A Stephen King Classic: A Chilling Revisit to Children of the Corn
Recently at a company function, I met a young fellow named Malachi and it reminded me of Children of the Corn. My wife won’t watch this one with me so, I found it streaming free and watched it alone. I’ve seen Children of the Corn several times and consider myself to be a Stephen King fan for sure. You can read a blog I wrote a while back on Maximum Overdrive here if you’d like. King is an ultra-talented fellow and certainly one of the greats. While I don’t consider Children of the Corn one of my favorites, it’s worth watching if you like older horror movies and there’s plenty to talk about. Take a stroll behind the rows and read on below.
Into the Cornfields: Childhood Memories and Horror
As a rule, I have no business in cornfields. I’m not a farmer and I really don’t even eat the stuff, except for creamed corn. If that’s on the menu then it’s getting a one-way trip to my stomach. I have been to some corn mazes for Halloween, and once, I harvested corn as a young man to go sell it. I quickly learned some things about corn fields. Corn is tall and grows thick so, you can easily get lost in a cornfield. You don’t really see this directly in this movie but, there are some illusions to it. At the corn maze I visited, I noticed a dear stand in the center that could be used as a vantage point in the event of an emergency. Children of the Corn offers a barn loft as a directional bearing and vantage point for the heroes.
King’s Genius: Crafting Creepy Out of the Ordinary
It doesn’t matter what Stephen King touches; it can become creepy and, Children of the Corn is a Stephen King movie. Of course, that’s King’s genius. In any other world, a town run by children would never be scary but, we’re in the Stephen King universe. The way the movie is made, the odd Twilight Zone effects where town signs all lead to the same place, and other aspects give this tale a creepy feel. In fact, I was childishly creeped out a little until the end. Then, I was reminded why 80’s movies are 80’s movies. As soon as the poorly done effects start with Isaac being taken over, any creepiness turns to the relief of laughter. The cheesiness continued with the red lighting bolts near the end, which looked like someone had painted them onto the film. Anyway, the movie went from creepy to comedy for me here.
Artistic Inspiration: How Children’s Art Plays a Role in the Film
A spiral staircase descends into my art studio at my home. I use the walls around it to display my small art collection. I have a couple of pieces of children’s crayon art because it is among my favorite styles. These pieces were drawn by a young man I know, and they are Texas Chainsaw Massacre themed. I share this to say that the artwork in Children of the Corn featuring future events is enjoyable for me. My question about this is who drew it? Did they really get a child to draw this or is there an adult out there that can draw in this fashion? I certainly cannot draw like this, or I would incorporate the style into my own art. While we’re talking about my art, you can check it out on Deviant Art here and on my website here. Ok, back to the blog.
The Psychological Twist of Kids in Control
I wonder with Children of the Corn if there’s any truth to the following observation. Looking at this movie from I guess what would be either a sociological or psychological (maybe both) perspective, how would this be different if the main characters were not children? In American society, we typically put different values on children. I’m not an anthropologist but, I don’t think this is a global norm. Children of the Corn was filmed in Iowa but takes place in Nebraska and the town is run by a religious cult of children. The two characters that enter the town and must face the children are often hesitant in resistance and compassionate towards them. I hypothesize that we likely would be in America if this were real. However, if the town were run by adults, how might this movie be different? I suspect it would be much more violent.
Horror and Humor Both in Children of the Corn
Children of the Corn included humor and horror. First, I want to point out that the old fellow at the gas station wasn’t John Wick. Here’s what I mean. They killed the man’s dog. We all know that of all things to do on the silver screen, you NEVER kill John Wick’s dog. Second, the pimp hand on Burt, played by Peter Horton, was among the strongest I’ve ever seen. Not only did he pimp smack Malachai to sleep but, he was able to unscrew an old rusted 3” pipe on a field pump barehanded. His hand was wet when he did this too. Now that’s a strong pimp hand. We used to joke in our drunk impressions about calling cops “ocifer” instead of “officer.” Well, a kid actually says “ocifer” in the Children of the Corn. I got a few laughs from these things.
Tornado Alley and the Role of Cellars in Survival
I live in SC. I have seen one tornado and thought it was a crazy cloud only because we never have them. We recently got torn up by the hurricanes though. My point is – I don’t live in tornado alley. I had a boss from Kansas, and he talked a lot about tornadoes. He mentioned that everyone had cellars that served as storm shelters because tornadoes were not a matter of if but when. Anyway, I couldn’t understand why the children had a hiding place that “no one knew about” and it was in a cellar. I find it very unlikely that in a place like Nebraska, no one would know about a cellar if every home had one. As always with me, I know that I’m thinking too much about this. I should just enjoy Children of the Corn.
Retro Fashion: A Look Back at 80s Style
In closing, I noticed something in Children of the Corn that I haven’t seen since the 80s – knee-length shorts for girls. I’ve raised 2 daughters and am raising my 3rd now. This is something I would love to see come back into style. As much as I appreciate Daisy Duke’s contribution to society, I have struggled to meet school dress codes with my daughters. Shorts like this don’t exist anymore. Maybe the teen pregnancy rate would drop if they did. Anyway, if you’ve enjoyed this movie blog, let me know in the comments. Also, if anyone has been to this filming location, is it as cool as it seems it would be? Further, is Iowa or Nebraska really nothing but cornfields? Can you drive for miles without seeing any homes?
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this artist’s thoughts on Children of the Corn. I invite you to follow my art journey on social media, visit my website, and consider supporting and buying my work here. If you liked this blog or the movie, please share. Also, feel free to comment, especially if you are a fan of this one. I doubt I’ll watch Children of the Corn again anytime soon but, it is certainly enjoyable if you dig 80s horror or Stephen King. Peace.