‘Amityville Scarecrow’ Review

Stars: Kate Sandison, Amanda-Jade Tyler, Nicola Wright, Andrew Rolfe, Chelsea Greenwood, Sofia Lacey | Written by Shannon Holiday | Directed by Jack Peter Mundy

Following hot on the heels of Amityville Cult, set in Amityville Texas, we now have Amityville Scarecrow, (formerly Amityville Cornfield) and this time Amityville is located in the UK, presumably, it’s the same part of England where The Witches of Amityville live.

Two sisters Mary (Kate Sandison; It Came from Below, Monsters of War) and Tina (Amanda-Jade Tyler; The Mutation, Rise of the Mummy) had a falling out when Tina stole Mary’s husband (Andrew Rolfe; Dragon Fury). But now their mother (Nicola Wright; Hatched) has died and they have to settle her estate, including an abandoned caravan park. Whether to sell it or try to restore and reopen it becomes the least of their worries when they find the scarecrow filled with a dead body rather than straw. Then it starts stalking them and their daughters Lucy (Chelsea Greenwood; Bad Nun: Deadly Vows) and Harriet (Sofia Lacey; Summoning Bloody Mary)

Writer Shannon Holiday (Curse of the Scarecrow, The Leprechaun’s Game) and director Jack Peter Mundy (Dinosaur Hotel, The Legend of Jack and Jill) use the original story of the DeFeo murders as a jumping off point for Amityville Scarecrow’s story. After the murders, the house was demolished but the land itself still bore a curse that led to the death of several little girls by a child molesting handyman. And in what could be called A Scarecrow on Elm Street fashion he was burnt alive in his workshop by his victim’s parents and is now out for revenge.

Unfortunately, entirely too much of Amityville Scarecrow is spent rehashing both the sister’s falling out and the backstory of the land and its curse. And, of course, their connection to these crimes which they’re unaware of for reasons that struck me as more than a little far-fetched, even by horror movie standards. Something that could also be said for how they find out as well.

Once it shows up, the scarecrow is fairly creepy looking even if it’s obviously a man in a mask and costume with straw stuck in it. And, as a supernatural slasher, he at least provides for a decent, if rather bloodless, final act. The caravan park and auto graveyard make sufficiently atmospheric locations for their lethal game of hide and seek. An obviously breathing corpse somewhat lessens the effect, however.

While certainly not as good as some of the more recent films to come from Scott Jeffrey and Jagged Edge productions, Amityville Scarecrow is far from the worst. It’s not the worst film I’ve seen with Amityville in the title either. It’s a watchable low-budget horror with some good moments if you can get through all the talk and soap opera dramatics.

*** 3/5

Amityville Scarecrow is available to stream via ITN Distribution. It’s on several platforms including Tubi for those who have access to it.
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Review originally posted on Voices From the Balcony.