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Children of the Corn
BOXSET/APPROX. 266 MINS/1984/USA R18+
BOXSET/APPROX. 266 MINS/1984/USA R18+
8
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First appearing as a short story from King's Night Shift collection and originally published in a March 1977 edition of Penthouse, Children of the
Corn was mocked by critics, using the fact that it was a film conceived from a thirty page story. What we should remember is both Stand by Me and
The Shawshank Redemption, two other acclaimed films of King's were also based on short stories which have become classics in their respective
rights. Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining also failed early on to impress critics and King fans alike, but is now a horror classic.
Moving to the film; "It was about three years a go, I was the only kid in church that day", are the first words spoken by Job - Robby Kiger (The
Monster Squad, Crazy Like a Fox. Pronounced Jobe), our young narrator for the film, Children of the Corn, which opens in Hansen's cafe, where
most of the adults are poisoned, and all others struggling to survive are murdered by the children who lock them in and wreak havoc with hand
held farming equipment and a bacon slicer. Job is the only survivor who also sees his dad slaughtered in Hansen's. Now all the adults are gone...
Three years later, Job and his sister Sarah - Anne Marie McEvoy, (Full House, Invitation to Hell) help a young boy escape from Gatlin. He uses the
corn fields to escape to the back roads. Whilst running through the corn, he has his throat slashed in a vicious 'off screen' manner. Cutting to a
remote motel, we meet Burt - Peter Horton (Where the River Runs Black, 2 Days in the Valley) and Vicky - Linda Hamilton (Skeletons in the
Closet, The Terminator), whose marriage is struggling, and who eventually become lost in Nebraska whilst driving. Cutting through the back roads
surrounded by corn fields, they hit a young boy who stumbles out into the road. Burt discovers the boy has had his throat slashed. Going into the
corn, Burt finds the boy’s blood spattered suitcase in the fields. Upon returning with the suitcase, the body is put in the trunk of their car and they
set off to find help. After getting directions from an old gas attendant, they eventually come to Gatlin, a small town in Nebraska, where the adults
have been sacrificed to 'He who walks behind the rows', a devil, if you will. The children are led by Malachai - Courtney Gains (Headshot, The
Watchers, Memphis Belle) and their Shakespearian styled-speaking religious leader Isaac Chroner - John Franklin (Children of the Corn 666-
Isaacs Return, The Addams Family, Child's Play \-Voice of walkabout Chucky). Whilst they drive around the town looking for help it becomes clear
to Burt and Vicky that all's-not-right with Gatlin. Malachai finds Job and Sarah playing a board game in their old home. Games, music and drawings
are forbidden and they are taken to Isaac, who discovers Sarah has the 'gift of sight' and she warns of Burt and Vicky's coming in one of her
drawings. The struggle between good and evil begins...
Children of the Corn is a classic Stephen King story which is brought to the screen in a cold blooded way, thanks to the directional skills of Fritz
Kiersch. Fritz has directed such films as The Hunt, Surveillance, Shattered Image, Swamp Thing and The Stranger. Considering that Children of
the Corn is a thirty page short by King just goes to show how dedicated Kiersch must of been to stretching it out to a full length feature film. No
mean feat, I’m sure you'll agree. As far as gory moments go, there are some, but as I mentioned earlier, they’re 'off screen' which adds to the
atmosphere. The 'goodies' in the film, Burt, Vicky, Job and Sarah play their parts convincingly and it’s good to see Linda Hamilton, who later that
year ('84), went on to get her big break in The Terminator. The 'baddies', Isaac and Malachai are menacing enough to send a shiver down your
spine, and Malachai's stare is priceless.
The scripting is ok as these kinds of films go, but it has to be Isaac's young boy looks and strange little voice that steals the show. Children of the
Corn had a 'sleeper success' due to its initial 'flop' when first released. The film didn't go down well at the US box office, only grossing $14.5 million,
which made it the lowest earner for King that year. Through the medium of home video, the film gained some momentum, gathering an audience
that more than likely never knew the film existed. This set the ball rolling for fans of The Terminator and/or Linda Hamilton to find other work she
had done. They soon discovered Children of the Corn, which began to gain a status only King would have wished for earlier. Children of the Corn
is a must for any King fan, it’s a great little film which has spawned six further sequels. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend it giving a
credible 8 out of 10.
Anchor Bay has done a box set containing the original Children of the Corn trilogy, which is uncut and fully restored. The transition from video to
disc has been done well enough to allow the picture’s colour and sharpness to be as good as possible considering its twenty two years old. It
comes presented in a nice little box and packed with special features and a booklet full of information.
Corn was mocked by critics, using the fact that it was a film conceived from a thirty page story. What we should remember is both Stand by Me and
The Shawshank Redemption, two other acclaimed films of King's were also based on short stories which have become classics in their respective
rights. Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining also failed early on to impress critics and King fans alike, but is now a horror classic.
Moving to the film; "It was about three years a go, I was the only kid in church that day", are the first words spoken by Job - Robby Kiger (The
Monster Squad, Crazy Like a Fox. Pronounced Jobe), our young narrator for the film, Children of the Corn, which opens in Hansen's cafe, where
most of the adults are poisoned, and all others struggling to survive are murdered by the children who lock them in and wreak havoc with hand
held farming equipment and a bacon slicer. Job is the only survivor who also sees his dad slaughtered in Hansen's. Now all the adults are gone...
Three years later, Job and his sister Sarah - Anne Marie McEvoy, (Full House, Invitation to Hell) help a young boy escape from Gatlin. He uses the
corn fields to escape to the back roads. Whilst running through the corn, he has his throat slashed in a vicious 'off screen' manner. Cutting to a
remote motel, we meet Burt - Peter Horton (Where the River Runs Black, 2 Days in the Valley) and Vicky - Linda Hamilton (Skeletons in the
Closet, The Terminator), whose marriage is struggling, and who eventually become lost in Nebraska whilst driving. Cutting through the back roads
surrounded by corn fields, they hit a young boy who stumbles out into the road. Burt discovers the boy has had his throat slashed. Going into the
corn, Burt finds the boy’s blood spattered suitcase in the fields. Upon returning with the suitcase, the body is put in the trunk of their car and they
set off to find help. After getting directions from an old gas attendant, they eventually come to Gatlin, a small town in Nebraska, where the adults
have been sacrificed to 'He who walks behind the rows', a devil, if you will. The children are led by Malachai - Courtney Gains (Headshot, The
Watchers, Memphis Belle) and their Shakespearian styled-speaking religious leader Isaac Chroner - John Franklin (Children of the Corn 666-
Isaacs Return, The Addams Family, Child's Play \-Voice of walkabout Chucky). Whilst they drive around the town looking for help it becomes clear
to Burt and Vicky that all's-not-right with Gatlin. Malachai finds Job and Sarah playing a board game in their old home. Games, music and drawings
are forbidden and they are taken to Isaac, who discovers Sarah has the 'gift of sight' and she warns of Burt and Vicky's coming in one of her
drawings. The struggle between good and evil begins...
Children of the Corn is a classic Stephen King story which is brought to the screen in a cold blooded way, thanks to the directional skills of Fritz
Kiersch. Fritz has directed such films as The Hunt, Surveillance, Shattered Image, Swamp Thing and The Stranger. Considering that Children of
the Corn is a thirty page short by King just goes to show how dedicated Kiersch must of been to stretching it out to a full length feature film. No
mean feat, I’m sure you'll agree. As far as gory moments go, there are some, but as I mentioned earlier, they’re 'off screen' which adds to the
atmosphere. The 'goodies' in the film, Burt, Vicky, Job and Sarah play their parts convincingly and it’s good to see Linda Hamilton, who later that
year ('84), went on to get her big break in The Terminator. The 'baddies', Isaac and Malachai are menacing enough to send a shiver down your
spine, and Malachai's stare is priceless.
The scripting is ok as these kinds of films go, but it has to be Isaac's young boy looks and strange little voice that steals the show. Children of the
Corn had a 'sleeper success' due to its initial 'flop' when first released. The film didn't go down well at the US box office, only grossing $14.5 million,
which made it the lowest earner for King that year. Through the medium of home video, the film gained some momentum, gathering an audience
that more than likely never knew the film existed. This set the ball rolling for fans of The Terminator and/or Linda Hamilton to find other work she
had done. They soon discovered Children of the Corn, which began to gain a status only King would have wished for earlier. Children of the Corn
is a must for any King fan, it’s a great little film which has spawned six further sequels. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend it giving a
credible 8 out of 10.
Anchor Bay has done a box set containing the original Children of the Corn trilogy, which is uncut and fully restored. The transition from video to
disc has been done well enough to allow the picture’s colour and sharpness to be as good as possible considering its twenty two years old. It
comes presented in a nice little box and packed with special features and a booklet full of information.
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