Children of the Corn • The Next Reel

“He wants you too, Malachai!" Stephen King may not like the film version of ’Children of the Corn,’ but considering it spawned 7 sequels and a remake, we’d like to think that he’s at least making a decent profit on his short story from 1977. This movie started careers for Linda Hamilton, Courtney Gains, John Franklin and Peter Horton and has created quite the cult following, no matter what King — or we — think of it. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we wrap up our Naughty Children series with this movie. We talk about why we don’t like it and really try to get to the bottom of what problems we feel the story has. We discuss the adaptation from King’s short story and how it changed, comparing the ’84 film with the ’09 Syfy Channel remake that was more faithful to the original King story. We chat about the effects and the overall look of the film, touching on how low budget production can lead to that (though doesn’t have to). And we have a first on the show — a Flickchart reranking! Check out the movie (or don’t) and tune in to the show. It’s arguably more enjoyable than the movie! Film Sundries Script Screenplay Original theatrical trailer Original poster artwork Original Material Flickchart Children of the Corn Movie Who Can Kill a Child? — Full Feature (in Spanish) Trailers of the Week Andy’s Trailer: Don Verdean — “Okay, I admit it, this doesn’t look like it’s going to be that good. But it’s the team behind Napoleon Dynamite so I’m just hoping that there’s something here. Fingers crossed." Pete’s Trailer: The Lady in the Van — “I love Maggie Smith. She makes for the cutest crazy lady, and I get the feeling that this next film is going to give her a chance to shine courtesy of Nicholas Hytner and Alan Bennett." The Next Reel Family of Film Shows:Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements | The Film Board | Movies We Like | The Next Reel | Sitting in the DarkConnect With Us:Web | Letterboxd | Flickchart | Instagram | Bluesky | YouTube | DiscordYour Hosts: Andy | PeteMerch Store | Audible