Synopsis

After relocating from Chicago to a remote sunflower farm in North Dakota, the Solomon family hopes for a fresh start. Their hopes fade when teenage Jess and her young brother Ben begin seeing terrifying apparitions that no one else can perceive. As the supernatural disturbances intensify and suspicion divides the household, Jess must uncover the farm's violent history before the haunting destroys her family.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was shot in Saskatchewan, Canada, including locations in Regina and Indian Head, despite its North Dakota setting.

• The farmhouse was constructed as a movie set in Saskatchewan's Qu'Appelle Valley. It was primarily used for exterior filming, while many interior scenes were filmed on a studio set.

• The project began as an original screenplay titled "The Scarecrow." Todd Farmer's early version was conceived as a psychological thriller about a troubled farming family rather than a conventional supernatural horror film.

• The screenplay underwent several rewrites after the project changed hands. The original concept ultimately became the basis for the later prequel "Messengers 2: The Scarecrow" (2009).

• The birds seen in the film are ravens, although the characters refer to them as crows. The production reportedly could not obtain the trained crows needed for the scenes.

• The character of Ben was portrayed by real-life twins, allowing the production to alternate performers during filming.

• At the film's premiere in Minot, North Dakota, the audience reportedly laughed when the line "Welcome to North Dakota" was delivered, as the local setting made the introduction sound unintentionally conspicuous.

• The film was released in the United States on February 2, 2007, through Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems, with Ghost House Pictures among its production companies.