IMDb > Children of the Corn (1984)
Children of the Corn
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Children of the Corn (1984) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
5.1/10   10,385 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Fritz Kiersch
Writers:
Stephen King (short story)
George Goldsmith (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Children of the Corn on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 March 1984 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror more
Tagline:
An adult nightmare. more
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... more | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 3 nominations more
User Comments:
And a child shall lead them... more (165 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Stephen King's Children of the Corn
more
Runtime:
92 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (CFI)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Ryder Sound Services)
Filming Locations:
California, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
R.G. Armstrong filmed his scenes in one day. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Vicky gets carried away from the bedroom, the sandal on her left foot falls off. Later in the cornfields as she gets raised on the large crucifix, the sandal has appeared back on her foot. more
Quotes:
Burt: Any religion without love and compassion is false! It's a lie! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Blood II: The Chosen (1998) (VG) more
Soundtrack:
Runaway more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful.
And a child shall lead them..., 20 September 2007
5/10
Author: cedde6 from London UK

This is the tale of a young couple (Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton) stranded in the deserted little town of Gatlin, Nebraska and stalked by a pack of adult killing children worshipping a demon living in the cornfields.

This very atmospheric piece is a rather humble b-movie that boasts an unusual and interesting premise (thanks to a pretty good short story by Stephen King) and delivers some decent performances from its cast (which is rare with children in general).

Although soft in its depiction of violence, the movie offers some creepy moments (especially in the still effective opening sequence). John Franklin, excellent as the child-preacher Isaac, makes for one odd and creepy looking kid and Courtney Gains inhabits his psychopathic Malachai character with obvious delight.

The cornfields are beautifully shot and the overall is boosted by a pretty efficient score by Jonathan Ellias. And to top this all up, R.G. Armstrong makes here an appearance (albeit a too short one) as a recluse gas station owner.

Don't be fooled though. The movie is far to be a masterpiece. At leading endlessly its main characters around cornfields and then through the deserted town (direct effect of superficially expanding a short story to feature film length), the movie ends up suffering from its slow pace ("Things just aren't happening fast enough" even says Horton at some point) with the characters taking what seems like an improbable amount of time to realise what is afoot.

The danger of young and impressionable minds blindly following extremist religious leaders is certainly an interesting theme but is here barely tapped into.

Finally the climatic sequence, with the manifestation of the collie flower looking "He Who Walks Behind The Rows", is a bit of a let down to say the least.

Those (not so minor) details however are not enough to warrant the bad press the movie gathered upon release (and Stephen King's severe criticisms). "Children of the Corn" is a well performed little soft core horror b-movie that surprisingly enough spawned a franchise and still provides eerie ambiance and creepiness that even, at times, make the few cheap scares work.

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Message Boards

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Jason vs. He who Walks Behind the Rows DTigersFan
the gift vicky gave burt ox_emely
Dammit shantii
How many are there? Saw-Fan
My idea for a prequel jackbriankern
Soundtrack available to order now fawvincent
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