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
Elmer Soderstrom	...	Hansen's customer
Teresa Toigo	...	Hansen's customer
Mitch Carter	...	Radio preacher (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eric Freeman	...	Israel (uncredited)
Corey Frizzell	...	Boy in front row of church scene (uncredited)

Directed by
Fritz Kiersch

Writing credits
Stephen King		(short story)
George Goldsmith		(screenplay)

Produced by
Donald P. Borchers	....	producer
Earl A. Glick	....	executive producer
Terrence Kirby	....	producer
Mark Lipson	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Jonathan Elias

Cinematography by
Raoul Lomas

Film Editing by
Harry Keramidas

Production Design by
Craig Stearns

Set Decoration by
Cricket Rowland

Costume Design by
Barbara Scott

Makeup Department
Herita Jones	....	key makeup artist
Erica Ulland	....	makeup artist (as Erica Ueland)
Rosemary Weibelhaus	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Joe Madalena	....	production manager
Michael Winter	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Devries	....	second assistant director
Susan Gelb	....	first assistant director
John Hopgood	....	assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Timothy Case	....	assistant art director
Peter Freitas	....	storyboard artist
Aaron McFarland	....	art department assistant
Robin Miller	....	property master
Heidi Sue Whitmer	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Gregg Barbanell	....	foley artist
Gregg Barbanell	....	supervising sound editor
Gary C. Bourgeois	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Bowey	....	sound editor
Neil Brody	....	sound re-recording mixer
Joseph D. Citarella	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Joseph Citarella)
Gary Dowling	....	boom operator
Julia Evershade	....	sound editor
John P. Fasal	....	sound effects editor (as John Paul Fasal)
Arnold Finkelstein	....	assistant sound editor
Kimberly Harris	....	sound editor
Lorie O'Shatz	....	assistant sound editor (as Lorrie Oshatz)
Troy Porter	....	sound recordist
Jonathon 'Earl' Stein	....	sound mixer
Marty Stein	....	sound editor
Jerry Trent	....	foley artist
Marshall Winn	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Wayne Beauchamp	....	special effects coordinator
Eric Rumsey	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Max W. Anderson	....	visual effects
Zoé Alexis Buda	....	assistant optical camera
Vito 'Jack' Codini	....	optical cameraman
Paula A. Lumbard	....	visual effects coordinator (as Paula Lumbard)

Stunts
Bruce Paul Barbour	....	stunt coordinator
Kerrie Cullen	....	stunts
Mike Frizzell	....	stunt performer
Bruce Paul Barbour	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Barnes	....	second assistant camera
Douglas Burg	....	camera apprentice
James L. Carter	....	camera operator: second camera
M.J. Elliott	....	still photographer (as M.J. Elliot)
Bob Good	....	gaffer
Neil Harrington	....	grip
Guy Olds	....	assistant camera: second camera
Douglas F. O'Neons	....	director of photography: second unit
Joe-Joe Presson	....	best boy grip (as Joseph Presson)
John Savka	....	dolly grip
John Savka	....	key grip
S. Phillip Sparks	....	camera operator
Jeremy Sykes	....	first assistant camera
Gary Thieltges	....	assistant camera: second unit
Jani Vournas	....	best boy (as John Voournas)
Ted Wachs	....	electrician

Casting Department
Jeff Greenberg	....	extras casting
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joyce Bond	....	wardrobe assistant
David Lenderink-Johns	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Christopher Cooke	....	associate editor
Debra C. Neil	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jonathan Elias	....	orchestrator
Scott Elias	....	executive music producer
Michael Montes	....	music associate

Transportation Department
John Trosper	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Jill Basey	....	production auditor
Michelle Bourque	....	production assistant
Craig Caton	....	creature crew
Jeffrey Chernov	....	production executive
Joel Conkey	....	production assistant
Jeff Greenberg	....	dialogue coach
Peter Lenagh	....	production assistant
Jan Lewis	....	assistant to producers
Robin L. Logelin	....	production assistant
Debra Magit	....	production secretary
Frankie Nixon	....	script supervisor
Debbie O'Brien	....	title designer
Victoria Pearman	....	production coordinator
Jean Persinger	....	production assistant
Randy Persinger	....	production assistant
Bryan Renfro	....	dog trainer
Joe Santley	....	unit publicist
David Simkins	....	assistant to producers
Charlene Sutherlin	....	production assistant
Patience Thoreson	....	script supervisor
Mike Warren	....	title designer
Corey Frizzell	....	stand-in: Job (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Angeles Entertainment Group
• Cinema Group
• Gatlin
• Hal Roach Studios
• Inverness Productions
• Planet Productions

Distributors

• New World Pictures (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• I.D Films (1985) (France) (theatrical)
• Succéfilm AB (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Suomi-Filmi (1985) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Astro Distribution (1994) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• Atlantic Film (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Cannon Screen Entertainment (198?) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (video)
• Finnkino Video (1993) (Finland) (VHS)
• Flashback Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Future Film (2000) (Finland) (VHS) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (laserdisc)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1999) (Finland) (TV)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1988) (Finland) (VHS)
• Starmaker Video (video)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1993) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Makeup Effects Laboratories
• SPFX Inc.
• VCE (additional optical effects)

Other Companies

• Elias Sound Studios  score recorded at
• Image 3  titles & opticals
• Power Station  score recorded at
• Ryder Sound Services  sound by

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:

The tagline "And a child shall lead them" comes from Isaiah 11:6 in the Old Testament, which reads, "And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."

Goofs:

Continuity: When Malachi and some others are trying to take Vicky from a bedroom, someone hacks a bit of the door out with an axe, but in the next shot that part is suddenly back intact.

Quotes:

Malachai: What Hath the lord commandeth?

Movie Connections:

Edited into "30 Even Scarier Movie Moments" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Foot Stompin'

whatever happened to this director?

with all the recent fuss over horror/supernatural, it's surprising (or isn't it?) how some of the originals still hold up. the pacing is terrific, the cutting is brisk, the acting is, well ... what you might expect. the surprises out in the corn field are occasionally predictable, though unnerving - and i guess that's a testament to the director, fritz kiersch. where is he now? sorta' like paul brickman after "risky business" - good first movies, but where'd they go? i've seen the titles in imdb.com of a few films fritz kiersch did since then, but i don't remember them. who knows, maybe it was just bad management. this director's name sounds like maybe he's from overseas, so maybe he just packed it up after this and left. which is too bad. he could be working big time right now.