Husk (R)

Based on an indy short by filmmaker Brett Simmons, “Husk” was released in 2011 to limited fanfare and publicity, and with good reason. A remake of the 1998 movie “Scarecrows,” “Husk” offers a seemingly taut run time of 1:23, but its predictable scares and boring plot make it feel much longer.

The atmosphere itself is solid for scares; an old farm house in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a menacing corn field. A recipe that has been used a time or 2 before and with good reason – There’s just something about the brooding nature of a corn field, plants that tower over people and block out the sun on even the brightest of days, that makes them perfect for horror fodder.

“Husk” follows 5 friends en route to a vacation. The scares are on from the start when their vehicle is savagely attacked by a murder of crows and breaks down amidst the menacing stalks of corn, guarded over by seemingly lifeless scarecrows.

In true horror style, the characters are stupid, shallow, and unlikable in virtually every way. Jock Brian (Wes Chatham) is the alpha leader, and his girlfriend Natalie (Tammin Sursok) is vapid and pretty. They don’t interact like a couple, and predictable tension is included in the form of bad boy Chris (CJ Thomason), who was once involved with Natalie. Yawn.

Devon Graye plays the bespectacled nerd, and the only member of the group who gains insight into the origins of the haunted cornfield, but doesn’t seem to be an organic fit with the rest of the boorish group.

“Husk” has the expected jump moments, and an old run down house with rudimentary farm equipment is a great setting. Scarecrows themselves are eerie beings that have a lifeless presence on their own. But it misses with its predicable plot, gross out scenes, and typical characters with no development.

The psychological value of uncanny valley is lost completely by athletic scarecrows and zombies that belong pushing through defenders on a football field and not stalking victims in a corn maze.

In the end, “Husk” should have remained a short, it could have saved even more time.

by – Matt Christopher