, , , , , , , , ,   One of the challenges with older TV movies
was making a movie scary while placating the network censors.
This is a balancing act that Dark Night of the Scarecrow does
memorably. The story of a childlike mentally disabled man who is
wrongfully accused of the death of his young friend, and who is
himself killed by hateful vigilantes who escape traditional
justice, is a classic TV terror favorite.  Farm horror is great
for two reasons: obviously there are many terrible ways to die
on a farm, what with all the dangerous equipment, but there’s
also the fact that people in a farming community are thought to
have “everyman” looks, so a movie like this is a great place for
character actors to thrive. If you’ve ever appreciated Charles
Durning, you will do so here, because as the leader of the group
of killers he makes you love to hate him.  The scene that stands
out most in my mind is when fellow character actor (and for
purposes of this movie, fellow killer) Lane Smith dies in his
own brush machi