Dad’s do-it-yourself project is cleverly terrifying.
Scarecrows are supposed to be scary. “Scare” is right there in their name after all…but then again, so is “crow,” and not to pat ourselves on the back too much, but we humans do like to pride ourselves on being braver than birds (and also better at Yu-Gi-Oh!, but that’s a topic for another time). Even still, one man in Japan’s Akita Prefecture didn’t stop at creating just a scarecrow that would frighten away crows, but one that can terrify humans too.
The above tweet comes from Twitter user @jaguchi, whose parents live in the town of Yokote. When @jaguchi goes back home for a visit, before he can get to the front door and see dear old mom and dad’s faces, he’s greeted by this flying terror.
▼ Sometimes it’s even armed with a scythe.
In a way, though, this spooky denizen of the fields is a proxy hello from the family, since @jaguchi’s dad is the one who created it.
▼ Hi, son! Welcome home!
The floating apparition is plenty unnerving in the day, but gets even eerier at dusk, since its face glows with an eerie light from within.
▼ Horrific
▼ Somehow even worse
As a matter of fact, this scarecrow is so scary that some online commenters think it wouldn’t look out of place in demonic video game series Devil May Cry or the Harry Potter Franchise.
As mentioned above, the scarecrow was created by @jaguchi’s dad, so does that mean his father is a necromancer, summoner, or some other vein of dark wizard? Nope. He’s actually just a guy with a farm and a knack for tinkering.
The scarecrow is made out of a mask, shirt, and cape, with gloves attaching it to a pair of handlebars. The handlebars are in turn connected to a pole, and the pole is anchored into a spring from a car’s suspension stuck into the ground. The spring’s automotive-spec pliancy allows the pole to sway widely when the wind picks up, but is stiff enough to bring the scarecrow back to center before the pole tips over.
▼ As for the light that emanates from the scarecrow’s face, it’s powered by a battery-charging solar panel attached to its forehead.
Of course, none of those are things most people will notice at first glance, especially since the way the arms attach to the handlebars make it look like the scarecrow is reaching out to grab you by the throat and choke you to death, or perhaps absorb your soul through its dark, empty eye sockets.
Online reactions have been a mix of admiration at @jaguchi’s father’s ingenuity and open hope that they never, ever have to walk by his house, especially after sunset.
“If I saw that at night, I’m quite confident I’d pee myself.”
“This is how urban legends (well, rural legends) get started.”
“Just as effective at keeping people away as crows.”
“If there are kids who have to pass by this on their way to school, I bet a lot of them just stay home.”
“It’s definitely a little (OK, VERY) scary, but this is still an awesome idea.”
For our part, we’re happy to be able to admire @jaguchi’s dad’s creativity from the security of our desks far, far away from Yokote, since we’ve already got enough to be scared of with that drive-in haunted house that’s about to open in Tokyo.
Source: Twitter/@jaguchi via IT Media
Top image: Twitter/@jaguchi
Insert images: Twitter/@jaguchi
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