As usual, spoilers (and scarecrows) ahead.
I think we can all agree that the scarecrow subgenre could use more good stories.
In fact, Scarecrow’s output is embarrassingly low as far as the horror subgenre goes.You have your Goosebumps, your Batman villains, and a few books Quality varies, but that’s about it.
It’s such a shame. Scarecrows are the perfect horror bad guys: they scream Halloween. Next time you see a scarecrow, I dare you not to hear the crunching of autumn leaves or to imagine brightly glowing jack-o’-lanterns at the edge of a dark, silent hay field.
So why don’t more people try scarecrows?My theory is that people don’t really know what to do Do Follow them. Would you let them become a damned person whose damned soul is placed inside a scarecrow? Has anyone read a spell that brings a scarecrow back to life? Are they really demons wearing hats and stealing people’s eyes?
Scarecrows are truly the creepiest when they’re still, so how do you keep them scary while advancing the plot?
I’ve always thought the key to the Scarecrow story was the horror of the backcountry. No matter what angle you approach the scary farm decorations from, place them in a remote setting surrounded by other characters who are suspicious of outsiders. It’s a popular scene that’s beloved by readers and gives the author a lot of room for creativity.Author Rich Tankersley Cusick seems to agree with me because of his story scarecrow Opened on a farm in the Ozark Mountains. . .
scarecrow The story begins when our hero Pam wakes up in a strange home. She was weak, had a bandage on her head, and was disoriented. Rachel, the affable matriarch, tells Pam she’s been in a car accident. Rachel’s husband, the aloof Seth, rescues her and takes her home.
Pam was grateful, but she was also confused. How did they find her? Well, it turns out that their youngest child, Jilly, has a gift – some vague psychic power that’s never fully explained, but means she can read minds, foresee the future, and… Can heal people (???) – which makes her see that Pam is in trouble. In fact, Geary said she knew Pam was coming.
All Pam wants to do now is go home, but Rachel tells her she doesn’t have the strength to make the trip and there’s no power or phone at the farm, so she can’t call anyone here. Pam didn’t put up any resistance and stayed.Soon she meets Rachel and Seth’s other child, shy Mika WHO Only one hand and Franny, Rachel’s 18-year-old sister.
As the days pass, Pam comes to understand the situation (and we do so in a never-ending series of descriptions) and even begins to help around the house. She still wants to go home, but seems a little uneasy when she learns that the family carriage is broken down and that she must wait for the distant neighbor’s annual visit with his work carriage.
Instead of asking for an alternative, Pam decided to check out the scarecrow at home. Every spring, each family member makes a scarecrow and then burns it in the fall to prevent something bad from happening. Pam thought their work was excellent and was not at all intimidated by Girlie’s resemblance to her. But the real resistance is Franny’s creation. Franny’s scarecrow is six feet tall, has cowhide skin, and looks so human that Pam almost mistakes it for Seth. It was a masterpiece, and Franny decided to hide it instead of burning it with the others.
bad idea.
Soon, everyone heard the sound of shuffling feet in the night, and Pam kept seeing people sneaking around near the edge of the woods.
That’s creepy enough, but then Micah finds Pam alone and promises to help her escape. He told her it wasn’t safe for her there. “Do you think you’re number one?”
That night, Pam went to the barn to meet Micah, only to find Seth waiting for her. Seth tells her that Micah is actually a deranged killer and that if he hadn’t intercepted his son, Pam would have been killed. Pam completely believed this crazy story, thanked Seth for saving her life again, and went back to bed, because that’s how people behave.
Oh yeah, Seth found the hidden scarecrow somewhere nearby and burned it, but he also said it might be too late to stop something bad from happening. Damn it.
Things went from WTF to WTAF when Micah was found dead. It looked like someone or something pushed him off a cliff. Could it be Franny’s scarecrow?
Everyone is sad and then Pam and Seth “make love” in a super problematic way where she says “no” but maybe means “yes” but also maybe not like a total “yes”. Probably more like “yes” since the book was published in 1990 by a male author who had never been contacted. actually Talk about sex with a woman. This shit makes my blood boil.
Oh, and it all happens just so Seth can show Pam a cave full of unmarked graves of Micah’s past victims. Um.
Anyway, after a million chapters of who-knows-what exactly happened, Seth disappeared while searching for a lost cow. Then Franny followed suit. All Pam can think about is “Where is everyone?” and then realizes Franny is locked in a trunk in her room (???). They take her out, but she’s in a frightened coma and no one can get her out of it.
Then Rachel decided to go find her husband. Pam then decided to take Gilly to find them both.
In the process of searching, they eventually entered the previous tomb. Girlie starts digging into one of them, which gives Pam a chance to see that the victim was strangled by someone with two hands, so it couldn’t be Micah since Micah only had one hand! OMG! Was it always Seth?
They return home just in time for a final confrontation, but don’t worry Cusick has another trick up his sleeve. When Pam defeats Seth, it turns out he’s not the murderer after all! No, the killer is the only one who truly has no motive to kill, no matter how hard Cusick tries. Yes, it’s Rachel.
She just wants everything to stay the way it is (???), so she kills to keep it that way. That’s fine, but, it’s like nothing has changed, so…
Let’s do the math.
Death toll – 5
Scenes of everyone making friends and doing housework – 60000000
Killer Scarecrow – 0
There is no killer scarecrow. none.
The good, the bad, and the crap of the genre are all showcased in this book.
- Beautiful (and endless) descriptions of fall weather (good)
- Weak, misogynistic portrayal of every female character (bad)
- The mysterious title character spends most of his time off-screen (good)
- Rape used as motivation for lazy character (cow shit)
It breaks my heart that Cusick came so close to writing a good book. If he had kept his plot moving while pushing himself to ditch the poor horror tropes of the day, he would have created the bible of scarecrow horror.
I need to take a moment to highlight Cusick’s writing style. His near-constant use of the passive voice is maddening, and his lack of simplicity in his words is astounding. For example, while characters can scan a room with their eyes, they never scan a room.
He also seemed to compulsively use inappropriate verbs. I’m all for people being creative with language, but not all verbs are created equal. In other books, the character’s heart might beat, or even swell, with fear, but in this book, the character’s heart might beat, even swell with fear. explode and breathing smash. I’m not saying it’s wrong to say that, but it makes for an embarrassing read: “Pam’s heart exploded…” Oh! Did it do that? So is this book finished?
in the end, scarecrow A nice try from an author who could have used some help. I wouldn’t recommend it to the average horror fan. However, if you’re like me and crave more scarecrow stories, you might find it worth checking out. After all, maybe it will inspire you to create better scarecrow stories of your own. I will read them.
score: 2/5
