Review by Roger Carpenter
Stephen King films can be a mixed bag. For every really good film adaptation (Carrie; The Shining; Misery) there’s a bad one (Maximum Overdrive; Graveyard Shift; The Dark Tower). There are also a whole slew of Stephen King films that fall somewhere in the middle. I think Children of the Corn is one of the films that falls squarely in the middle of the pack.
There are some real strengths in the film. It has some genuine star quality, with soon-to-be action star Linda Hamilton (The Terminator) and TV heartthrob Peter Horton (Thirtysomething) starring as married couple Burt and Vicky, who become stranded in a town filled only with murderous, brainwashed children. The children are led by Isaac (John Franklin), who has a direct connection with an evil entity the children worship called He Who Walks Behind the Rows, and Malachai (Courtney Gains), Isaac’s mean-spirited enforcer. Though they were pretty green in terms of film experience, Hamilton and Horton had both appeared in numerous television movies and series before Children of the Corn and give solid performances here. But the real stars are Franklin as Isaac and Gains as Malachai. Franklin looked very child-like thanks to a growth hormone deficiency, so was very short and looked very young even though his voice sounded like a grown man’s voice. This juxtaposition lent a truly weird feel to Franklin’s performance as the 12-year-old leader of the corn cult. Gains plays Malachai with a raw intensity that scared the jeepers out of every teen who saw the film back in 1984—including me. Fresh out of high school and on his first film set, Gains shows a real knack for getting under viewers’ skin.
The film is effectively directed by first-time director Fritz Kiersch, who chose to model the film’s death scenes after Alfred Hitchcock by showing the weapon, the movement of the weapon, and the aftermath, but not the actual murders. While there are some blood spatters, for the most part the viewer doesn’t see any direct violence. I think this was a good choice and helps to elevate the film from the typical slashers of the time period.
There are some special effects that are particularly good, too, with the highlight being the monster who lives in the corn fields and, when angry, quickly bores through the ground making oversized tunnels which push dirt upwards and onto the ground. This effect was remarkably simple and very cheap to create yet is one of the best effects in the film. Other effects unfortunately expose the shoestring budget of the film—and perhaps the limitation of the technology at the time—with some fairly cheesy climactic effects that don’t stand the test of time very well.
Perhaps the biggest flaw—at least in my opinion–is the choice the filmmakers made in couching the film in supernatural terms. Yeah, I know it’s based on a short story by Stephen King, but I felt like the real horror sprang from a group of children, led by a small group of teens, who became so brainwashed they collectively rose up to kill all the adults. The characters of Isaac and Malachai were scary enough that I felt like the film didn’t need to veer into supernatural territory. Hokey monsters in ink clouds weakened the film. The micro budget didn’t help, either, as many effects simply weren’t able to be completed well and cheapened the end result.
Still, Children of the Corn has spawned numerous sequels and even a reboot and many people still watch the film, so it remains undeniably popular and has perhaps even become a minor cult classic. So it is that thirty years on Arrow Video USA has decided to release the ultimate edition of the film—and they have done a spectacular job at it, for sure.
First up, this Blu-Ray release is a brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative. This is likely the best the film will ever look. It is simply crystal clear. The film is also packed with hours of extras for the super fans. While several features are ported over from a previous Blu release by another company, this disc also sports numerous brand new features as well. There is a 25th anniversary commentary with director and producer along with Franklin and Gains as well as a brand new commentary with horror journalist Justin Beahm and Children of the Corn historian John Sullivan. Frankly, the new commentary can be skipped. It is filled with minutiae no one wants to know like the locations of interior shots versus exterior shots as well as more grammatical misusage than anyone needs to hear. And, for a film historian, Sullivan shows a surprising lack of knowledge about key facts about the film, such as the “infamous” missing “blue man” footage. I hope he watches this disc so he can learn why the footage is missing….
However, there are plenty of excellent interviews, including a retrospective feature again with director and producer along with Franklin and Gains. It’s great to see them three decades on and listen to their stories and the fun they had making the picture. There is also quite a long interview with the two actors who play the child heroes in the film, Julie Maddalena and John Philbin, as well as a great interview with Linda Hamilton who discusses her experiences while making the film. Other interviews included feature the screenwriter, music composer, production designer, and co-producer of the film. There is a short feature, again with John Sullivan, comparing locations during filming with present locations. It’s always interesting to see what’s changed as well as what hasn’t changed. And, for those truly obsessed fans who have spent their lives searching for the missing “blue man” footage, there is even an interview with the actor who played the blue man as well as stills from the scene and an explanation for why it has gone missing. Hint: it didn’t have anything to do with censorship; rather, it had to do with the length of the film, so there was no conspiracy over this footage. Perhaps it will be located one day; perhaps not.
Finally, there is an 18-minute film short entitled Disciples of the Crow, filmed the same year as Children of the Corn. I must confess I haven’t read the original short story in decades, but my understanding is the film short is much more faithful to the original material—no surprise since the story had to be fleshed out for a feature-length film. It’s a low budget but interesting short film and a real prize to have on this disc. Rounding out the special features is a storyboard gallery and the original theatrical trailer. As with all Arrow releases, the first pressing also features a nice illustrated booklet as well.
While I’m a bit wishy washy on the film itself, there’s no doubt that even passing fans will love this disc, chock full of special features. You can purchase the film at Amazon or directly from Arrow Video at http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/category/usa/.
