History Main / ScarecrowSolution

* "The Dread Pirate Roberts" rig — a holocaust cloak that is set on fire — that Fezzik wears in ''Film/ThePrincessBride''.

When the heroes cannot directly challenge the villain or his mooks they disguise themselves as monsters or build something that's basically a tank with a threatening exterior. Usually relies on intimidation more than any actual weapons. When villains resort to this tactic, it's a ScoobyDooHoax.

* ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'', the fake bird. The solution [[spoiler: part is subverted because the villains see the trick, but it is for the better, because the ants finally find the courage to rebel against the grasshoppers and send them packing for good as a more permanent solution. Also, the scarecrow was still vital to this turn of events, because it helped them consider the possibility in the first place, that the grasshoppers are not unbeatable. And then it's subverted again when Hopper comes face-to-face with what looks like another fake bird, only to discover that it's ''quite'' real, and has hungry chicks to feed]].

* ''Series/{{Zorro}}'': Trying to catch an unjustly accused man, who's taken sanctuary in the church of a monastery, Commander Monastario invades the place with his soldiers under the fake threat of an Indian attack. The monastery is so well-guarded that Zorro almost gets caught trying to reach the prisoner. So, Don Diego spreads the rumor of the ghost of a mad monk roaming the grounds by talking to the impressionable Sergeant García. Later that night, Zorro disguises as the ghost and scares all the soldiers into fleeing, leaving Monastario alone.

* ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse:
** A repeatedly used plot element in lesser ''Donald Duck'' comics -- a variant involves making some idol worshiped by primitive people appear to speak and tell them to stop roasting the heroes or whatever.

* ComicStrip/ModestyBlaise fakes an alien visitation in "The Moonman" arc.

* ''Film/RolliAmazingTales'': When Rölli and the Forest Fairy discover [[ThoseTwoBadGuys Seesteinen and Lerkkanen]] littering and making noise in their forest, they disguise themselves as a giant in a TotemPoleTrench style and attempt to scare the humans away. It fails nearly immediately because the "giant" and its threats provided by Rölli confuse the humans more than scare them, and the quilt worn by the two heroes falls off. However, while Seesteinen and Lerkkanen chase the duo, they run into the Big Rölli who ''really'' scares them.

* ''Operation Fortitude'', used by the Allies to conceal their true intentions of where they were invading France in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, included the use of dummy inflatable "tanks" that deceived German intelligence into thinking the Allies had a couple of extra armored divisions in reserve.

Compare and contrast MonsterFacade, which is a similarly terrifying act put on by a GentleGiant or a ReluctantMonster, who would have the strength to actually harm their opponent but prefers not to. See also WeaponForIntimidation.

* ''Film/RolliAmazingTales'': When Rolli and the Forest Fairy discover [[ThoseTwoBadGuys Seesteinen and Lerkkanen]] littering and making noise in their forest, they disguise themselves as a giant in a TotemPoleTrench style and attempt to scare the humans away. It fails nearly immediately because the "giant" and its threats provided by Rolli confuse the humans more than scare them, and the quilt worn by the two heroes falls off. However, while Seesteinen and Lerkkanen chase the duo, they run into the Big Rolli who ''really'' scares them.

[[folder:Film — Animation]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
* Ironically, in ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', the great and powerful Oz uses a big, scary flaming head to persuade Dorothy and her friends to get the Wicked Witch of the West's broomstick... until Toto pulls the curtain aside, and the Wizard is shown to be much shorter than his façade made him out to be, and when confronted, he confesses that he was just as afraid of the Wicked Witch.

* "The Dread Pirate Roberts" rig — a holocaust cloak that is set on fire — that Fezzik wore in ''Film/ThePrincessBride''.

* ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' sees Zhuge Liang combine this with ThanatosGambit. After his death, he has the Shu army set up a wooden statue of him, and then luring Wei’s army into the main camp. Upon arrival at Shu’s base, Sima Yi then saw the statue, and panicked, thinking Zhuge Liang to still be alive, causing him to retreat.
--> '''Chinese proverb''': A dead Zhuge scares away a living Sima.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E5TheGirlWhoDied "The Girl Who Died"]], part one of the plan to defeat the Mire involves altering what they see through their video interface, so that a ship's figurehead becomes a terrifying sea serpent and so on. Part two involves taking a video of the {{proud warrior race}} cowering in fear from obvious puppets, and threatening to effectively upload it to [[RecycledInSpace Space]] [[InstantHumiliationJustAddYouTube YouTube]] to ruin their reputation.

-->"That's just a flashlight. Kill them!"
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'': had in a ''Glo Friends'' segment, a plan of the heroes, [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal orchestrated by the long-suffering henchcrow Rook]], to get back at their enemies the Moligans, by making them think that there was a giant Glo monster who would get them, if they kept threatening them and they had to serve them a whike.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E5TheGirlWhoDied "The Girl Who Died"]], part one of the plan to defeat the Mire involves altering what they see through their video interface, so that a ship's figurehead becomes a terrifying sea serpent and so on. Part two involves taking a video of their proud warrior race cowering in fear from obvious puppets, and threatening to effectively upload it to [[RecycledInSpace Space]] [[InstantHumiliationJustAddYouTube YouTube]] to ruin their reputation.

[[folder:Theater]]

** Gabe/Toxic Terror from ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo'' is a good one. In fact, the next to final scene has the Gabe, Shaggy, Scooby-Doo, and the camp kid disguise them as Toxic Terror sending Clyde packing.

Compare and contrast MonsterFacade, which is a similarly terrifying act put on by a GentleGiant or a ReluctantMonster, who would have the strength to actually harm their opponent but prefers not to.

* "The Dread Pirate Roberts" rig -- a holocaust cloak that is set on fire -- that Fezzik wore in ''Film/ThePrincessBride''.

* Kehaar in ''Literature/WatershipDown'', albeit only halfway intentionally - great coincidental timing on his, Bigwig's, and the weather's part make it appear to the Efrafans that the bird was summoned out of lightning by Bigwig.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' episode "Escape to the House of Mummies Part II". Dr. Venture, sitting on Brock's shoulders and dressed in a green blanket waves a flashlight at cultists to save Hank and Dean. It doesn't work:

* ''Series/{{Zorro}}'': Trying to catch an unjustly accused man, who's taken sanctuary in the church of a monastery, Commander Monasterio invades the place with his soldiers under the fake threat of an Indian attack. The monastery is so well-guarded that Zorro almost gets caught trying to reach the prisoner. So, Don Diego spreads the rumor of the ghost of a mad monk roaming the grounds by talking to the impressionable Sergeant García. Later that night, Zorro disguises as the ghost and scares all the soldiers into fleeing, leaving Monasterio alone.

[[folder:Theatre]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'', the fake bird. The solution [[spoiler: part is subverted because the villains see the trick, but it is for the better, because the ants finally find the courage to rebel against the grasshoppers and send them packing for good as a more permanent solution. Also, the scarecrow was still vital to this turn of events, because it helped them consider the possibility in the first place, that the grasshoppers are not unbeatable. And then it's subverted again when Hopper comes face-to-face with what looks like another fake bird, only to discover that it's ''quite'' real, and hungry]].

* In an episode of ''Series/RockyJonesSpaceRanger'', a pair of kids use a BedsheetGhost to scare away a claim jumper.

* On ''Series/McHalesNavy,'' the crew of the PT-73 [[FakingTheDead fake their deaths]] and come back dressed as ghosts to scare Binghamton into tearing up the orders that were going to get them all transferred.

* In the ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperman'' episode "Great Caesar's Ghost!", Perry White starts seeing Caesar's ghost. This turns out to be [[ScoobyDooHoax a trick by a gang of crooks]] to [[{{Gaslighting}} ruin his credibility as a witness]] in an upcoming trial. Superman turns the trick around on the gangsters, disguising himself as another criminal who had been killed by the gang, causing them to give up in terror when their bullets [[ShootingSuperman apparently just go right through the "ghost"]].
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Girl Who Died", part one of the plan to defeat the Mire involves altering what they see through their video interface, so that a ship's figurehead becomes a terrifying sea serpent and so on. Part two involves taking a video of their proud warrior race cowering in fear from obvious puppets, and threatening to effectively upload it to [[RecycledInSpace Space]] [[InstantHumiliationJustAddYoutube YouTube]] to ruin their reputation.

[[folder:Theater]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'', the fake bird. The solution [[spoiler: part is subverted because the villains see the trick, but it is for the better because the ants finally find the courage to rebel against the grasshoppers and send them packing for good as a more permanent solution. Also the scarecrow was still vital to this turn of events, because it helped them consider the possibility in the first place, that the grasshoppers are not unbeatable. And then it's subverted again when Hopper comes face-to-face with what looks like another fake bird, only to discover that it's ''quite'' real--and hungry]].