Nature's Revenge: Halloween Horror Nights and Unexpected Environmentalism

Written by: LeeAnne Nakamura, Staff Writer

While the end of spooky season is here, what people consider as the beginning of their spooky season arguably differs. For some it’s October 1st or September 22nd, the first official day of fall, or perhaps when the summer heat finally begins to turn into the cool of autumn. However, if you’re a theme park enthusiast, spooky season and the start of Halloween events can begin as early as mid-August or early September (looking at you Walt Disney World and your August 12th Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party). This is the case for Halloween Horror Nights, held at Universal Studios Orlando and Hollywood, who began their seasons on September 3rd and 8th of this year, respectively.

Halloween Horror Nights offers a mix of horror houses/mazes, scare zones to walk through, and a few entertainment options. Following a recent trend, most of the houses are based on an IP (intellectual property) or pop-culture, such as this year’s Halloween house and Universal Monsters house, as well as houses themed after The Weeknd’s After Hours videos and recent Blumhouse films. Interestingly, there are several original houses on both coasts this year based in specific time periods, such as Spirit of the Coven and Universal Horror Hotel both set in the roaring 20s, Bugs: Eaten Alive set in the 50s, and the house that we will focus on, Scarecrow: The Reaping, set in the 30s.

Scarecrow: The Reaping has the tagline “Fear is About to Be Sown” and its official description is as follows: “At an abandoned Depression-era farm, vengeance takes root. The scarecrows are avenging the ravaged land. In this all-new haunted house, the only harvest that will be reaped is your scream squad.” One detail that I am bummed was left out of the official description is that this farm is not just set in the Depression-era, but specifically during the Dust Bowl as mentioned during the house’s announcement at Midsummer Scream, an annual Halloween and horror convention that typically takes place in July. In fairness, this house or farm being set specifically during the Dust Bowl can probably be figured out, through interior set dressings and the outfits worn by the farm’s inhabitants, it still seems odd that this detail is missing when it plays such an integral part in the house and its story. This is due to much of the horror coming from the idea of nature taking revenge against humans as opposed to the horrors of economic collapse.

When approaching Scarecrow: The Reaping, we are met with a façade that shares a resemblance to Depression/Dust Bowl era farms. The photographs of Dorothea Lange were specifically mentioned as inspiration for the house’s exterior, which when compared side-by-side to each other, is clearly visible. Upon entering the farmhouse, you are met with a run-down interior covered with vines, and because there is a hallway that welcomes you into the house before entering the first showroom, this section somewhat serves as a transition between the present and the 1930s. Is this hallway literally leading into the middle of the scarecrows and nature’s siege of the farm? Or is it symbolic, with this hallway transporting us from 2022 back to the 1930s, and what plays out in the rest of the house serving as the reason why it is now abandoned?

Tractored Out, Childress County, Texas by Dorothea Lange.

Scarecrow: The Reaping house exterior by Simon Thompson.

While there may be support for either interpretation, or a combination of the two, upon leaving the entry hallway, we are met with the first signs of the scarecrows’ revenge. Thus, the interpretation of entering this farmhouse in the middle of the scarecrows reclaiming the house and land seems to have more weight. This is because the first showroom is of the farm’s dining room, with the family living on the land around a table, some of whom have fallen face down onto the table while the remaining members appear to have been stuffed with corn, but all appearing recently deceased. Additionally, in the dining room, along with this room including the first presence of the human family, this is also the first time we come face to face with any of the attacking scarecrows. This visual of a corn stuffed family member with a scarecrow lingering nearby, most likely responsible for the act or ensuring they will not come back to life, is a motif that will be seen several times as we make our way through the rest of the house.

Scarecrow: The Reaping "Full Cast" courtsey of the author.

Going back to the history of this house, Scarecrow: The Reaping is set during the Dust Bowl, and when looking at what could be considered some inspiration behind the look of the farm, or photographs from Dorothea Lange and other images from the time, one significant thing is missing. In photographs of the fields and farms located in the lower part of the Great Plains region, the presence of scarecrows is nonexistent. This led me to start wondering: What is the connection?

Dust Bowl Farm, Coldwater District, near Dalhart, Texas by Dorothea Lange.

Dust farm, photographer unknown.

The first thing I wanted clarification for was if scarecrows were still in use at the time of the Dust Bowl since they seemed absent from photos taken during that time. Yes, scarecrows were used up until the end of WWII, which was when humans started turning to pesticides to protect their crops from being destroyed by animals or diseases. With the idea of nature taking its revenge against humans, and the current knowledge of how harmful pesticides can be to the land itself, this could serve as another reason scarecrows are attacking this farmhouse and its occupants. I also learned that to some farmers, scarecrows are seen as symbols of the death and resurrection of crops. To look into this symbolism through the horror lens employed in this house, then I argue the scarecrows are bringing about the death of humans and their disruption of the land for the resurrection of crops and to allow nature to heal.

With the specificity of this house being set during the Dust Bowl, there is also a sense of duality over what specifically caused the Dust Bowl and how it affects the exact horrors of Scarecrow: The Reaping. On one hand, if viewing the Dust Bowl as a result of drought, high temperatures, and wind erosion, or the work of mother nature, we can view this maze as leaning into the aesthetics of its setting and heightening some of this era’s most recognizable aspects. With this same view as the Dust Bowl being caused by nature, we can also view this house as nature manifesting its fury over humans’ misuse of the land. On the other hand, viewing the Dust Bowl as a human-made disaster leads to the interpretation that the horrors of this maze are due to humankind’s own mismanagement of the land as it falls into the mercy of nature’s wrath.

With so many movies and franchises to choose from as inspiration for one of eight houses to be featured at Hollywood’s Horror Nights, I can’t help but wonder why was this theme, this idea chosen? Being an original house, Scarecrow: The Reaping has no pre-established villain or terror that guests are familiar with. Scarecrow: The Reaping has no Michael Myers, Wolfman, or Killer Klowns to chase and scare. Instead, we are faced with scarecrows that can be interpreted as trying to protect and take back the land abused and neglected by man.

Many factors lead to this house’s relevance as a warning from the past to see what happens when humans choose not to properly take care of the Earth. Think back to this house’s connection to nature through the Dust Bowl and the actual purposes of scarecrows, along with the perspective that the Dust Bowl was human-made. And from there, to look at the world now, where climate change and global warming are pressing issues that are once again human-made. The reason Scarecrow: The Reaping was chosen is not the same reason other houses were chosen for Halloween Horror Nights. There is no high demand from guests. Duality is at play constantly. As we walk through Scarecrow: The Reaping, we are in that 1930s farmhouse being hunted by the scarecrows for mishandling the land. Or perhaps, we are walking through this house, being pushed and reminded by the scarecrows stuck in the 30s, to do something in 2022 that will protect and help restore nature.