Beware: Children at Play (1989)

Director:

Mik Cribben

Writer:

Fred Scharkey (screenplay)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

These Aren't Children...They Are Demons!

Plot:

After several children have gone missing, a writer and a cop decide to get to the bottom of the problem once and for all...

Plot Keywords:

Children | Stabbed In The Back | Mother Kills Own Child | Killed With A Fork | Psychotic Child

Cast

Michael Robertson	...	John DeWolfe
Rich Hamilton	...	Sheriff Ross Carr
Robin Lilly	...	Cleo Carr
Lori Tirgrath	...	Julia DeWolfe
Jamie Krause	...	Kara DeWolfe
Sunshine Barrett	...	Mary Rose Carr
Mark Diekman	...	Luke Domain
Mik Cribben	...	Farmer Isac Braun
Susan Chandler	...	Mrs. Mary Braun
Herb Klinger	...	Franklin Ludwig
Lauren Cloud	...	Dale Hawthorn
Lorna Courtney	...	Amy Carr / Wealtheow
Danny McClaughlin	...	Grendel / Glenn Randall
Stephanie Jaworski	...	Alice Allegari
Lee Kayman	...	Josiah Modicah
Bernard Hocke	...	Professor Randall
Eric Tonken	...	Young Glenn Randall
Rick Bitzelberger	...	Dr. Fish
Anne Grindley	...	Witness
John Reischel	...	Witness
Lucky	...	The 3-legged Dog (as Lycky, The Wonder Dog)
Anthony Cartinella	...	Goblin
Kristy Condon	...	Goblin
Tommy Condon Correll	...	Goblin
Deanell Lancet	...	Goblin
Thatcher Long	...	Goblin
Jason E. Lord	...	Goblin
Licia McClaughlin	...	Goblin
Thomas Peterson	...	Goblin
Kyle Plotner	...	Goblin
Lisa Plotner	...	Goblin
Edxel Rosario	...	Goblin
Sheldon Rosario	...	Goblin
Akim Salawu	...	Goblin
Anthony Vendutto	...	Goblin
Joey Zalis	...	Goblin
Ronnie Barret	...	Townspeople
Fred Lee Bear Jr.	...	Townspeople
Alan Best	...	Townspeople
Roy J. Blount	...	Townspeople
Willer Boozer	...	Townspeople
Joseph Brancaccio	...	Townspeople
Kenneth Buck Sr.	...	Townspeople
John Bukovec	...	Townspeople
Gerald Butler	...	Townspeople
Nathaniel Butler Jr.	...	Townspeople
John Chervenyak	...	Townspeople
Darlene Coles	...	Townspeople
James Darcy	...	Townspeople
Sophia Domoulin	...	Townspeople
Linda Hall	...	Townspeople
Richard Hanley	...	Townspeople
Karl Heincke	...	Townspeople
Brian Hobby	...	Townspeople
Edward Justin	...	Townspeople
Bob Kammerer	...	Townspeople
James Kjeruiff	...	Townspeople
Ted Liebowitz	...	Townspeople
Laurie Long	...	Townspeople
Mark Monto	...	Townspeople
Scott Manto	...	Townspeople
Sam March	...	Townspeople
Melissa Moffett	...	Townspeople
Gregory Mosel	...	Townspeople
Patricia O'Brien	...	Townspeople
William Ohlmeyer	...	Townspeople
Rick Orlando	...	Townspeople
Andee Qureshi	...	Townspeople
Peter Riga	...	Townspeople
Martha Rivera	...	Townspeople
Carola Romero	...	Townspeople
Edward Saslofsky	...	Townspeople
Steven Scholl	...	Townspeople
Hristina Sylva	...	Townspeople
Martina Sonneborn	...	Townspeople
Heather van Arlen	...	Townspeople
Ted van Arlen	...	Townspeople
Brian Wetstein	...	Townspeople
Robert Wilson Jr.	...	Townspeople
Christina Wojcik	...	Townspeople
Douglas Wranovics	...	Townspeople

Directed by
Mik Cribben

Writing credits
Fred Scharkey		(screenplay) (as Fred Sharkey)

Produced by
Michael Koslow	....	producer
Lawrence Littler	....	executive producer
Linda Sanford	....	executive producer
Ellen Wedner	....	producer

Original Music by
Herschel Dwellingham		(as Hershel Dwellingham)

Cinematography by
Mik Cribben

Film Editing by
Michael Cribben
Mik Cribben

Production Design by
Ellen Wedner

Art Direction by
Steven Mann

Costume Design by
Dianne Finn-Chapman

Makeup Department
Mark Dolson	....	special makeup effects artist
Gregory Mosel	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Bill Burke	....	production manager (as William Burke)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Boehm	....	first assistant director
Joseph Flanagan	....	second assistant director

Art Department
John Chervenyak	....	set construction
Joe Delgado	....	set construction
Jo Ann Goldsmith	....	signmaker
Bob Kammerer	....	set construction
Arthur Lorenz	....	property master (as Art Lorenz)
Gregory Mosel	....	set construction
Craig Rothman	....	storyboard artist
Steven Savitsky	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Antonio L. Arroyo	....	sound
Charles Hipster	....	sound assistant
Charles R. Hunt	....	sound assistant (as Charles Hunt)

Special Effects by
Debra Bergmann	....	special effects
Mark Dolson	....	special effect director
David Dumont	....	special effects
Bob Kammerer	....	special effects assistant
Mark Kwiatek	....	special effect director
Craig Lindberg	....	special effects
Lawrence Littler	....	special effect director
Eric Molassy	....	special effects
William Ohlmeyer	....	special effects assistant
Frank Pace	....	special effects cameraman
Joe Starace	....	special effects

Stunts
Larry Littler Jr.	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
Amy Bostwick	....	third assistant camera
Paul Boyd	....	grip
John Chervenyak	....	key grip
Clayton Cowan	....	generator operator
Robert Dembicki	....	best boy
Kurt Franke	....	still photographer
George Gatter	....	gaffer
Kevin Kapassi	....	crane operator
Vadim Kove	....	grip
Matt Kruger	....	electrician
Mark Kwiatek	....	still photographer
Edward Lehman	....	crane operator
Michael Miller	....	electrician
J. Michael Muro	....	Steadicam operator (as James Muro)
Tim O'Rawe	....	grip
Jonathan Sinaiko	....	electrician
Andrew Suhl	....	electrician
Artur Uznanski	....	second assistant camera
Alan Wolfe	....	first assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Cathleen Greenberg	....	assistant wardrobe
Karen Keuter	....	wardrobe

Transportation Department
Corey Judd	....	transportation
Corey Judd	....	transportation

Other crew
Mimi Abrams	....	production coordinator
John Anson	....	production assistant
Ken Buck Jr.	....	weapons master
Josh Cochran	....	kid wrangler
Steven Egyhazy	....	production assistant
Alan Hemingway	....	production assistant
Brian Hobby	....	production assistant
Patrick Hughes	....	production assistant
Michael Kanbar	....	production assistant
Andrew Kinney	....	animal wrangler
Joseph Kuhr	....	production assistant
Larry Littler Jr.	....	production assistant
Stuart Littler	....	production assistant
Carlton McCallum	....	equipment manager
Cicely Mihok	....	production assistant
Scott Murchinson	....	production assistant
Nelson Nazzaro	....	production assistant
Linda Sanford	....	location manager
Bonnie Ziegler	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Troma Entertainment

Distributors

• Siren Entertainment (Australia) (VHS)
• Stomp Visual (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Troma Team Video

Other Companies

• Film Friends  equipment
• Ross-Gaffney Inc.  equipment
• The Wedner-Koslow Company  casting

Also Known As:

"Attention! Enfants" - France

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and gore, and for some sexuality

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Australia:R | USA:R

Company:

Troma Entertainment

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Cinema Snob: Nekromantik (#3.26)" (2011)

Good production values, bad everything else

Author John DeWolfe (Michael Robertson) heads with his wife and young daughter to a puritanical town (in Jersey?) to visit relative Sheriff Ross Carr and his family. The town has been struck by a series of abductions of children, one every two months with the Sheriff's daughter among them. Seems a child abandoned in the woods a decade ago has been recruiting kids to his cult that worships the epic poem Beowulf (really). This is like CHILDREN OF THE CORN but set in the wilds of New Jersey and minus the corn. Director Mik Cribben (who has a large supporting role) stages moments and dialog that come of more as a comedy, like the town lynching party that just stands around for hours. Sadly, he was trying to be serious. He does get credit for throwing around some blood and the all-out kid massacre during the film's final scene. Nothing much else there really. Picked up and released by Troma.