Children of the Corn (film series)

The Children of the Corn film series began with Children of the Corn, released in 1984 by New World Pictures. After the release of Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992) and the series' acquisition by Dimension Films, the subsequent installments were released directly to video, and bore little to no narrative continuity, beginning with Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995). In 2009, a television remake of the original film aired on the Syfy network, via Fox 21 Television. A prequel to the 1984 film and 11th overall, titled Children of the Corn (2020), was released on October 23, 2020.

Children of the Corn
Official film series logo
Created byStephen King
Original workChildren of the Corn
Films and television
Film(s)
Short film(s)Disciples of the Crow

Films
Key
Denotes theatrical release
Denotes direct-to-video release
T Denotes television release
U.S. release date Film Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Producer(s) Distributor
March 9, 1984 Children of the Corn (1984) Fritz Kiersch George Goldsmith Donald P. Borchers and Terence Kirby New World Pictures
January 29, 1993 Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice David Price A. L. Katz and Gilbert Adler Scott A. Stone and David G. Stanley Dimension Films
September 12, 1995 Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest James D. R. Hickox Dode B. Levenson Brad Southwick and Gary DePew
October 8, 1996 Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering Greg Spence Stephen Berger Gary DePew and Jake Eberle
June 21, 1998 Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror Ethan Wiley Ethan Wiley Jeff Geoffray and Walter Josten
October 19, 1999 Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return Kari Skogland Tim Sulka and John Franklin Bill Berry, Jeff Geoffray and Walter Josten
October 9, 2001 Children of the Corn: Revelation Guy Magar S. J. Smith Joel Soisson and Michael Leahy
September 26, 2009 Children of the Corn (2009) T Donald P. Borchers Fox 21 Television Studios
August 30, 2011 Children of the Corn: Genesis Joel Soisson Aaron Ockman and Joel Soisson Dimension Extreme
March 13, 2018 Children of the Corn: Runaway John Gulager Joel Soisson Michael Leahy Lionsgate Films
October 23, 2020 Children of the Corn (2020) Kurt Wimmer John Baldecchi, Doug Barry and Lucas Foster Freestyle Releasing

Short film
Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter Producer(s)
Disciples of the Crow 1983 John Woodward Johnny Stevens and John Woodward

Cast and crew

Principal cast
Key
  • A V indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character.
  • A C indicates a cameo appearance.
  • A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.
Characters Films
Children of the Corn The Final Sacrifice Urban Harvest The Gathering Fields of Terror Isaac's Return Revelation Children of the Corn Genesis Runaway
1984 1992 1995 1996 1998 1999 2001 2009 2011 2018
Isaac Chroner John Franklin   John Franklin   Preston Bailey  
Malachai Boardman Courtney Gains   Daniel Newman   Blaine Maye
Rachel Colby Julie Maddalena   Nancy Allen  
Ruth   Kristy Angell   Alexa Nikolas   Marci Miller
(as Sandy)

Production

Development

Based on the short story by Stephen King, the first Children of the Corn film follows a couple who are besieged by mysterious children in a small town called Gatlin, Nebraska. Its first sequel begins immediately after the events of the original, and focuses on a reporter and his son who are investigating the events of the first film.

Beginning with the third installment, Dimension elected to produce standalone films that were not necessarily narratively connected.[1] The third film follows two brothers from Gatlin who are forced into foster care in Chicago; the younger brother, under the influence of He Who Walks Behind the Rows, begins to grow corn in an abandoned lot behind his new family home, wreaking havoc. The fourth film returns to a rural Nebraska town where a young medical student attempts to uncover a mysterious illness striking the children of her hometown; the fifth film follows a group of young people who encounter the children, led by a man, Ezekiel, of He Who Walks Behind the Rows, when staying overnight in an abandoned farmhouse.

Part six follows a woman, born of the cult from the first film, who returns to Gatlin to uncover the identity of her birth mother, while the seventh installment focuses on a woman who travels to a small town outside Omaha to investigate the disappearance of her grandmother; there, she encounters bizarre children in the fields surrounding her grandmother's apartment building.

The 2009 remake follows the general plot of the first film, focusing on a couple who encounter the children in Gatlin. The ninth film, Genesis, follows a couple who lodge with a mysterious preacher in the California desert, who appears to be leading a bizarre cult.

Reception

The first Children of the Corn (1984) was distributed by New World Pictures, receiving a theatrical release in the spring 1984. Its sequel, The Final Sacrifice (1992), was acquired for distribution by Miramax, and was released theatrically in January 1992 under Miramax's Dimension Films division.[2]

After Dimension's release of Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice, the company would acquire rights to the series[3] and would release numerous follow-up sequels directly to video, beginning with Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest, released in 1995.[4] After the release of Revelation in 2001, a television remake of the original film was commissioned by Dimension,[5] but ultimately distributed via Fox 21 Television Studios, airing on the Syfy channel in 2009.[6][7]

In 2011, the ninth installment, Genesis, was released direct-to-video under Dimension's Extreme label.[8]

Box office performance
Film U.S. release date Budget Box office revenue
(USD)		 Notes Ref.
Children of the Corn (1984) March 9, 1984 $800,000 $14,568,989 [9]
Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice January 29, 1993 $900,000 $6,980,986 [10]
Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest September 12, 1995 N/A Direct-to-video
Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering October 8, 1996 N/A Direct-to-video
Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror June 21, 1998 $1,650,000 N/A Direct-to-video [11]
Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return October 19, 1999 N/A Direct-to-video
Children of the Corn: Revelation October 9, 2001 $2,500,000 N/A Direct-to-video [12]
Children of the Corn (2009) September 26, 2009 $4,500,000 N/A Television film [13]
Children of the Corn: Genesis August 30, 2011 N/A Direct-to-video
Children of the Corn: Runaway March 13, 2018 N/A Direct-to-video
Children of the Corn (2020) October 23, 2020 N/A

Home media

The entire series has been released on various home media formats. While all ten of the films have been released on DVD, only the first seven films were released on VHS before the format was phased out. Additionally, Children of the Corn (1984), Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest, Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror, Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return and Children of the Corn: Genesis have been made available on Blu-ray disc.

See also

References
  1. Caputo 2016, p. 48.
  2. Perren 2012, p. 50.
  3. Maddaus, Gene (August 24, 2017). "Weinstein Company Sued by Producer Over 'Children of the Corn' Spinoff Rights". Variety. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  4. Caputo 2016, p. 46–8.
  5. Caputo 2016, p. 50.
  6. Gardner, Eriq (August 24, 2017). "The Weinstein Co. Sued Over Movie Rights to Stephen King's 'Children of the Corn'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  7. "Dimension goes back to its roots". Variety. September 24, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  8. "[Review] 'Children of the Corn: Genesis' Isn't THAT Bad". Bloody-Disgusting. September 1, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  9. "Children of the Corn (1984)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  10. "Children of the Corn II (1992)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  11. Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror
  12. Children of the Corn: Revelation
  13. Children of the Corn (2009)

Works cited
  • Caputo, Marcello Gagliani (2016). Guide to the Cinema of Stephen King. Babelcube. ISBN 978-1-507-16438-9.
  • Perren, Alisa (2012). Indie, Inc.: Miramax and the Transformation of Hollywood in the 1990s. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-74287-1.


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