Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- foreboding
- oppressive
- late night horror marathon
- 1980s horror nostalgia
What critics said
Critics generally found the premise and eerie rural atmosphere effective but felt that weak effects, repetitive pacing, and an underwhelming climax diluted the horror.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Gatlin is a remote Nebraska farming town surrounded by endless cornfields and cut off from outside help.
Isaac leads Gatlin's children through a rigid religious order centered on sacrifice and obedience.
The children have murdered the adults and pursue the stranded couple as a coordinated group.
Isaac's preacher persona, scriptural rhetoric, pagan worship, and human sacrifice shape the film's atmosphere.
Films like Children of the Corn, and why
The Wicker Man
shares isolated rural setting, supernatural religious dread, and a community controlled by a fanatical younger generation
The Omen
shares small-town supernatural horror, ominous children, and escalating occult menace
Signs
shares cornfield isolation, rural paranoia, and a group-oriented supernatural threat
Who Can Kill a Child?
shares killer children, folk-horror atmosphere, and a threatened adult couple in an unfamiliar community
Movie Details
- Director
- Fritz Kiersch
- Release Date
- 1984-03-09
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (1176)
Cast
- Peter Horton
- Linda Hamilton
- R.G. Armstrong
- John Franklin
- Courtney Gains
- Anne Marie McEvoy
- Robby Kiger
- Julie Maddalena
- Jonas Marlowe
- John Philbin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, ARROW
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Children of the Corn about?
- A stranded couple discovers that a deserted Nebraska town is ruled by a murderous child cult devoted to the power lurking in its cornfields.
- What is Children of the Corn like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Children of the Corn as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Children of the Corn violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Children of the Corn as graphic.
- What did critics think of Children of the Corn?
- Critics generally found the premise and eerie rural atmosphere effective but felt that weak effects, repetitive pacing, and an underwhelming climax diluted the horror.
- Which films are like Children of the Corn?
- Films with a similar feel include The Wicker Man, The Omen, Signs, and Who Can Kill a Child?.
- How long is Children of the Corn?
- Children of the Corn runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Children of the Corn?
- In United States, Children of the Corn streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, ARROW.
