Children of the Corn

A couple gets lost along the cornfield. While looking at the map they strike a child with their car. They search for help and find out the child was already mangled when they hit him. Peter Horton plays the man(I forget his name) and Linda Hamilton(forget her name too, as the whole movie is forgettable)plays the woman. They meet these two young children who aren't like the others. They let the copule know what is going on. Upon finding this "vital" information out, they devise a plan to burn down the corn field. Let's hear it for brilliance!!

The actors give laughable performances, there is no climax, there is no story and there is no point in watching this film. I thought this was a horror film. Where's the scare? Where's the blood? Where's the fright? If you are a horror fan, such as I, please, please stay away from this monstrosity. You'll be entertained more by eating corn then watching Children of the Corn.


Garbage Pail Kids!   October 9, 2007
THE MAIN MAN (Central Bookin', NY)
8 out of 11 found this review helpful

I'm sorry people but this is a godawful movie. I recently saw this again because I didn't remember it clearly from years ago. Too bad I reminded myself on how much of a trash film this is. Its going to take me another 15 years to erase this from memory.

The story is kind of interesting but still pretty stupid to me. All of the grown ups in a small town is wiped out by the youth. This is done due to them following the orders of a demon from the corn field. They form a cult that basically revokes them from being kids. They're not allowed to play and have fun. A couple end up in their town for a certain reason. They are later chased and even captured by the kids.

The problems with this movie to me is. Its not scary at all and the gore is very low. The acting on part of the children was very annoying to me. Even towards the end when the demon began to surface.

Seriously, I wish I knew what everyone who loves this movie saw in it. And to think, this somehow spawned like 5 sequels or something like that.


Poorly executed King adaptation   December 25, 2004
Jeffrey Leach (Omaha, NE USA)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

No other author in recent memory has had as much consistent success selling books as Stephen King. For roughly three decades the Maine writer churned out book after book, each one selling more and more copies. He's a world unto himself, the lucky fellow! He's so successful that he could throw out his pens, put away his typewriters, bury his word processor six feet under, never write another word in his life, and STILL have enough money to wallpaper the Great Wall of China five times over. In many respects, it's Stephen King's world and the rest of us are just living in it. But, and this is a gigantic but, an enormous number of metaphysically bad films based on his novels threaten to put a serious dent in his legacy. We all know the good ones, the ones that not only scared audiences stiff but also helped propel King's career to even greater heights. "Carrie" is probably the best example, followed by "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Dead Zone." These are wonderful, magical films that one can watch again and again without wearying of them. Then there are the rest: the truly wretched refuse that reminds one of dental plaque or the junk that washes up on the shores of a filthy river. Welcome to the Children of the Corn franchise.

"Children of the Corn," hammered together from a King short story, introduces us to freshly minted physician Burt (Peter Horton) and his significant other Vicky (Linda Hamilton) as they are driving across the country to Burt's first post-medical school stint. The arduous journey begins to takes its toll on the two as they wander through the Midwest, specifically Nebraska. Nothing but open skies, cornfields, and ranting preachers on the airwaves are around to keep Burt and Vicky entertained, and that doesn't last too long. There is also some tension between the two concerning their relationship, with Burt suffering from the predictable "guy scared to make a commitment" mentality we've seen in nearly every film made since the beginning of the twentieth century. These problems soon take a backseat, however, when Burt accidentally plows his car into a boy standing in the middle of the road. A cursory examination of the body reveals a shocking revelation: instead of perishing as a result of the car accident, someone slashed this kid's throat moments before the couple came along. Burt searches the cornfield a few yards off the highway and finds a suitcase spattered with blood, further evidence that something quite grim is afoot. The city slickers resolve to head to the nearest town, Gatlin, to report the apparent murder.

They soon discover that finding Gatlin is about as easy as finding El Dorado. Signs pointing the way to the town seem to contradict one another. Even the tentative help they get from a crusty old gas station attendant, who also tells them to avoid the town in a way that evokes memories of Crazy Ralph from "Friday the 13th," doesn't initially help them. Nonetheless, Burt and Vicky soon roll into what looks like a ghost town. Cornhusks adorn the buildings and blow through the streets like tumbleweeds. The stores are decrepit, refuse filled shells. Even the courthouse looks like a neutron bomb went off inside. Only when Burt and Vicky stumble over two kids playing a board game in an abandoned house, Job (Robby Kiger) and Sarah (AnnMarie McEvoy), do they begin to understand the horror residing in Gatlin, Nebraska. We the audience learned long before what happened, and what continues to happen, in this strange place. Some years before the children in the town fell under the influence of youthful preacher named Isaac (John Franklin), a scary looking kid who ordered his adherents to murder every adult in town because "He Who Walks Behind the Rows" commanded such an action. With the help of his beefy henchman Malachai (Courtney Gains), Isaac continues to perform bizarre rituals that allow him to keep the others in line. Obviously, Burt and Vicky must challenge his authority, and the legitimacy of "He Who Walks Behind the Rows," if they wish to survive.

The first film, you will hear stalwarts say over and over again, isn't that bad of a movie. In fact, a few of them will look you straight in the eyes and say "Children of the Corn" is not only one of the best horror films out there, it is also one of the best Stephen King cinematic adaptations ever to grace the silver screen. These are the individuals who will one day find employment as circus barkers, car salesmen, or politicians. "Children of the Corn" starts out with lots of promise, about a minute's worth, which gives these apologists' opinions an initial veneer of respectability. After Vicky sings that song to Burt at the hotel room, the movie starts its long decline into banality. The road scenes run on forever, the presence of the elderly gas station attendant is a horror film cliche, and we never see the demonic force stalking through the cornfields. Worse, there is little gore and the special effects, particularly during the final showdown between the outsiders and the demon, attain the heights of laughable cheesiness. The only bright spots in the film are Isaac and Malachai, in large part due to their sneering visages and the biblical mumbo jumbo they spout every time they appear onscreen.

I just learned Anchor Bay released a Special Edition disc of "Children of the Corn" complete with a commentary track and featurette. The version I watched--the "unspecial" edition, perhaps?--contained only the film and a trailer. As boring as the picture is, I'm still going to give it three stars because several of the sequels that follow it make this one look like "Citizen Kane." Give it a watch if you must, but be prepared for a big disappointment.



This movie is boring   February 29, 2000
moviefreak (Tampa, Florida)
6 out of 12 found this review helpful

Married couple get lost on the road and end up in a town where the population is all kids who killed their parents and worship some god who protects their crops. While the mass murder scene in the diner at the beginning and the sacrifice at the end were both really cool, this movie is REALLY boring! Pizza.