(Scarecrow by Pumpkinrot one of the greatest Halloween artisans I know. I get my Halloween cards from him every year and he makes a new scarecrow to commemorate each All Hallow's Eve)
When I was a child, I was obsessed with scarecrows. I wasn't sure they were effective. It seemed the crows like to use them to rest upon. But, those silent sentinels of country gardens were things of nightmares; a human-like figure crucified against the setting sun between rows of bright green corn stalks....
- Movies With Scarecrows -
The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh
Night of the Scarecrow (my favorite)
Wizard of Oz
Scarecrows (1988)
Jeepers Creepers
Jeepers Creepers 2
Kakashi (2001, Japanese)
Messengers 2: The Scarecrow
Dark Harvest
The Maize
Husk
Psycho Scarecrow
A REAL scarecrow is scary. Not a happy autumnal symbol sold at craft stores in happy clothes with rosy cheeks.
Then there are scarecrow pranks -
Videos to put you in the scarecrow mood -
Had enough scarecrows? Never! There's a terrifying scarecrow short story in my huge horror short anthology book.
"Don't Go There! A Flash Horror Anthology"
Here's a sample of it:
The squeaking scarecrow stands whined around him like pleading children. He couldn’t resist the grim desire to view the spectacle. The amber hazy last bits of sunlight cast on the pumpkin heads making them glow. The wind created a sail effect on the clothing, making each scarecrow seem to inhale and exhale painfully as they pivoted on their poles, arms swinging stiffly to and fro.
If I look at them long enough, they really appear alive!
I made this one with a styrofoam form head, burlap, Elmer's glue mixed with water, some acrylic paints, and a fake bird
Here's a video of how I made this cheap and easy scarecrow head - ready for a body or just an art piece.
Making scarecrows is not a real science, although some folks make them better than others. The basics are the same - T-shaped frame to hang it from, cloth/clothing, and stuffing material. One of the best ones I ever made, I used styrofoam insets from packing boxes for computer stuff. I carved the lightweight styrofoam to make arm, leg and boy shapes. I used a pumpkin carved and a hat for the head and broke tree limbs for feet and hands inside of jeans and a flannel shirt. I used safety pins to hook the clothes together.
You can stuff with balled up newspaper, straw, corn stalks, bent chicken wire, or pillows/pillow stuffing.
Happy scarecrowing!
