Scarecrow

In a cornfield, Mitch narrates the tale of Lester Dwervick, a social outcast who endures ridicule at school and a grim home life. The story explains how a demeaning teacher and a drunken mother leave Lester with little hope, so he clings to drawings of birds as a private escape. The setup establishes the eerie mood and the sense that an evil lies hidden in the fields.

Lester is picked on by bullies at Emerald Grove High School while his mother drifts between drunkenness and instability at the trailer park. The only person who won't torment him is Judy Patterson, the local sheriff's daughter, which fuels both hope and loneliness. His private solace remains in drawings of birds.

At The French Bulldog, Judy defends Lester during a harassment incident, but her intervention backfires with consequences. She tells her boss about the abuse, and she ends up being fired as a result. The incident intensifies the sense of injustice surrounding Lester's life.

Driven home after the confrontation, Judy vents her frustration about Morgan and decides to walk the rest of the way home. Lester thanks Judy for standing up for him, deepening their complicated bond. That night, he draws a bird of paradise as a private gesture of repayment.

Morgan persuades Judy to attend a party, while Lester endures harassment from his mother's newest boyfriend back at the trailer. Judy eventually goes to the party, where she reappears with news that she was kissed by one of Lester's bullies. Distraught, Lester goes to the party to see Judy again and then runs away when he confronts the moment.

That night, in a fit of rage, Lester confronts his mother's boyfriend and is dragged into the cornfields outside their home. He strangles him to death and hangs the body, staging it as a suicide near a scarecrow. The act marks the beginning of Lester's descent into vengeance.

Following the murder, the scarecrow in the cornfield seems to come alive and begins a killing spree. One night, a drunken man is decapitated with a scythe, and more victims are found nearby. The town notices blood on the scarecrow and at the field, fueling rumors of a haunted harvest.

The killings escalate as two more victims fall to the scarecrow’s blade, including the bully who kissed Judy, who is slain when a corn cob is driven through his neck. Lester's former teacher is murdered by impalement with a metal pointing stick, and Lester's mother's latest boyfriend is killed with a frying pan. The body count and horror spread through Emerald Grove.

The scarecrow heads to The French Bulldog and burns his former boss’s face on a hot stove, extending its vengeance beyond the fields. The town's investigators struggle to explain the bizarre violence. The haunting feeling grows as more clues point to Lester’s terrifying legacy.

Police visit Lester's mother and hear of a town haunted by an evil presence, while Farmer Hayley speculates about a supernatural force. They begin piecing together a pattern from the string of murders, but evidence remains elusive. The sense of dread tightens its grip on Emerald Grove.

That night the scarecrow decapitates the cemetery caretaker with a shovel, extending its reach into sacred ground. Fear spreads as residents realize that no place is safe from the killer in the fields. The scarecrow’s power seems to know no bounds.

The scarecrow tracks down Judy and confronts her, resulting in a tense struggle with the two pursuing cops. Judy pours gasoline on the scarecrow and sets him alight, seemingly ending the nightmare. Yet the air remains thick with dread as survivors tremble at what has occurred.

Mitch narrates that Lester’s legend has made him stronger, but the terror lingers as survivors recount their fates. He lists Stephanie’s break with reality, Farmer Hayley’s faith, Lester's mother’s pregnancy, and Judy’s pursuit of college with Morgan. Mitch hints at a surprise ending, whispering Lester’s name, and the scarecrow suddenly descends to kill the two remaining youths, ending this chapter with macabre laughter.