British horror-comedy 'Scareycrows' provides harmless giggles

By Kimber Myers

Sept. 21, 2017 1:15 PM PT

The amusing horror comedy “Scareycrows” is entirely aware of the ridiculousness of its premise: scarecrows that come to life and terrorize an English seaside town. Though it’s never really scary, it is appropriately silly and a fun time for genre fans who prefer giggles to gore.

Amy (Alice Maguire), her boyfriend, Ryan (Tom Child), and the entire village of Sidcombe are preparing for the local holiday celebrating “scareycrows” and the legend that inspired the festivities. However, their friends begin to disappear or turn up in pieces, and they soon discover that these straw men are responsible and they may not be so easy to defeat as their name implies.

Director Lucy Townsend makes her debut with this goofy film that nicely walks the line between horror and comedy. It leans more toward the latter, particularly in its colorful and bright cinematography from Scott Sandford. The approach would feel out of place in another movie with this many murders, but it fits what the filmmaker is doing here. The nature of the scareycrows allows for a small budget, and the practical effects work well enough here to convince the audience that the creatures are lumbering around Sidcombe.

At just 73 minutes, “Scareycrows” is missing some of the connective tissue that would make for a stronger film, particularly in defining the relationships of the characters and their interactions. But ultimately, Townsend’s movie is harmless fun.

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