Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		1.5

Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 29, 2021

This Blu-ray release of 'Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror' is currently available from Echo Bridge in a two film bundle with 'Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return' as well as in several other multi-film releases from both Echo Bridge and, now, Paramount.

The Children of the Corn film franchise began life with the 1984 film, which was itself an adaptation of a 1977 Stephen King short story. The franchise has, now in hindsight perhaps predictably, continued on in perpetuity, releasing countless sequels and spawning remakes and what not. It's a typical path for Horror which is apt to milk a name and a concept for all they're worth, and then some. Here is the fifth film in the franchise, and as is typical for a fifth film a rather tepid endeavor that builds some lore for the franchise but accomplishes little insofar as artistic merits or dramatic interests are concerned.

A young boy, Ezekiel (Adam Wylie), approaches a fire burning amidst the corn stalks. He’s zapped by its supernatural powers and awakens to find himself host to those powers and a decidedly evil bend. On a dark and stormy night, he approaches a farmer and informs him that his corn field now belongs to “us.” The boy lifts the man into the air where he is struck by lightning and killed. The farmer’s wife follows him in death. Soon thereafter, a group of road tripping teenagers stumble upon the rows. One of the teenagers, Allison (Stacy Galina), comes to realize that her brother is part of a peculiar religious cult that worships “He Who Walks Behind the Rows.” As Allison and her friends learn more about the cult, and its leader (David Carradine), they are pulled into a bloody nightmare from which there appears to be no escape.

The first four victims are random individuals killed off in minutes, but the main characters are just about as nondescript. Sure they enjoy more screen time but robust development and place within the concept are limited by a paint-by-numbers script and Director Ethan Wiley's perpetual Dutch angles and skewered perspectives meant to add discomfort to the proceedings but which only distract from the thin story elements playing out on the screen. The underdeveloped characters are the technical focus; the film is made of nearly ceaseless character close-ups that put the emphasis on the characters rather than the more interesting world around them. Resultantly, the film struggles to gain traction. Once the film reaches its predictably bloody and fiery finale, there's little feel for audience engagement for either the action itself or the consequences to follow for the characters who live and who die.

Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Echo Bridge brings Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror to Blu-ray with a 1080i transfer. The picture quality is home to regular macroblocking, perhaps not extensively severe but certainly with enough raw visibility to label the picture of an unbecoming presentation, though predominantly only in its low light scenes. The nighttime open inspires no confidence for the material but the picture quality isn't bad in the aggregate and particularly when the picture shifts to daylight. To be sure some compression issues remain, as do an unsightly, but not extensive, collection of pops and speckles. But the picture is suitably sharp and fairly filmic. Grain is not fine but the picture shows no evidence of harsh scrubbing; textures remain a little on the soft side but certainly not devoid of natural definition. Close-ups abound and general facial and clothing textures are fine. Colors are somewhat nondescript, too, effective through the range but lacking any kind of vivid brilliance. But good, natural balance is in evidence. Skin tones are reflective of the broader palette's proclivities and black levels are decently deep, though certainly the challenging compression issues often render the darker scenes less than ideal. This is an imperfect image but it doesn't look at all bad in total.

Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack isn't at all bad, but neither is it memorable. It's efficient, workmanlike, well capable of handling the film's modest sound design. The track delivers suitable spread along the front – stretching fairly wide along the left and right speakers -- and yields good foundational clarity at that. Music, action, and ambience are all generously spaced with some fine discrete effects sprinkled in for good measure. As noted, nothing here stands apart for sonic excellence but listeners will find a perfectly capable listen that might be on the timid side but that seems as much a byproduct of the lower budget sound design than any Blu-ray audio encode faults. Dialogue is appropriately clear and well prioritized with fine front-center imaging.

Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror contains no supplemental content.

Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Even hardcore franchise fans -- those who faithfully "walk behind the rows" by "sitting in front of televisions" -- might have a hard time coming to this film's defense. It's not poor, per se -- it's clearly an inferior product, based on a second-rate script and technically executed more by imitation rather than by precision -- but it's absolutely porous, meaning that, try as it might to be a franchise rock, it amounts to little more than another stylized regurgitation of familiar concepts, a sieve through which leaks predictable genre and franchise droplets at every turn. It looks sturdy on the surface but quickly proves that it is of little value as anything more than a nice-to-have. The Blu-ray fares little better. It's featureless and its video is decent if not iffy. Ditto the audio track. For serious franchise fans only.