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CHILDREN OF THE CORN

Where 1984's CHILDREN OF THE CORN (based on the Stephen King short story) works the most is in its set-up as it follows likable couple Burt and Vicky (Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton) who end up taking a detour to Gatlin, Nebraska where they encounter a town totally run by children turned zealots who have killed off their parents to appease a "corn" God.

While befriending two children not affected by the religious fervor in town, the couple tries to put a stop to the madness before they themselves are done in.

A surprisingly clever script by George Goldsmith gets into territory few of the sequels explored namely the religious underpinnings that make the film truly scary at times. The two leads are also smart in their actions whereas characters in horror movies at that time in the early '80s (and even to this day) usually proved to be dumb as dirt. Horton is quite effective in confronting the kids instead of letting them overpower him, because after all, any adult with some brains could take these kids on if they had an inkling of how dangerous they were. Hamilton is pre-TERMINATOR here by a couple of months and her clean-cut persona is once again a sight for sore eyes. It's a shame she squandered her post TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY success by marrying Cameron instead of building her movie career, because she has certainly proven her range. For her to go from everyday girl here and in TERMINATOR to the kick-ass powerhouse years later in TERMINATOR 2 takes considerable talent. Then again, some may say being Cameron's wife takes talent as well.

CHILDREN OF THE CORN goes downhill pretty quickly once the action starts to unfold in the cornstalks particularly when the laughable concept of "He Who Walks Behind the Rows" makes its appearance in all its bad visual effects glory. Subsequent sequels tried to remedy this problem for their "He Who Walks Behind the Rows" redux, but no one ever understood that it was a stupid concept to begin with. Get over it. Get rid of it. Be done.

The essence of a good movie is on display with this DVD release. It shows the kind of thought that went into making low budget horror films in the '80s. While not altogether successful, it still was more interesting and planned out than the direct-to-video fodder that followed. In fact, it's really a shame that the direct-to-video market effectively destroyed low-budget horror films for a whole new generation. Watching any recent DTV release of the past ten years, it becomes apparent that most of the directors don't even try. The bar is lowered, some don't care, some don't even try. It's the curse of Charlie Band's Full Moon Pictures. I guess, in a sort of back-handed way, CHILDREN OF THE CORN is the kind of ambitious horror movie we should be seeing more of. It overcomes a largely silly premise with style, suspense and really good acting. Where it lags is in its finale, which is an obvious result of running out of money to wrap everything up properly.

The DVD only contains the theatrical trailer, but the widescreen aspect ratio really shows off director Fritz Kiersch's directorial flair. He manages some downright spooky moments and has a fine grasp on the material. The CORN movies may plod along (including the current direct-to-video release CHILDREN OF THE CORN: REVELATION), but in everyone's mind there is only one. And that's the way it should have been all along.