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Film: Children of the Corn
Year: 1984
Director: Fritz Kiersch
Writer: George Goldsmith
Starring: Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton and R.G. Armstrong
Review:
This was a film that I had seen when I started to seek out horror films growing up, especially ones that were based on Stephen King works. It came from one of his short stories in the collection, Night Shift. I was a big fan of the story, even naming my first dog Malachi. This rewatch was for my Foray through the Fours.
Synopsis: a young couple is trapped in a remote town where a dangerous religious cult of children believes everyone over the age of 18 must be killed.
The concept of this film is terrifying. It didn’t bother me when I was younger, but the moment I turned 18, this starts to be even scarier. Religion is something that makes me nervous, because of how deeply people take it and use it to influence their decisions.
In this we get Isaac (John Franklin) who is the leader of this cult. Everyone started to follow him because he was a child minister. When an entity that lives in the corn, He Who Walks Behind the Rows, starts talking to him and telling him what to do, they create a cult that follows its word. The scary thing is, I could see something like this happening in an area like we see here in Gatlin, Nebraska. Being in the heart of the Bible belt and if you have a charismatic leader.
The opening sequence of this film is great. It takes place three years before the events of the film. We see Isaac and his followers killing off all the adults. This is narrated by Job (Robby Kiger). Malachi (Courtney Gains) is the one to conduct the acts along with others while their leader looks on.
We then shift to present time. We have a couple in a hotel room. Burt (Peter Horton) is a new doctor and on the way to Seattle to start an internship. With him is his girlfriend, Vicky (Linda Hamilton), who wants him to commit. It is his birthday and they are spending it driving across rural Nebraska. They end up hitting a boy and need to look for help. The thing is and Burt notices, the boy was attacked before they collided with him. They try to go to Hemingford Home, by the words of Diehl (R.G. Armstrong), but they end up in Gatlin.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start with something I found interesting watching this as an adult is how Fascist their society is. One of my favorite parts of this is the folklore that is set up with that.
Delving deeper here, we know that on the start of their 19th birthday, they need to sacrifice themselves to their god. Malachi doesn’t want them to have any vices. Job and Sarah (Anne Marie McEvoy) do sneak off to abandoned homes to listen to music, play games and she likes to draw. Malachi catches them and wants them punished but Isaac sees that Sarah draws images of the future. He believes that she has the ability of sight and that He Who Walks Behind the Rows is giving her these. Also, from there is that Malachi doesn’t agree with Isaac and there is dissension between them. There is a Lovecraftian vibe here to the entity. I know King is a big fan of him. There is a comment about how this entity has always been here that it feels he's an elder god. We get supernatural things, but I like how it is subtle. It is revealed to us, but not to characters until later.
Where I'll then go is over to the pacing which is good. This never hits any lulls and we get tension built throughout. The atmosphere of this town being empty is part of that. It doesn't waste time with the parents being massacred. The couple gets an uneasy feeling when they turn on the radio and the oppressiveness of the corn that is around them. We get POV shots of people watching the couple, which adds to that uneasy feeling. The tension continues to grow until we get to the climax. I thought the ending was fitting and it is built from an image we got earlier. I’m a big fan of callbacks like this.
Next then should be the acting performances. Being that it is mostly children and teens, I thought it was solid. Horton was good as the rational, educated adult who is trying to show the children what they're doing is wrong. Hamilton was also solid as the woman who is clinging to the man she loves, but she can’t get him to commit. Their dynamic is interesting. I do have an issue that grates on me though, even though I like both characters. Franklin is creepy in his role. He sounds like any religious leader and he's perfectly cast. When everyone is following him, he seems powerful. When Gains tries to take the power and everyone follows him, Isaac becomes weak. What happens at the end is great. I like Gains as the enforcer. He has such an angry look. It might be over the top, but it's iconic for that. Kiger and McEvoy are fine. The rest of the cast rounded out the film well for what was needed as well.
All that is left then is the rest of the filmmaking. The opening sequence and scenes with action look good. They were practical and the blood looked real. There were a couple of deaths that I wish they wouldn’t have cut away to show us a little more. This doesn't ruin it though. I'd say that the cinematography and framing are good. Watching our couple without them knowing is eerie. The setting in the cornfield can be disorienting. Now to showing He Who Walks Behind the Rows. They have it partly be like a groundhog and moving under the ground like Bugs Bunny. That can be seen as comical, but it doesn't ruin anything. I'll say that the callbacks to images we see is great though. The last bit is the soundtrack. The music that Job and Sarah listen to are songs I have a fondness for. When they use the choir sounding music by children is always creepy to me. It fit and works overall for what was needed.
In conclusion, this was a film that I've grown up with and still enjoy. It has its flaws, but none of them glaring though. It is interesting that it is still relevant. There are issues with religion and societies that are created around it. The Lovecraftian vibe is something I also like. I thought the acting was solid across the board. No one is bad, which is a good thing when dealing with teens and children. I'd also say this is well-made from the setting, cinematography, framing and soundtrack. I think there is a deeper story here that explores intriguing ideas. This is one that if you haven't seen, it should be at least once. Won't be for everyone, but it is still one of the better King adaptations.
My Rating: 8 out of 10