Synopsis
In 1932, in Carson County, West Virginia (or, as the name appears on the screen, “WestVirGINA”), a farmer kills his wife and hangs her up as a scarecrow. Cut to the present, and adistant descendant inherits the cursed property. He and the usual gaggle of teenaged friends headout for the farm, after some wandering around and skinning dipping, are set upon by a demonicscarecrow with glowing eyes.
The film follows the stereotypical slasher plot in perfect lock-step, wi…h nary a variation. Theproduction is also very much an amateur effort, on all levels: performance, cinematography(there is an over-reliance on master shots) and editing. In the latter case, there are two majorways in which the film could be tightened: the conversations don’t cut to the chase — there aretoo many “Hello, how are you?” preliminaries; and the scenes start too early and stop too late(scene opens on an empty setting, characters enter, have conversation, leave). And even with allthis padding, the film itself is only 77 minutes long, with 10 minutes of credits and outtakes. Thegore effects are primitive, but at least they are enthusiastic. As amateur releases go, this is a stepup from SICK, but only just.
Audio
Nonexistent budget notwithstanding, the sound is pretty good. Arriving in both 5.1 and 2.0versions, it is clean and clear. The music sounds fine, and there are some nice surround moments(primarily bird and insect songs).
Video
The film’s budget is much more painfully apparent here. The picture is extremely grainy.Some of the close-ups are cleaner, with stronger colours, but generally everything about the lookof the film reveals the limitations under which it was made. The picture is, at least 1.78:1anamorphic widescreen.
Special Features
You have a handful of horror film trailers, and some liner notes. The menu, whose mainscreen and transitions are animated and scored, is the most elaborate feature of the disc.
Closing Thoughts
The story is unoriginal, but the filmmakers also show a commendable enthusiasm.Professional work might yet be in their future, but this isn’t it.
Special Features List
- Liner Notes
- Trailers
