The Reel Review
Led by a supernatural monster presumably created from years of genetically-modified corn, a group of children furious that their parents have ruined their Nebraska town’s corn industry go on a deadly killing rampage, in this horror billed as a prequel to the iconic 1977 short story by Stephen King.
The original 1984 film adaptation starring Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton was a surprisingly violent and spooky tale about the dangers of religious fanaticism and intolerance. Writer/director Kurt Wimmer (Ultraviolet) rips that heart out of King’s story in this silly, mindless adaptation. Elena Kampouris (Jupiter’s Legacy, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2) stars as the obnoxious teen whose chronically poor choices expose the adults around her to a psychotic, sneering child cult leader (Kate Moyer) and a laughably unscary monster that resembles a really pissed off version of The Guardians of the Galaxy’s Groot.
With just so much of this utterly ridiculous story making absolutely no sense, Children of the Corn is little more than a feeble excuse for Wimmer to subject viewers to mean-spirited, gross out torture porn. Production-wise, the film looks fine enough, it just lacks even a kernel of creativity.
REEL FACTS
• This is the 11th Children of the Corn film adaptation.
• Set in the fictional town of Rylstone, Nebraska, Children of the Corn was filmed in the Australian towns of Rylstone and Richmond in 2020 during the COVID pandemic.
• In addition to his work as a director, Kurt Wimmer also wrote the screenplays for several films, including Law Abiding Citizen starring Gerard Butler, Salt starring Angelina Jolie, The Thomas Crown Affair and the 1998 sci-fi thriller Sphere.
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