The Scarecrow Nose

DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW, which is finally coming out [officially] on DVD, has always been a favorite of mine. A tragic story, great performances, and some very creepy directing garnered it a cult following. The traditional design for the scarecrow featured in the film had a simplistic brilliance to it. Was in a bookstore a few weeks ago pouring over the horror mags and I stumbled across an article in HorrorHound discussing the story of how the made-for-television classic came about. It featured a great interview with the movie's writer and creator J.D. Feigelson. I was shocked to see his original design for the scarecrow. A chilling feature had been removed for the final screen-seen strawman - a wooden nose. I was probably way too excited by this. I felt like I stumbled upon a great secret (and in a way I had - these were exclusive photos that hadn't been released before). I have to admit that I absolutely loved the original design, and wished it had been used for the final prop. Sprigs of straw accented the top of the scarecrow's head, and his silent-screaming mouth was more pronounced and angry. It was a great lesson in prop design and it showed how something as innocent as a wooden nose on a scarecrow can make such a huge impact on the emotions of a prop. No doubt about it - I'll be making a replica of this stunning man at some point in my life. Probably sooner rather than later. HorrorHound.com