Scarecrow

A crude dummy whose threadbare clothing is stuffed with rags or straw represents the prototypical scarecrow in popular culture (although there's actually a wide range of tactics used to discourage granivorous birds). When such a figure finds its way into genre movies, it almost always turns out to be a maniac or serial killer.

Whether it's a realistic scenario (a man wearing a costume) or a supernatural event in which a real scarecrow somehow comes to life, we're facing a frightening being with dubious intentions, unless of course we're talking about the clumsy, cheerful character from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (1900).

But given the scope of this website, we're unlikely to run into that particular scarecrow. Instead, this Tag will serve to assemble a collection of sci-fi and/or horror films featuring scarecrows armed with billhooks and pitchforks; rudimentary figures standing sentry in fields, ready to spring to life and eviscerate unfortunate passersby; and crazed killers dressed as stereotypical scarecrows, with patched clothing, straw hat, and possibly a crude burlap sack covering his face, as in the case of Jonathan Crane.

Trivia: the scarecrow capital of the world is Béville-le-Comte, a community of about 1,500 souls located in northern France.