Supernatural Scarecrow Terror Arrives in ‘Strawstalker’

A social media obsessed couple find themselves hunted by a supernatural scarecrow in Strawstalker, a new found footage horror now streaming across North America.

The latest feature from writer, director and actor George Henry Horton follows Henry and Haley, an image-conscious content creator pair who relocate to an affluent Los Angeles neighbourhood marketed as the safest place to live. Intent on documenting every moment of their carefully curated lifestyle, the couple soon discover their new surroundings are hiding something far more sinister than suburban perfection.

The pair become the targets of an ancient scarecrow entity that feeds on deception and begins exposing the lies underpinning both their online personas and personal relationship. What initially appears to be a bizarre prank rapidly escalates into something deadly, with the mysterious figure stalking the couple while their cameras continue recording every unsettling encounter.

Released through Indie Rights and backed by Horton’s production banner Dark Atlantic, Strawstalker leans heavily into the self-aware side of modern found footage horror while embracing the theatricality of classic scarecrow creatures. Horton described the film as an attempt to balance genuine tension with a knowingly camp tone, explaining that scarecrows remain an underused horror image despite their inherently unsettling appearance.

Horton also stars in the film alongside Branika Scott, Vincent Ranola, Dallas Steinback, Emily Rafala and Gary Kasper. The filmmaker produced the project with longtime collaborator Ryan Scaringe, whose previous genre credits include Send a Scare and The Djinn.

While the film embraces supernatural horror, its premise also draws from contemporary internet culture, particularly the performative nature of influencer lifestyles and the pressure to transform every personal experience into content. The fictional Oak Bridge neighbourhood is presented almost as a stage set, with its silence, surveillance and forced perfection gradually becoming part of the horror itself.

The found footage approach places audiences directly inside the couple’s increasingly unstable world, using handheld cameras and staged livestream-style footage to blur the line between performance and reality. The titular creature reportedly acts less like a traditional slasher villain and more like an ominous judge, targeting people hiding behind manufactured identities.

Horton, a British filmmaker now based in Los Angeles, previously built an online following through comedy projects before shifting towards genre filmmaking. A graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory and member of the Producers Guild of America, he has spent recent years developing independent horror and science fiction features through Dark Atlantic.

Lead actor Branika Scott, who plays Haley, previously trained in theatre before relocating to Los Angeles following studies at the University of Virginia. Co-star Dallas Steinback has appeared in projects including Hysperia and Still Waiting in the Wings.

Strawstalker is now available to rent or purchase digitally across North America, including through Prime Video.

Strawstalker trailer