Messengers 2: The Scarecrow

Messengers 2: The Scarecrow is a 2009 American supernatural horror film, starring Norman Reedus, Claire Holt, and Erbi Ago. The film serves as a prequel to The Messengers. It was directed by Martin Barnewitz, and was released direct-to-video on DVD and Blu-ray on July 21, 2009.

Plot
The film opens with a woman running through the corn fields from an unseen foe, who kills her.

John Rollins, the head of the Rollins family, struggles to save his farm and hold his family together. He is in debt, the corn fields are dying out because the irrigation system isn't working, and crows are eating the cobs. His friend, a financial adviser, is trying to convince him to sell the land albeit for his own convenience. One day, John discovers a secret door in his barn, where he finds a strange scarecrow. After placing it in the field, his luck changes, but this also activates a horrific curse. While crops begin to grow, he begins to find dead birds in the field as well as a little girl who appears out of nowhere.

Several people begin dying, including the financial adviser. John encounters a new neighbor, Jude Weatherby, who seems to know more than he appears to about the scarecrow. John burns the scarecrow at the cost of missing his therapy session with his wife, damaging their relationship further. He goes to Jude for advice and meets Jude's wife Miranda instead. Miranda drugs John and rapes him. John feels guilty, made no better by his wife believing he's cheating on her.

John realizes his family has forsaken him for not living up to his promises, then discovers that Jude and Miranda are the ghosts of the farm's former owners. They had evoked a voodoo curse to aid them, and tell John that he must let the scarecrow kill his family. The scarecrow does whatever is necessary to safeguard the land and ensure its master's crops reach their potential. It will destroy anyone who gets in the way of this, and seeing that John's family is a distraction to his farming, the scarecrow targets them.

John's wife suspects that John assaulted the sherriff and killed the other men who died. Believing he has gone mad, she attempts to get her children out. Her young son, Michael, who has been aware of the scarecrow all along, goes to aid his father, and the rest see the scarecrow come to life. The Scarecrow kills the sheriff and attacks the Rollins' daughter. John manages to subdue the Scarecrow and Michael runs it over with the tractor. The family then destroys the scarecrow.

Production
Filming began April 2008 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Martin Barnewitz was attached to direct Messengers 2: The Scarecrow.

Reception
Like its predecessor, the film was panned by critics. The reception ranges from 4.8 according to Internet Movie Database. According to audiences the movie carries a 17% Rotten rating.