The Scarecrow

The same night our fowls were stolen, Daphne Moran had her throat cut.

– Martyn Sanderson, narrating a slightly reworded version of author Ronald Hugh Morrieson's famous opening line

The story he [Ronald Hugh Morrieson] wrote was about my childhood, and the country I live in: tedious, comic, bizarre; amazing, frightening, silly. I knew the places, the characters and the events, and I wanted to make them come alive.

– Director Sam Pillsbury on his reaction after reading Ronald Hugh Morrieson's novel The Scarecrow

The Scarecrow enters deep into the Gothic mood only to cheerfully reject it.... The Scarecrow is often downright grotesque, but ultimately it regards small towns with an impartial affection.

– Nicholas Reid, in his 1986 book A Decade of New Zealand Film - Sleeping Dogs to Came a Hot Friday