Children of the Corn

Children of the Corn is one of the better Stephen King movie adaptions. It doesn't, however, make it a classic...

I remember this movie fondly from youth. Hiding it so my parents wouldn't find out the rating and watched it with a couple of friends late one evening. Thankfully my parents didn't grow corn out on the fields because this did scare us quite a bit. Didn't quite get the same reaction out of me as an adult though...

It does have a creepy theme. Children spouting bible verses and killing everyone over the age of 18 is not really a pleasant thought. The feel of the entire movie is in fact creepy. All that damn corn, and the music, and those creepy children makes for a pretty creepy setting.

As most Stephen King stories, the ending is not up to par with the rest of the movie. The silliness takes over, and it all goes out into nothing. This is not the worst of the bunch by any means, but it still hasn't got a real ending...

If you are a fan of Stephen King this is a must watch. If you are looking for a scare, you are better off with something else...

A children's cult is taking out the adults.

In preparation for an article I am writing on the remake for this site - https://www.thethings.com/author/lee-brown/ - I decided to rewatch the 1984 original adaptation of King's short story. It's not a very good film - even Linda Hamilton is bad in this one - but it does have that 80s horror feel to it, complete with spooky choral music, that makes it a nostalgic blast for anybody who first saw the film back in the day.

A classic with a motif that is often been adopted since - creepy kids that kill all their parents and try to live on their own; in away this was lastly depicted [spoiler]in American Horror Story: Hotel, with the School-Sidestroy-Arc.[/spoiler]

That is definitely something to take into account; as is the fact, that over the time it has gained a certain cult status (it even inspired the name of the Band KoRn as well as one of their song titles "Children of the KoRn"), despite the really low budget this film was produced on.

It is that low budget that in the end invited so much negative criticism: The bad, really cheesy graphics effects, the rushed ending, the bad acting by some actors. Story-wise it is - on the other hand - really strong. It is mostly suspense, and less explicit graphics, it had an - for that time - inspired new idea, it paved the way for children as the evil creatures of horror movies; all points to take into consideration. And talking about bad actors: There are also really good ones, such as Linda Hamilton, who seems to be too good (and kind of untapped as she is capable of so much more) to be in this movie.

On the other hand, however, from a today's viewers standpoint, it has aged really badly. Comparing it to movies such as Orphan or Insidious, the kids are completely tame and not at all frightening, the dialogues are a bit dated and feel strange, and the suspense is - for today's standards - much less frightening and lean more towards the boring side of things.

So in the end I am torn between a high rating that deserves a cult classic that has inspired many other movies to come and the low rating of a dated movie that leans towards being a bit boring and cheesy. I still believe it is worth at least having seen it once. So I'll grade it with an average 3/5

Linda Hamilton is always a pleasure to look at right? Such a beautiful woman!

Anyway, children are freaking scary and disturbing when they are shouting bible verses....and it also helps when the child actors can do a decent job!

So, this one isn't all that bad and apparently it spawned, many, many sequels. Which I'm now wondering what they are all about. Are they about that weird special effect? Well I do think so!

The setting this film is creepy, which is always a plus for a horror film, the short story it is based on could've been used better, like use that ending! But still, I enjoyed myself! And that is what a film must set out to do right? Entertain us! I do think it was kinda brutal to see a kid get killed in a film. Haven't seen that yet, that much!

Will the sequels be worth a shot? I don't know maybe if I have the spare time? I do think they are gonna be terrible because I don't know how you can get more out of this. But I'll wonder....and just have to wait to find out!

"Send her a get well card from Seattle." amazing line to finish a movie with right?

Not the most effective horror movie, but it's such a great concept and there is some really great cinematography. A lot of comic book imagery really pops and sticks in your head, as does the great score. The male lead is such a douche, it's hard to sympathise. Same with the insufferable ginger antagonist, I just wanted him to die.

Children of the Corn...iest horror movie I have ever seen.

“Outlander!” An iconic ‘80s horror film, Children of the Corn is a chilling tale from Stephen King. Based on one of his short stories, a couple traveling cross-country stop at a small town called Gatlin where they discover a cult of children that have overthrown the adults and sacrificed them to their new god. Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton lead the cast, but there are no good performances here. However, the director does a good job at creating a creepy, atmospheric tone that’s full of suspense. And for the most part the terror is kept psychological, which is quite effective. While Children of the Corn is full of bad acting and cheesy effects, it ends up being the right mixture for an entertaining campy B-movie.

First time watching the infamous Children of the Corn and I did not expect for it to be this bad, wow! And Peter Horton’s Burt was a a$$ hole the whole movie. I really was hoping they hacked his ass up lol

Children are just the worst. The ending really blows an ok movie up until that point.