Scarecrows: Childhood Fears
Christine Hayton
Samhain Publishing
May 5, 2015
Reviewed by Tim Potter
Scarecrows: Childhood Fears by Christine Hayton is one of four new novellas comprising Samhain Horror’s new Childhood Fears project. From the original call for submissions:
“Ah, childhood. A time of innocence, wonder…and unbridled terror. Childhood fears. We all had them. Maybe it was clowns. A particular toy. Something under the bed? Or that creepy house at the end of the block. Admit it, there was something that scared you.”
In Scarecrows, the titular monsters haunt the thoughts of young Cathy in the years leading up to her seventh year. Her bedroom overlooks a neighbor’s cornfield, where she is convinced she sees scarecrows stalking the night and killing people. The root of her terror is interestingly due to her father who tells her the scarecrows will get her if she ventures into the dangerous field. Though her father told her about the scarecrow for her own protection, to keep her out of the realistically dangerous area, the fear in imparts has tragic consequences.
The novella opens with a very strong scene as Cathy’s parents wake to find her missing from her bedroom and home during the night. This is made all the more frightening due to the fact that Cathy’s friend has just gone missing in the days prior. Robert, Cathy’s father, soon finds the girls out in the cornfield. Cathy’s friend is dead and it seems clear that Cathy has killed her. Cathy insists that the scarecrows killed her friend, an assertion that leads to her being institutionalized.
The idea of “Childhood Fears” is at play here in more ways than the obvious. Not only is the clear fear of scarecrows here, but fears about childhood and child rearing are present as well. The parents fear for their daughter getting lost and hurt in the cornfield is central to forming her scarecrow fear. Also, the fear of having a child who does something horrible, or having a child who suffers from a serious mental illness, are addressed. This is the most interesting part of the story, the interplay of numerous fears from and about childhood.
Most of the characters are sharp and clear individuals, Cathy is a very real young girl and her father Robert’s love and fears for his daughter are, at times, painful. Cathy’s guardian at the institution is a great character and Cathy’s best friend and neighbor Jimmy is a highlight of the tale. While the main characters have strong, well-defined arcs, one of the weak points of the book is that Cathy’s elder brother and one of her doctors just drop out of the story with no reason to have been there in the first place.
The book’s conclusion is generally satisfying, with the story of Cathy and her parents coming together very nicely. The tragedy surrounding her best friend Jimmy and his family also brings good closure. The idea of letting go of childhood fears and realizing what really is out in the world to be feared brings this entertaining novella full circle.
