“Children of the Corn” has a long history, original written as a short story by iconic horror author Stephen King back in 1977. The story was first adapted to the big-screen in 1984 since then it has inspired nine sequels and one remake. While the 2023 film doesn’t break the mold, it takes the story in a new direction by serving as a prequel while expanding upon the mythology.
Official Synopsis: Possessed by a spirit in a dying cornfield, a twelve-year-old girl in Nebraska recruits the other children in her small town to go on a bloody rampage and kill all the 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.
This film lines up “Equilibrium” director Kurt Wimmer taking the helm. I am a fan of his work and I like where he takes this story and dives deeper into the mythos of He Who Walks Behind the Rows. This film hasn’t had an easy road as it was shot right at the start of the pandemic in March of 2020 and has its world premiere right here in Florida back in October 2020 and until now there hasn’t been any peep.
The cast is impressive including Elena Kampouris, who does a solid job in the lead role. Kate Moyer nails the creepy role of Eden. There are a few known faces that pop up, Callan Mulvey, who has appeared in the Marvel Universe with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Avengers: Endgame” and Bruce Spence from “Mad Max 2”, “Finding Nemo”, “Star Wars Episode III” round out the cast.
“Children of the Corn” hits theaters on March 3rd from RLJE Films. While it doesn’t pack the scares of the first film and features some cheap CGI, it is worth a watch still. After 11 films, I am still craving for more, so I am sure we haven’t seen the end of this franchise just yet.