The Scarecrow (1982 film)
The same night our fowls were taken, Daphne Moran had her throat cut.
The 1982 New Zealand film *The Scarecrow* (released in America as *Klynham Summer*) was directed by Sam Pillsbury and adapted from Ronald Hugh Morrieson's 1963 horror novel. It holds the distinction of being the first New Zealand film selected for the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, though not the official competition.
Set in the early 1950s in the fictional small town of Klynham, the story follows teenagers Ned Poindexter and his friend Les, who start raising chickens only to have them stolen. While stealing the birds back from the school bully, Victor, they inadvertently cross paths with a murderer who has already killed a girl in the woods. When more local girls are murdered and Ned's 16-year-old sister Prudence becomes the next target, Ned grows suspicious of a unsettling newcomer: a travelling magician and hypnotist named Hubert Salter, who lives at the undertaker's. Meanwhile, the police suspect Ned's alcoholic uncle, Athol. The film's tagline reads: "The same night our fowls were taken, Daphne Moran had her throat cut."
According to Sam Edwards, the film is less bleak than the novel. It depicts 1950s small-town New Zealand as puritanical on the surface but depraved underneath. *The Scarecrow* was part of the wave of New Zealand cinema that followed the establishment of the New Zealand Film Commission in 1978, and was produced by the National Film Unit and Oasis Films.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Sam Pillsbury
- Starring
- John Carradine / Jonathan Smith / Tracy Mann / Daniel McLaren
- Writer
- Michael Heath, Sam Pillsbury
- Based On
- The Scarecrow · Ronald Hugh Morrieson
- Producer
- Robert Whitehouse
- Music
- Andrew Hagen, Morton Wilson, Phil Broadhurst
- Cinematography
- James Bartle
- Editing
- Ian John
- Runtime
- 87 minutes
- Released
- 1982
- Country
- New Zealand
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Set in the fictitious New Zealand small town of Klynham in the early 1950s, the plot follows teenagers Ned Poindexter and his friend Les, who start raising chickens only to have them stolen. While stealing them back from the school bully Victor, they cross paths with a murderer who had slain a girl in the woods. As more girls are killed and Ned's 16-year-old sister Prudence becomes the new target, Ned suspects a travelling magician and hypnotist named Hubert Salter, who is living at the undertaker's place. Meanwhile, the police suspect Ned's alcoholic uncle, Athol.
Reader's Guide
The Scarecrow was part of the wave of New Zealand cinema that followed the establishment of the New Zealand Film Commission in 1978. According to Sam Edwards, the film is not as bleak as the novel, and small-town New Zealand in the 1950s is described as puritanical on the surface but depraved to its depths. The film's significance lies in its status as the first New Zealand film to be officially selected at the Cannes Film Festival, marking an early milestone for the country's film industry. It was produced by the National Film Unit and Oasis Films, and its cast includes David Carradine as Hubert Salter, alongside Jonathan Smith, Tracy Mann, and others. The film remains a notable entry in New Zealand horror cinema, adapted from a classic local novel.
Did You Know?
- The film is also known as Klynham Summer in America.
- It was the first New Zealand film selected for the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes, not the official competition.
More in New Zealand horror films 1-24
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