Children of the Corn (1984)

Director:

Fritz Kiersch

Writers:

Stephen King (short story)
George Goldsmith (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 March 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

An adult nightmare.

Plot:

A boy preacher named Isaac goes to a town in Nebraska called Gatlin and gets all the children to murder every adult in town...

Plot Keywords:

Worship | Cult | Corn | First Of Series | Back From The Dead

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Peter Horton	...	Burt
Linda Hamilton	...	Vicky
R.G. Armstrong	...	Diehl
John Franklin	...	Isaac
Courtney Gains	...	Malachai
Robby Kiger	...	Job
Anne Marie McEvoy	...	Sarah (as AnneMarie McEvoy)
Julie Maddalena	...	Rachel
Jonas Marlowe	...	Joseph
John Philbin	...	Amos
Dan Snook	...	Boy
David Cowen	...	Dad
Suzy Southam	...	Mom
D.G. Johnson	...	Mr. Hansen
Patrick Boylan	...	Hansen's customer

Also Known As:

Stephen King's Children of the Corn
Children of the corn - Les démons du maïs (France) (DVD title) [fr]
Colheita Maldita (Brazil) [pt]
Dödlig skörd (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Djeca kukuruza (Croatia) (video title) [hr]
Dzieci kukurydzianego pola (Poland) [pl]
Grano rosso sangue (Italy) [it]
Horror Kid (France) [fr]
Kinder des Zorns (West Germany) [de]
Kukuricné deti (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Les démons du maïs (France) (video title) [fr]
Les démons du maïs I (Horror kids) (France) (video title) [fr]
Los chicos del maíz (Spain) [es]
Maissilapset (Finland) [fi]
O dolofonos me to drepani (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Spain:18 | South Korea:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | USA:R (certificate number not listed) | Australia:R (2984) | Finland:K-18 (1985) | France:-12 | Iceland:(Banned) (original rating) | Iceland:16 (cut) | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Finland:K-16 (2000) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Angeles Entertainment Group

Trivia:

Michael and Corey Frizzell, the nephews of legendary country music stars Lefty & David Frizzell and Sons of Country Gospel great Allen Frizzell (once married to country star Shelly West), played extras at the age of 8 and 9. Michael was also Robby Kiger (Job) stunt double. Corey who is now an artist to country music stars was also a stand in actor for Robby Kiger (Job).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the gas station attendant is talking out loud to himself after giving directions to the people, there is a shot of him through a window, in the window you can see a crew member.

Quotes:

Job: I wish Isaac never came here.
Sarah: But he's always been here, just like He Who Walks Behind The Rows.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "South Park: The Wacky Molestation Adventure (#4.16)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

School is Out

Ya Got Trouble, Right Here In Gatlin City

Maybe if those kids in Gatlin, Nebraska had gotten a visit from Professor Harold Hill and a boys band out of it, maybe they might not have killed all their parents. This Stephen King view of the mid-west sure makes one nostalgic for The Music Man.

It's one strange place that married couple Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton have come on their cross country journey. It reminded me of driving through Pennsylvania and the Amish country where you cannot get off the Pennsylvania Turnpike for ages, but on either side of the roads, nothing but woods and on the overpasses, Amish carts.

Here it's nothing but corn and when Peter Horton thinks he's hit a child on the road he goes for help and there's none. The town has been taken over by the devil himself working his evil through a young child preacher played by John Franklin. All the adults have been killed and the children are his disciples.

Of course some of the older ones are reaching puberty and the guy who was the high school bully Courtney Gains chafes under Franklin's leadership. He tries a palace coup d'etat, something along the lines of what old Lucifer himself did in heaven and everybody pays.

Children of the Corn is a good adaption of the Stephen King novel, it will please his legion of fans and maybe convert a few others.