Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Children of the Corn Blu-ray Movie Review

Second time may not be the charm, but it's definitely the one without extras.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 23, 2012

He who walks behind the rows seeth all.

Yet another film adaptation of a Stephen King horror yarn, Children of the Corn plays out with the intensity of a high school basketball game. A Horror picture but not one that is necessarily up to the standards that define the very best the genre has to offer, Children of the Corn never manages to put it all together and move up to the big time. All the right pieces are in place, including a good story, decent enough acting, solid direction, and the Stephen King connection sure to sell a few more tickets (or in this case, Blu-ray discs), but like that high school matchup, the level of play and talent on the court just can't compete with the professionals. That's fine, because there's a place in cinema for all sorts of releases of varying quality, from the Oscar winner to the direct-to-video bore. Children of the Corn falls somewhere in a very happy middle ground. It never embarrasses itself, playing out as a fine all-around picture that squeezes enough terror, emotion, intrigue, and drama out of its unusual and unsettling story to keep up interest, but despite a good premise, the film never moves past the expected twists and turns and never strays from the well-beaten path that has seen many a picture -- some better, some worse -- tread its weary dirt.

And a child shall lead them...

The small Nebraska town of Gatlin, once a thriving agricultural community, one day sees its adult population wiped out by its children. Heeding the call of "He Who Walks Behind the Rows," the children, led by Isaac (John Franklin) and his right-hand man and feared killer, Malachai (Courtney Gains), slaughter their parents and other adults. Though the town falls into a state of neglect, the children live to serve an unseen god that, through Isaac, orders the deaths of those that should stray from the path and requests sacrificess in the form of travelers passing through town. Several years after the formation of the cult, a young couple -- Burton (Peter Horton) and Vicky (Linda Hamilton, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) -- accidentally run over one of the town's children who had gone astray and was murdered by Malachai. Though they try to avoid Gatlin at the behest of a local who lives outside of town, they cannot escape it, all roads seemingly leading to it. Once there, they find two young children -- Job (Robby Kiger) and Sarah (AnneMarie McEvoy) -- disillusioned with the cult and rebelling by playing games and listening to music, two forbidden pastimes. As Burton and Vicky piece together the town's disturbing history, they find themselves hunted by a cult of young men and women bent on spilling their blood for their dastardly god.

Though playing with plenty of religious overtones that deal more with fringe cults rather than mainstream denominations, Children of the Corn never feels over-burdened or particularly preachy in either an embrace or denial of religion as a whole entity. Though the religious aspect of the film plays central to the plot, it never completely dominates but rather meshes with the overall feel of the film that is instead more defined by its story, atmosphere, and under-age villains. Nevertheless, Children of the Corn builds a story which revolves around questioning not the need for, purpose of, or place that peaceful religion holds in society, but rather the forces that fight counter to the moral and philanthropic principles that tend to define most mainstream religions, and the film contains images of the degradation of several religiously-based works of art in an effort to show the cult's shunning of the messages of those religions that espouse peace and life rather than violence and death. The object of worship plays no part other than to define that which has driven the children to follow its "teachings" and carry out its "requests." No more or less important to the story than would be a golden idol or any other object someone may deem worthy of worship, it's simply a device built into a setting through which the plot unravels with particular overtones, themes, and locations that define a small Midwestern agricultural town. Ultimately, Children of the Corn makes for a somewhat chilling picture not necessarily because of the mysterious, real-or-imagined "god" in the corn but rather because of the devotion the young men and women of the town give to it in light of the dastardly requests, rituals, rules, and regulations that have come to govern their lives.

Children of the Corn plays out with something of a sluggish pace, but the slow start to the film generally benefits the story's development and unnerving atmosphere and is also countered by a rather fast third act. Though some of the material seems a bit goofy, particularly in some of the more "adult" discussions between Isaac and Malachai, most of it holds up well enough, and while Children of the Corn won't likely come to define the very essence of the Horror genre and bring about restless, sleepless nights or an onslaught of nightmares, it revels in its chilling simplicity and the brutality through which the children obey the corn. The acting is a mixed bag; the aforementioned Issac and Malachai, portrayed by John Franklin and Courtney Gains, don't always seem to have the characters or the material down perfectly, resulting in a few awkward exchanges and lines as noted above, but they play the parts with an eerie reality and their physical performances -- stares, glances, and body language -- steal the show. Hamilton and Horton offer standard efforts that don't degrade or elevate the film. Children of the Corn does feature above-average direction courtesy of Fritz Kiersch in what was both his directorial debut and best-known picture. The film also delivers an effective and haunting score from Jonathan Elias (Pathfinder).

Children of the Corn Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Children of the Corn's 1080p Blu-ray transfer from Image Entertainment isn't so dissimilar to its Starz/Anchor Bay counterpart released some time prior to this Blu-ray. That now out-of-print title presented the film in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, where this one opens things up just a hair to 1.78:1, filling up the screen completely on HD television sets and removing the slight black bars appearing at the top and bottom of the other release. Otherwise, these two are similar, though the Anchor Bay title appears a slight bit sharper, better defined, and with a slightly improved color balance over this Image release. This Image transfer does retain a grain structure, but it also carries over some white pops and speckles that distract from, but don't destroy, the overall picture quality. Viewers will enjoy a general crispness, with only a few softer, flat images scattered about the film. Generally, there's some rich detail to be enjoyed, including plenty of worn-down small-town accents. Corn stalks, heavy country clothes, and pavement are all reproduced with great accuracy and attention to precision detail, right down to fine lines and intricate textures that truly give them realistic shape. Colors are generally superb. Red and yellow store fronts around town, the yellow car, green vegetation, golden stalks, and multi-colored clothes all impress. Blacks and flesh tones occasionally look a touch washed out, as does the general color palette at times, but generally the colors appear even and accurate. The Anchor Bay transfer might be better by a gnat's eyelash, but all told this is a good, quality image from Image Entertainment, with the slight change in aspect ratio the one major, noticeable difference if one is just eyeballing the two side-by-side.

Please note that all twenty screenshots in this review have been taken from the Image disc and are of the same shot as the screenshot from the Anchor Bay review. They have been placed in the same order for easy comparison.

Children of the Corn Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Also different from the Starz/Anchor Bay release is Children of the Corn's lossless soundtrack. There a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 presentation and here a DTS-HD MA 5.1 presentation, the tracks are both effective in presenting the material with some degree of sonic accuracy. Image Entertainment's audio presentation enjoys nicely-boded music. There's a noticeable heft to it, and it spaces well across the front. The music leading up the diner slaughter as seen early in the film plays deep, haunting notes that lightly fill the soundstage, setting a sonically effective dark and eerie mood for what is to come. Bass can get a little rattly at times as it accompanies music, later in the film in particular as the action and danger intensify. But when bass is used away from music as more of a general, foreboding ambient tool, it plays tightly and deeply. Sound effects aren't all that impressive. Ambience, sporadic and sometimes utilizing a wider soundstage, is never quite as involved and authentic as it should be, and other effects, such as a car driving through the soundstage from one end to the other, sounds crunchy and highly indistinct, even as the muddled sound does maneuver precisely from one place to another. Much of the action remains largely the job of the center channel; this is certainly not a very involved listen, nor is it the most clear, but all things considered it's adequate and even impressive in those times when everything comes together. Dialogue flows naturally from the center, with no real hiccups or difficulties encountered alongside music or effects. This track isn't a dazzler, but it gets the job done and then some.

Children of the Corn Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All that's included is the Children of the Corn trailer (480p, 4:3, 1:15). Otherwise, all of the supplements from the Anchor Bay release are nowhere to be found.

Children of the Corn Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Although Children of the Corn turns into a standard chase movie in its third act, it keeps up a good pace and delivers a suitable finale to an otherwise average Horror picture. From the mind of genre maestro Stephen King, Children of the Corn features a compelling story that translates to the silver screen with only ho-hum execution. Not a bad movie either within its genre or in the whole of cinema but certainly not an all-time classic, the film enjoys something of a cult following and, in the great tradition of the Horror genre, has been followed by several sequels, most of which have gone straight to video. "The original that started it all" is once again on Blu-ray, this time from a different studio and, in terms of its A/V presentation, not all that dissimilar despite a slight change in aspect ratio and a switchover from one popular lossless codec to another. Unfortunately, this Image release kicks most of the supplements found on the now-defunct Starz/Anchor Bay release to the curb. This release is suitable for audiences who don't care for extras or missed out on the last release and just need a Children of the Corn fix on Blu-ray. Already own this film in its Starz/Anchor Bay edition? No need to buy this one; just enjoy that superior release one more time.