Friday the 13th: The Series (TV Series) Scarecrow (1988) User Reviews

another great episode

[movieman_kev · 8/10 · 30 March 2009]

Micki and Ryan, sans Jack, travel out of state into farmland on a lead on a cursed scarecrow. The deadly scythe-wielding demonic antique can make crops bountiful, but only after it's blood-lust has been sedated by offering up three people, via pinning a photograph to the lapel of it's jacket, to slay.

Another great episode, the monster is suitably scary and this outing just has a pretty good feel to it, even if it takes nearly forever for either Micki or Ryan to put the obvious together. The scarecrow has a big picture of the victim on his jacket. It's not that hard to figure out who his victim will be. Also for the first time Ryan's little brother Jimmy is mentioned, this will come into play later in the series.

My Grade: A

One of the best of the season.

[The_King_of_Cool · 7/10 · 16 September 2017]

Episode 11: Scarecrow- ****

This is when the show started to find its groove after a sluggish start in finding its identity; the first season had some of the weakest episodes, but also some of the strongest and this was one of the stronger episodes. This one has a slasher movie feel with the cursed object being you guessed it a scarecrow. This only features Ryan and Micki and we also get into Ryan's backstory, which plays a large part later in the series. While the pacing can be a little sluggish and the idea isn't fully realized, the small town setting serves up for an eerie feel and the killer scarecrow does provide some nice suspense. Overall an excellent episode and like I said the start of the show fully kicking into high gear. Think of this as a 45-minute slasher film.

heads will roll

[allexand · 6/10 · 6 July 2009]

Micki and Ryan travel to a small farming community when they receive a lead about a cursed scarecrow. Once they arrive, they are told that the scarecrow burned in a fire, but we all know that can't be true because cursed antiques are indestructible...

"Scarecrow" is a pretty good episode, but I wouldn't say it's terrific. It was, interestingly enough, voted the viewers' favorite episode in a marathon on the Chiller channel so apparently I must be in the minority here. Anyway...

The farm residents are very secretive and shifty, so this creates a good atmosphere. However, the innkeeper is perhaps the creepiest of them all and it baffles me that Micki and Ryan would not suspect her from the get-go. Patricia Phillips played a great psychopath but she appeared to play her part TOO well. Even when she smiled and said hello I got the chills. She might as well have worn a big sign that said "Villian."

This episode contains quite a few serious implausibilities. The sheriff just automatically lets Jordan Meeno stay with Micki and Ryan because they can't reach any of his other relatives at the moment. Relatives or no, I can't see even the most podunk sheriff awarding temporary custody of a child to two complete strangers on-the-spot. Trudy Cobean sneaks away at night to go see Micki and Ryan yet she goes on foot. Don't these people have a car? Even in the 1980's most rural people had at least one vehicle. Ryan learns that Marge owns the Cobean's farm by finding a deed... in his barn? Lastly, if Micki is naive enough to leave her purse sitting out she deserves to have her head chopped off.

There are some good moments to be found here. We get to see some graphic footage of some severed heads, and watching the scarecrow suddenly appear in Micki's bedroom and chase her around provide some memorable moments. The scarecrow is quite scary as it looks pretty frightening and has no feeling or remorse about what it does. We get to learn a little about Ryan's background and I must say that Patricia Phillips is an excellent villain even if she can't shake her natural creepiness. I was a little sad that Jack sat this one out.

"Scarecrow," despite its faults, is a good episode. I wouldn't say it's the best of the series as was once voted. The story is definitely interesting as it evokes the practices of lost tribes such as the Incans and Mayans for whom agriculture was king and were willing to sacrifice anything or anyone for it.

Not a Great Episode, But a Good One

[Gislef · 8/10 · 9 August 2020]

The episode benefits from at atmospheric setting, a creepy "antique", and some focus on Ryan's backstory. Specifically, the mention of his dead brother Jimmy, which will come into more play at the premiere of season 3.

The bad things are Micki reduced to a damsel in distress, the obvious telegraphing of the villain, and the over-reliance on the scarecrow. When the two cousins can restrain it, it doesn't come across as much of a threat.

The episode also moves the cousins out into the countryside. Which comes across more as a concept (killer scarecrow) looking for a place. Rather than a natural concept of an antique popping up. Granted, you'd have to put a scarecrow in a farm setting: it's not like it could just pop up in "the city". The scarecrow doesn't make sense as an antique, which is why one gets the impression that Marc Scott Zicree and Larry B. Williams came up with the idea and tried to shoehorn it in.

The fact that there's no backstory tends to support that. Who bought the antique from Lewis? How did it get to the town of Riverdale? And so on. Instead, the cousins (sans Jack) just shows up looking for the scarecrow.

I'm not sure if Zicree and Williams are taking a mickey on the Friday the 13th movies. The scarecrow is as close to an unstoppable blade-wielding killer that can appear wherever it wants, as the series ever got to its supposed source material. However, this tends to make the scarecrow look incompetent by comparison. It takes forever to even try and kill Micki, who avoids it with ease. The use of the raincoat, both by the killer (shades of Mama Voorhees!) and the red herring of the sheriff having a raincoat that throws Micki off the scent, is also reminiscent of the movie.

The idea of the scarecrow targeting its victim by photo is clever, as is how the killer eventually falls victim to her own machinations. Like "Dr. Jack" (which was also authored by Zicree), there's some relatively clever stuff going on here. The photo-target concept is never explained: it's just tossed in as a "hoist on one's own petard" bit.

Patricia Phillips makes a decent killer. She's no Ray Walston, but she's not entirely a leering maniac, either. The bits like her calmly knitting while Micki screams, then her picking up a pair of scissors to deal with Ryan & Company, is good. The end, where she does turn into a scissors-wielding maniac, isn't so good. The bit where she tries to seduce Charlie is just weird.

I don't get the fascination with the missing heads. Who cares where they went? Why is it such a big point of drama, that Micki comments on it to Ryan as they leave town? Is there some significance to the heads that I'm missing?

It seems like there are some loose ends, too. What happens to Jordy at the end? And who does Sheriff Comins think killed Marge? She's decapitated, and Ryan's fingerprints are on the scythe. Does he know about the cursed scarecrow now, or shouldn't Ryan be in jail as a killer?

Overall, "Scarecrow" is an episode that doesn't bear a lot of scrutiny. But then again, most episodes of the series don't. It's got atmosphere in spades, some good portrayals, and a decent concept.

But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?

The Cursed Scarecrow

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 23 March 2024]

Jack is still in Singapore and Ryan and Micki drive to Riverdale in the countryside following a lead of the Cobean farm since Ryan has sent correspondence to several farms looking for the cursed scarecrow. On the arrival, they are not well received by Charlie, but his wife Tudy tries to say something, but her husband stops her. Ryan and Micki decide to stay at Riverdale, and they check in the Longacre Inn that belongs to Marge Longacre. Micki and Ryan find that the cursed scarecrow must kill three persons per harvest to have a great crop. Further, Micki is the next target of the scarecrow.

"Scarecrow" is maybe the best episode so far of "Friday the 13th: The Series". The plot is engaging, with a great story with lots of tension. Micki and Ryan resolve the problem in the end without Jack. Patricia Phillips performs a great villain. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Espantalho" ("The Scarecrow")

one of the best in the entire series

[derlaninktown · 9/10 · 19 March 2021]

Scarecrow is undoubtedly one of the most effective episodes in all three seasons. Despite its flaws, it stands out as an episode with a creepy feel that episodes up to this point lack.

The one thing I felt, however, is that the villain is so obvious from the get go that Micki and Ryan must have looked back on it and realized they were stupid to miss it. I could just see them slapping their foreheads and going 'duh!'. The actress playing her really hammed it up. Yet the overacting actually made the episode more enjoyable. Jack is absent, so maybe that's why they didn't figure it out earlier.

The scarecrow is a suitably creepy looking artifact. It's a complete blank slate, which makes it all the more creepier. The fact that it seems to be able to teleport is unsettling, if a little contrived.

All in all, it's a solid episode. Spooky, campy, and just plain fun. Keep in mind, though, that the low budget still shows and while this was probably the first standout episode of the series, the show was still finding its way. However, with this one, they were definitely on the right path to hitting the show's stride, which they reached a by the end of the season.

Scarecrow Tactics

[hellraiser7 · 9/10 · 6 April 2024]

This episode is an honorable mention in my book. Not much to say as it's sort of a simple slasher episode. But that is part of what makes this episode stand out as Ryan and Nikki never really fought against a slasher. Sure, it's not our main boy Jason Vorhees, which wouldn't make sense as camping grounds are his main Killzone; but I honestly don't mind as long as the slasher is effective, and this slasher doesn't disappoint as he is.

But the other thing is the fact that it's a Scarecrow which is a popular monster in the horror genre but isn't used all that much. There are only a few movies I can think of that feature him two 80's classics "Night of the Scarecrow" and "Scarecrows". It's understandable why people would fear these things, not just of how inhuman they look. But just the thought of inanimate beings moving and having a life of their own.

Really like the design of the scarecrow, which looks like a Gimp as it seems to be all leather wrappings. Which makes it all the creepier, as it just adds to the evil inhuman nature and being it is. Really liked some of the suspenseful situations, like certain close calls to even physical confrontation with it. Sidenote, like the name of the town "Riverdale", in a way this could be a lost episode to that show which ironically would fit right in.

Can Ryan and Nikki overcome this scarecrow, before they become its next harvest, you'll just have to wait and find out.

Rating: 3 and a half stars.

Scarecrows, She Wrote

[saint_brett · 3/10 · 29 October 2022]

Johnny Cage and his son place their faith in a dead relative to look over them when a Scarecrow interrupts and reaper-hooks the father's head into the outfield.

The raincoat wearing killer from 'I know what you did Last Summer' takes great delight in this offering and praises a sun God for bloodshed like the pagan it is.

Due to the lousy 160p quality of this rip, I have to assume that that's either Mary Mastrantonio or Lady Miss Kier and John Cusack. Cusack's dressed like Wahlberg in that "Right Stuff" video.

Why is this associated with 'Friday the 13th' and where's frigging Jason if that's the case?

This chick's got a British accent.

It claimed online that this was 760p quality. This rip is more pixelated than an Atari game and if I'm gonna be borrowing entertainment online I expect higher standards than this. I feel I should be refunded for stolen time as this ain't doing nothing for me. Show's as weak as water.

It plays like an episode of 'Murder, She Wrote.'

Steve Railsback and Snodgress are at it again by teaming up and hating on women just because.

Some other weirdo hides in a closet and snorts muffled obscenities.

Is this gonna get any better? It's killing the spirit of Halloween.

Why are these two city slickers actually in this town for? It's like they're investigating something. But who, or what and why? There's no reason for being.

The only good part comes at the 23:27-minute mark when the doctor from 'Friday the 13th 5' is dressed as a Scarecrow this time and chases Lady Miss Kier like in a scene from 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.'

It's revealed at the end that the Scarecrow only kills people if you insert a photo into his system like a fax machine and -

Um... I fold.

It should have been better than this.

I haven't a clue what any of it meant.

They went in search of their own tails with no leads, or target, or purpose. It's meaningless.

And I shouldn't be subjected to poor online quality entertainment. If I'm gonna be ripping crap online I hope it improves in future.

Let's not have this happening again.