Rish's Reviews
Stephen King is to me what Shakespeare is to a lot of folks. Some people just don't ‘get' Stephen King. Some people ridicule those that like him. Some just shrug. I'm one of those sad folks who reads and re-reads his books, watches his movies, and waits anxiously for whatever is coming next. In some ways, I even consider him a friend.
The short story "Children of the Corn" is a very black, disturbing tale about religious fanaticism spiraling out of control among the endless fields of cornstalks. The story has no "good children" like the movie does, and the ending is decidedly unhappy. Still, the filmmakers did a fine job, considering how little they had to work with, and the boy who plays Isaac does a bang-up job.
Evil children are scary to me, perhaps because I have a innate fear of children. It may have something to do with the fact that I was gored and almost eaten by a herd of escaped undomesticated youngsters several years back.
Despite the bad reputation it has (from critics and Steve King himself), this isn't a bad movie. It does move a little slow at times, but it has a creepy feel to it, and the child actors do not suck (for once). Plus, that red-haired piece of crap Courtney Gaines is perfect as that red-haired piece of crap Malachi. For the most part, the dialogue is very good, and the atmosphere--the deserted town, the lonely road, the miles of cornstalks--is nice and spooky.
And I really like Linda Hamilton. I always have. I continually feel she deserved higher praise and better parts than she got, and now it seems she's all but faded away. I think the film is worth seeing–once anyway. As a kid, I was often disturbed by the thought of "He Who Walks Behind the Rows," though it doesn't pack such a punch anymore.
Still, there's something to be said for a mysterious shape that we're never able to identify. Unfortunately, when it does show itself as a cheesy red light, it's a disappointment.
Line To Remember: "Outlander! I have your woman! She still lives!"
I'd Recommend It To: Stephen King and Eighties Horror fans.
Posted: July 17th, 2002

The tyranist's thoughts
Here at the Horror Film Compendium, we love Stephen King. However, we recognize that he often isn't behind the film projects that are made from his stories. In fact, the films are often terrible adaptations that have none of the feel of his original work. Now, I haven't read "Children of the Corn" (it's in Night Shift for those of you that care), and so I can't really make a good judgement of the adaptation for you. Still, I appreciate good horror and this one did a pretty fair job.
I remember seeing Dark Night of the Scarecrow when I was a kid and ever since then, I have associated all corn field films with it. It has been nearly 20 years since I saw that, so it is all getting blurred. Along comes Children of the Corn. I am guessing that this will be the measure against which all of the corn field movies I see in the future will be judged. Which is probably a good thing since this is a fairly good example. The kid who plays Isaac is creepy and the setting is awesome. The plot isn't as good as some I've seen, but it isn't terrible either. You have to understand that anything based around a corn field is probably going to have a lot of scenes where someone is chasing someone through the corn. There just isn't much else there. But the concept is cool and all of the religious zeal is creepy. I would recommend seeing this one just for the fact that it is one of the more prominent horror films around and seems to have a large following. Not the greatest, but worth the time spent.
Posted: January 4th, 2000