecrow, 1982". www.teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
External links
- The Scarecrow at IMDb
- The Scarecrow at NZonScreen (with video extracts)
- Scarecrow: A Film Study Guide by Brian McDonnell (1982, Longman Paul Auckland) ISBN 0582683734
- New Zealand Film 1912–1996 by Helen Martin & Sam Edwards p. 81 (1997, Oxford University Press, Auckland) ISBN 019 558336 1