''The Scarecrow'' is a 1982 New Zealand film, also known as ''Klynham Summer'' in America. It was directed by

Sam Pillsbury Sam Pillsbury is an American film director, producer, and winemaker. Life and Career Massachusetts-raised Sam Pillsbury emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 14. At age 23 he began working for the government-owned National Film Unit of New ...

based on the 1963 horror novel by New Zealand author

Ronald Hugh Morrieson Ronald Hugh Morrieson (29 January 1922 – 26 December 1972) was a novelist and short story writer in the New Zealand vernacular, who was little known in his home country until after his death. He earned his living as a musician and music teacher ...

.Moria.co.nz
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Plot

One night a girl is slain in the woods of a small town, two teenagers, Sam and Les, inadvertently cross the killer's path while robbing the hens of Victor the school bully. According to Sam Edwards the film is not as bleak as the novel. Small-town New Zealand in the 1950s is puritanical on the surface but depraved to its depths.

Cast

* Jonathan Smith as Ned Poindexter *

Tracy Mann Tracy Mann is an Australian actress and voice artist. After appearing in a number of television series, she won an Australian Film Institute award in 1980 for the film '' Hard Knocks'' . She has also won awards for her work in the mini-seri ...

as Prudence Poindexter * Daniel McLaren as Les Wilson *

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later J ...

as Hubert Salter * Bruce Allpress as Uncle Athol * Philip Holder as Constable Ramsbottom * Stephen Taylor as Herbert Poindexter *

Desmond Kelly Desmond Anthony Carl Kelly (2 July 1936 - 29 April 2023) was a Sri-Lankan-born Australian musician and actor who has entertained in Sri Lanka and in Australia. Songs on Radio Ceylon Kelly was one of a group of musicians who were discovered by R ...

as Mr. Poindexter * Anne Flannery as Mrs. Poindexter * Denise O'Connell as Angela Potroz *

Jonathan Hardy Jonathan Hardy (20 September 1940 – 30 July 2012) was a New Zealand-Australian film and television actor, writer and director. Early career Hardy was born in Wellington and began his training at the New Zealand Players' Drama School. He tr ...

as Charlie Dabney *

Martyn Sanderson Martyn Sanderson (24 February 1938 – 14 October 2009) was a New Zealand actor, director, producer, writer and poet. Sanderson was described as one of the founding fathers of modern theatre in New Zealand. In New Zealand he had appearances i ...

as Ned as Adult (voice) *

Greer Robson Greer Robson (born 16 October 1971) is a New Zealand television actress well known for her role in the television drama ''Shortland Street''. Biography Greer first came to prominence in the 1981 New Zealand film '' Smash Palace'' starring as Ge ...

as Lynette *

Roy Billing Roy Harwood Billing (born 1947) is a New Zealand television actor, now based on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. He was brought up in Ruawai, Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. Billing spent almost three decades living and working in Austral ...

as Mr. Potroz * Greg Naughton as Victor Lynch *

Mark Hadlow Mark Selwyn Hadlow (born 1957) is a New Zealand actor and comedian, perhaps best known internationally for playing the roles of Harry in ''King Kong'' and Dori, a dwarf, in ''The Hobbit'' series. Early life Hadlow was born in Australia, in th ...

as Sam Finn

References

*''Scarecrow: A Film Study Guide'' by Brian McDonnell (1982, Longman Paul Auckland) *''New Zealand Film 1912–1996'' by Helen Martin & Sam Edwards p. 81 (1997, Oxford University Press, Auckland)

External links

*
''The Scarecrow'' at NZonScreen (with video extracts)
1982 films New Zealand horror films Films based on New Zealand novels Films directed by Sam Pillsbury 1980s English-language films 1982 directorial debut films {{1980s-horror-film-stub