‘Every parent’s nightmare’
Children of the Corn is a 2020 American horror film and a reboot of the franchise.
Written and directed by Kurt Wimmer (Ultraviolet; Equilibrium), the plot is based on Stephen King’s short story but has “almost nothing to do with the 1984 movie.” The production stars Elena Kampouris (Sacred Lies), Kate Moyer (The Handmaid’s Tale), Callan Mulvey (Avengers: Endgame) and Bruce Spence (The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King).
Plot:
A psychopathic twelve-year-old girl in a small town in Nebraska recruits all the other children and goes on a bloody rampage, killing the corrupt adults and anyone else who opposes her. A bright high schooler who won’t go along with the plan is the town’s only hope of survival…
Reviews:
“A few of the gore effects are done well, although the gross-out level of them is disproportionately high compared to the overall tone. Maybe it would feel less that way if those moments were better integrated into the plot. Instead, the film tosses them in during the third act, as if Wimmer suddenly remembers he intended to make a horror picture, rather than an eco-thriller about the hazards of pesticides.” 1 out of 4, The Aisle Seat
“The one thing that distinguishes this entry from the rest of the franchise is the representation of “He Who Walks Behind the Rows” as an Alien-style corn creature. This is one of the Corn films that can be properly called a creature feature, along with Urban Harvest (1995). Sadly, the visual effects feel very poor and dated.” 4 out of 10, Cinephilic Musings
” …is it on par with a majority of indie horror movies merely meant to engage your attention for 90 minutes and nothing more? I do think so, and that item alone separates this comparative wheat from the plentiful Children of the Corn chaff. Maybe that’s not saying much, but “not much” can say a lot when we’re talking about a title that isn’t worth what it used to be anyway.” 60 out of 100, Culture Crypt
“It’s so empty that all of the grave sequences where the music turns serious and the tears flow heavy and hot are unintentionally hilarious. Characters narrate what they’re doing as they’re doing it; the score narrates it again, in case you missed it; and then the execution is so rough that not even a big, giant, stupid CGI corn monster can inject anything like life into it.” Film Freak Central
“There is a CGI corn monster here that not only looks ghastly from a visual standpoint but might be the lamest possible concept one could toss in here to revive a franchise that has never been particularly good and should have stayed dead. Alas, nothing stays dead in the corn, and the same applies to franchises that need to stay buried.” 1 out of 5, Flickering Myth
“While Children of the Corn does at least check the basic boxes of containing both children and corn in its story, both are horribly mismanaged to the point of hilarity. Perhaps it may be time to burn down the corn for good and put this series to rest, considering it has been a long time since anyone properly cared about the property. Plenty of unmined Stephen King books and stories exist without having to take another trip along these tired, rotting “rows.” 1 out of 5, Josh at the Movies
“Had Wimmer cut the awkward corn beast in the final minutes, perhaps there would’ve been room to suggest Eden was angry at the world for running her small town into the ground. There’s nothing scarier than an army of children, brandishing bloody scythes, demanding change from their local leadership, without the weird mystical element thrown in. Still, Children of the Corn is content being a dreary reboot…” C- The Only Critic
“This film is chock full of beautifully-framed shots and amazing overhead drone captures but the story is flimsy and the acting felt forced. Granted the only real changes over the 1984 telling, aside from a few character names, is being from an insider’s perspective and not from a hapless couple wandering into the mayhem so it shouldn’t have been that difficult. While watching this, it never felt like it was building to some huge climax.” 2 out of 5, Punch Drunk Critics
“Children of the Corn has enough going for it that I rate it worth a watch. The spirited performances from Kampouris and Moyer alone make it worthwhile. Despite not being a fan of the original film or its plethora of sequels, I’ve gotta say that I enjoyed this. Good acting and a nice, eerie tone help it overcome its editing and pacing shortcomings.” Uphill Both Ways
” …Wimmer’s film is nowhere near as good as the original Children of the Corn […] But this is better than most of the sequels. That’s a low bar to get over, but if you’ve been following the franchise then you should find this one an improvement. Everyone else will probably find it to be another generic creature feature that needed to feature its creature a bit more.” 2.5 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony
YouTube reviews:
Release:
Bloody Disgusting reported that the film sneaked out theatrically on October 23rd 2020 and played at the CMX CinéBistro and Burns Court Cinema, both located in Sarasota, Florida. Presumably, these were test screenings?
In the USA, Children of the Corn didn’t get a limited theatrical release until March 3, 2023, followed by a Shudder release on March 21st.
More Children of the Corn movies
