Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998) (V)

Director:

Ethan Wiley

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (short story "Children of the Corn")
Ethan Wiley (written by)

Release Date:

21 June 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

In a deserted town... The terror continues!

Plot:

Six college students take a wrong turn and find themselves lost in a strangely deserted rural town.....

Plot Keywords:

Children | Cult | Teenage Pregnancy | Teenkill | Hook Through Hand

Cast

Stacy Galina	...	Allison
Alexis Arquette	...	Greg
Eva Mendes	...	Kir (as Eva Mendez)
Greg Vaughan	...	Tyrus
Angela Jones	...	Charlotte
Ahmet Zappa	...	Lazlo
Fred Williamson	...	Sheriff Skaggs
Dave Buzzotta	...	Jacob
Olivia Burnette	...	Lily
Adam Wylie	...	Ezeekial
David Carradine	...	Luke Enright
Aaron Jackson	...	Zane
Matthew Tait	...	Jared
Kane Hodder	...	Bartender
Jennifer Badger	...	Judith

Also Known As:

Children of the Corn 5
Children of the Corn V: Field of Screams (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence and gore.

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo | Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1999) | Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (1999 & 2003) | UK:18 | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Ventura, California, USA

Company:

Blue Rider Pictures

Trivia:

Eva Mendes' first movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: Charlotte is cut on the face in the cornfield. The cut vanishes when Lazlo finds her.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mr.O'Brien: Found another one today. Young heifer.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Children of the Corn: Revelation (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

South Bound Train

Genre...

This series has become a genre in itself, and therefore, people will like it or hate it. Personally, seeing the original COTC when I was growing up, it was not a great movie, but it had originality back in the era of Jason, Michael and Freddy.

It also tapped into childhood car trips into the country, with all the country sounds and smells, and of course, the claustrophobia of endless open spaces (which this movie breaks with to it's detriment, with it's mountain background), with rows and rows of corn, just too high to see over. This what the concept _does_ have going for it.

Now, it's just another vehicle for unknown actors to cut their teeth on, instead of daytime soap. Eva Mendez stands out, though, and her portrayal of Kir is both sensitive and fragile, while she is gorgeous to look at. She is being set up, though, and her killing herself over a boyfriend makes no sense whatsoever.

Because of the stale concept, there is very little suspense just there, and the director doesn't add any, either. You _know_ there is a cornfield possessed by a demon and a horde of "telepathic" children doing most of the killing for him. This being based on the 80's slasher concept, you also know that most of the protagonists are going to die. And they do. There's no suspense in that. Also, little Adam Wylie needs a lot more acting lessons.

What this series needs is more titanic battles, more ambivalent leads, more esoteric lore and simply more imagination on the part of the writers (plural). And a bigger budget too (which the original didn't have either). With the X-Files series running for 5 years now, I think there has been an over-exposure of horror, and what could shock in a movie a decade ago, now is something you're likely to see for free on week night television.