It’s been hard for me keeping the details of THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW reunion (which took place last July at the FRIGHT NIGHT FILM FESTIVAL in Kentucky) quiet this long, but I just had to wait for the right moment. With the Halloween season now firmly at hand and the anticipated release of the film on blu-ray THIS week, at last the stars are in perfect alignment for the story to finally be told!
I was standing in the lobby of the main hotel at FRIGHT NIGHT FILM FEST when a young man came up to me and asked if I was Dave from TERROR FROM BEYOND THE DAVES. Although I didn’t recognize him, it turned out that he and I had met before during a brief, but memorable, moment at Horrorhound Weekend last March.
I remember at the time, the other Dave (David Albaugh) and I were standing in line to see Barbara Steele. Nobody likes being idle when there is so much to do around you, so we passed the time doing what we do best under these circumstances- staring at folks! Yes, both David and I consider ourselves to be avid “people watchers,” a skill that, no doubt, is something one the develops during an introverted, shy youth and gradually hones over time. While most people think the best subjects can be found at Walmart (as illustrated by the numerous viral emails that go around depicting the less refined members of their clientelle) it really doesn’t matter where you are nor the socio-ecominic satus of your subjects. The fact remains that we people, on the whole, are pretty darn funny!
Shortly after the last Horrorhound Weekend in Indianapolis, I had a nice email exchange with J.D. Feigelson – writer of one of my all-time favorite films, DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW. Feigelson had treated both David and I like royalty after already honoring us by posting his positive feedback on a blog I had written last year. That piece was regarding the long-awaited DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW DVD release (see both original post & comment HERE).
A couple months back I wrote a piece regarding DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW and how pleased I was that it had finally been released in digital (DVD) form (which you can read HERE). A couple weeks later, I was ecstatic when the film’s writer himself, J.D. Feigelson, commented on it. Most of the feedback we receive on TERROR FROM BEYOND THE DAVES is via Facebook or direct email. Of course we appreciate all comments but are particularly pleased when people take the time to comment directly on the blog. I was very happy that J.D. had been alerted to story and that he appeared to have liked it. I quickly wrote him back asking if he’d mind doing an interview for the site and he honored me by agreeing to do so.
There are many films which I would deem long overdue in terms of getting an official DVD release. Of that list of rare gems, DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW was always listed near the top. This made-for-TV thriller premiered in October of 1981. I was eleven years old at the time, and an avid fan of horror. Unfortunately in that pre-VCR/cable and “too young to see R Rated films” world, there was little to satisfy my appetite. I remember seeing the television previews and being determined not to miss it. A full hour before the movie started (courtesy of CBS) I had carefully laid blankets on the floor of my bedroom while positioning my 13 inch Black & White television for optimum viewing. My efforts were not in vain as I was totally blown away by this film! Continue reading
Terror from Beyond the Dave 