(1984) 2.5 Brian J. Dillard Although by no means a horror classic, this low-budget Stephen King adaptation stands out from a crop of similar '80s slasher films by virtue of its scary premise, spooky music, inspired casting, and tightly plotted, if frequently hammy, script. Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton star, but it's the child actors who make the most indelible impressions. John Franklin has one of those faces that looks ancient before it even hits puberty, making him the perfect choice for pint-sized cult leader Isaac. Redheaded teen actor Courtney Gaines is even better as Malachi, Isaac's menacing, machete-wielding henchman. Robby Kiger and Annemarie McEvoy make convincing if occasionally cutesy young protagonists. And in one of the few adult roles, horror-Western veteran R.G. Armstrong plays a crusty gas station owner with campy aplomb. Despite a few unfortunate digressions into primitive-synthesizer mode, Jonathan Elias makes great use of a haunting children's choir in his deeply creepy score; the music works especially well during the clever title sequence, which tells the story of the titular children's rise to power in a series of sicko crayon drawings. Cheap special effects keep the climax from measuring up to the opening credits, but for the first two acts, director Fritz Kiersch relies on ambience and the mere suggestion of violence to exact maximum nail-biting intensity from the material. Kiersch does occasionally let the hoary dialogue get the best of his actors -- particularly Horton, whose character bizarrely attempts to argue morality with a group of bloodthirsty, parentally unsupervised young religious fanatics who are holding him at knifepoint in a derelict church. But several truly scary scenes and bits of dialogue -- "He wants you too, Malachi" being only the most quotable -- made this film a staple of suburban nightmares when it appeared on cable channels throughout the mid-'80s.

cast-crew for Children of the Corn on AllMovie

Children of the Corn (1984)

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Children of the Corn

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flags

Violence
Graphic Violence
Not For Children
Adult Language
Profanity

genres

Horror

sub-genres

Supernatural Horror

category

Feature

directed by

Fritz Kiersch

countries

USA

released

1984

run time

93 min.

produced by

Angeles Entertainment Group, Cinema Group, Gatlin Productions, Hal Roach Productions, Inverness Productions, New World

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cast

Peter Horton: Dr. Burt Stanton

Linda Hamilton: Vicky Baxter

R.G. Armstrong: Diehl

John Franklin: Isaac

Courtney Gains: Malachi

Robby Kiger: Job

Annemarie McEvoy: Sarah

Julie Maddalena: Rachel

Jonas Marlowe: Joseph

John Philbin: Amos

Teresa Toigo: Hansen's Customer

Dan Snook: Boy

Elmer Soderstrom: Hansen's Customer

Suzy Southam: Mom

David Cowan: Dad

Patrick Boylan: Hansen's Customer

D.G. Johnson: Mr. Hansen

Eric Freeman: Israel

Mitch Carter: Radio Preacher

crew

Fritz Kiersch: Director
Charles Weber: Producer, Executive Producer
Donald P. Borchers: Producer
Mark Lipson: Producer, Associate Producer
Terence Kirby: Producer
George Goldsmith: Screenwriter
Stephen King: Book Author, Screenwriter
Raoul Lomas: Cinematographer
Jonathan Elias: Composer (Music Score)
Harry Keramidas: Editor
Craig Stearns: Production Designer, Art Director
Earl A. Glick: Executive Producer
Cricket Rowland: Set Designer
Barbara Scott: Costume Designer
Max W. Anderson: Special Effects
Bruce Paul Barbour: Stunts
Jonathan "Earl" Stein: Sound Mixer
Doug O'Neons: Second Unit Camera
Julia Evershade: Sound Editor
Marshall Winn: Sound Editor
Patience Thoreson: Script Supervisor