Children of the Corn
1984
Director: Fritz Kiersch
Stars: Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, R.G. Armstrong
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons

It’s the killer kiddy flick from the mind of Stephen King and the year 1984. The one that spawned a thousand (or so it feels like) sequels and even a remake. Not one of those flicks is any good, but I always liked the first one, flaws and all. Over the years Children of the Corn has developed a cult following, richly deserved, and now it’s out on Blu-ray. Again, it has come out on BD before too. So is this latest release worthy of a double dip from its corny fans? Well, grab the butter and the salt and let’s get popping with Children of the Corn.

A couple is driving through the flat, green nothingness of Nebraska where they run into some trouble. (Get it?) Looking for the nearest town to find help they run into the tiny burg of Gatlin. Here, some time ago, the kids revolted, worshipping a new (or very old) god known as He Who Walks Behind the Rows. Oh, and kill all the adults. And as an homage to Logan’s Run, also kill themselves once they come of age. And wouldn’t you know it, the young couple (played by Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton) in’t that young. Soon the killer kid cult is hunting them down, looking to sacrifice them to their Lord of the Maize. So the man and wife must escape the cult, deal with the Satan-like god, and do all of that without hurting any of the children too bad, because you know – kids.

Standouts here are John Franklin as cult leader Isaac who is creepy as hell, doubly so when you consider he was actually 25 when they made this movie, and then there is Courtney Gains as the gangly, ginger enforcer of the cult, Malachai, who just drips with homicidal malice. The adults don’t do bad work here either, but the two real young and therefore good kids are a bit annoying. The special effects are charmingly cheesy, especially the animation used for the big bad corn god, and the direction is solid.

Okay, on to the extras that can be found on this new Blu-ray release from Arrow Video. First the physical goodies Arrow is always so good for. There is a reversible cover, a slipcase, a full-color collector’s booklet, and a reversible mini poster that has the original cover art and the new art Arrow did for this release. Now for the on-disc extras. There is an audio commentary with the director Fritz Kiersch, producer Terrence Kirby, actor Courtney Gains who played Malachai, and actor John Franklin who played Isaac. Then there is a second commentary track with horror journalist Justine Beahm and Children of the Corn historian (talk about oddly specific) John Sullivan. There is a retrospective documentary on the movie that runs 36 minutes. An interview with Linda Hamilton that is 14 minutes long. An interview that runs a staggering 51 minutes with actors Julie Maddalena and John Philbin, who were two of the secondary evil kids in the movie. There is an interview with the writer of the screenplay, George Goldsmith, that’s over 17 minutes. An interview with producer Donald P. Borchers that is 11 minutes in length. Yet another interview with production designer Craig Stearns and Jonathan Elis that runs for 15 minutes. And one last interview with Rich Klinberg on the infamous “lost” Blue Man scene that’s almost six minutes. Next there is a featurette on the filming locations used in the movie that is 16 and a half minutes long. A storyboard gallery and a trailer are also here, but perhaps the coolest thing is an original short film called Disciples of the Crow that first adapted this Stephen King story to film one year before Children of the Corn hit theaters. Damn, that’s a lot of bang for your buck, but knowing Arrow Video as I do, I shouldn’t be surprised.

I like the original Children of the Corn. It’s not one of King’s classics, but I like the story, and always have fun watching this movie. At its heart it is a dark message about the dangers of religious zealotry, and evil kid movies have always been a subgenre I’ve enjoyed. So stay away from the many sequels, but as for the first, get it and get it on this amazing Blu-ray from Arrow. Consider it highly recommended.

About Brian M. Sammons

Brian M. Sammons has penned stories that have appeared in the anthologies: Arkham Tales, Horrors Beyond, Monstrous, Dead but Dreaming 2, Horror for the Holidays, Deepest, Darkest Eden and others. He has edited the books; Cthulhu Unbound 3, Undead & Unbound, Eldritch Chrome, Edge of Sundown, Steampunk Cthulhu, Dark Rites of Cthulhu, Atomic Age Cthulhu, World War Cthulhu and Flesh Like Smoke. He is also the managing editor of Dark Regions Press’ Weird Fiction line. For more about this guy that neighbors describe as “such a nice, quiet man” you can check out his infrequently updated webpage here: http://brian_sammons.webs.com/ and follow him on Twitter @BrianMSammons.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This