Children of the Corn Remake Review - TV and DVD
Children of the Corn Remake Review - TV and DVD
Aka: Children of the corny.
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This is a SyFy Channel remake of Children of the Corn — originally a 1982 horror movie starring Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton, which was based upon a 1978 short story by Stephen King that ran in Penthouse magazine. It will be released, totally uncut in an R-rated version, by Anchor Bay on October 6 (this is the version I saw).
In one of the DVD featurettes, writer/director/producer Donald P. Borchers explains his goal was to create this adaptation in order to be more faithful to the King short story than the one he only produced in '84. And it is. Following a 1963-era prologue showing how the lone children of this remote town in Nebraska became such religious zealots, we skip ahead to 1975. Interracial couple Burt (David Anders, as a Vietnam veteran), and wife Vicky (Kandyse McClure as a total harpy) are driving across country trying to rekindle their lost love… but the endless rows of corn husks and the smell of cow manure really isn't doing the trick.
As they bicker bitterly, attention away from the road, a figure stumbles out and BAM! they hit a boy with their car. They place the dead body in the trunk, and head for the nearest town to seek help. What they find there in Gatlin is a cult of cute little kiddie killers, just waiting for the sacrificial blood of a couple of handy adults.
I much prefer the dysfunctional dynamic of this couple (as opposed to the sickeningly lovey-dovey one portrayed in the 80s feature), and the actors play off each other with relish. Sure, it's over the top and cartoonish, but it's so much fun. I laughed a lot.
Not so much fun are the parts with the actual children of the rows… they're as lackluster as unbuttered cornpone. The new Isaac (Preston Bailey, of "Dexter" fame) isn't very commanding (I wouldn't drink his Kool-Aid), and furthermore, his costume looks pretty cheap and doesn't fit him properly.
The unrated DVD has a lot of gore and nudity, plus some really disgusting corpse desecration. Usually I am not one for boobs and blood simply to add them, I do believe it helps the movie in this case. The dialogue needs all the help it can get, and as the movie wears on (after the couple is separated; they are the best thing in the film), the added ick-factor at least keeps the imagery moving along to its inevitable (and expected) conclusion.
Overall, I preferred the remake to the original — which isn't saying a lot, since the story itself doesn't hold a lot of personal appeal to me to begin with. Worth a look.
• New Direction – An interview with Writer/Producer/Director Donald P. Borchers on remaking a cult classic.
• Cast Of The Corn – Interviews with Actors Kandyse McClure (Vicki), David Anders (Burt) and Daniel Newman (Malachai).
• To Live And Die In Gatlin – Interviews with Production Designer Andrew Hussey and Special Make-Up FX Supervisor Alan Tuskes.
• Fly On The Wall – Behind-the scenes footage from the set.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson