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A backwoods swamp is an obvious location for horror.
So is a ramshackle settlement deep in the forest.
The way King tells it, Nebraska is a terrifying place.
They soon find themselves at the mercy of Isaac and his gang of homicidal underaged trads.
Children of the Corn and its first film adaptation do contain some quintessentially Stephen King motifs: psychic children.
Boomer angst.A fascination with tall, waving fields of things.
(See also:In the Tall Grass,by King and Joe Hill.)
Turning a 10,000-word short story into 11 films requires, lets say,creativity.
The fault largely comes down to the ineptly written script.
(Sample dialogue: Im hot!
And not in a good way!)
But the amateurish acting and an abortion subplot of the hey dont kill me, Mommy!
(In another universe, this would have been an Andrea Riseborough role.)
Watching it, its clear why.
But was thisreallyworthdefying lockdownto shoot in the spring of 2020?
The incompetent direction makes the films Windows 2000 graphics and occult hogwash even more amusing.
As a comeback attempt, its both transparent and painful, pairing convoluted internal mythology with bargain-basement special effects.
(Even more painful?
Nancy Allen, Brian De Palmas onetime muse, appearing here at a low point in her career.)
the ladder of fame.
But the story soon turns ridiculous as Watts battles a mysterious fever that turns regular kids into hollow-eyed Satanists.
Thats howChildren of the Corn, released the same year asFirestarter, was born.
The role of nagging wife Vicky inChildren of the Cornis not Linda Hamiltons best.
Theres nothing particularly exciting about the workmanlike filmmaking here.
His seething temper tantrums are unsettling, too, thanks to that same combination of adult and childlike characteristics.
And the movie really only reaches its comedic potential in the death scenes.
But oh, what death scenes they are!
(kindly enjoy.)
Stephen King had nothing to do with writing that scenario.
But if someone told you he had, back in his cocaine days, youd believe it, right?
That right there is taking an adaptation and making it your own.
