Children of the Corn [2020] (3½ Stars)

I have no idea what happened with this film. It was made in 2020 and shown at various film festivals in the same year, but it wasn't released in cinemas until now, three years later. It didn't even go direct-to-video, it was simply shelved for the last three years. It's possible that it was due to the poor reviews by critics and audiences, but that's never stopped much worse films from hitting the cinemas.

Is it such a bad film? Yes and No. It's a mixture of scenes that will make you say either Wow or Ugh.

This is the third adaptation of the short story by Stephen King with the same name. I remember seeing the 1984 version on television many, many years ago, but I've never seen the 2009 version. The 1984 version had creepy looking boys with blond hair. They're missing in the new version.

The story takes place in a small Nebraska town called Rylstone which depends on corn. Some years previously new pesticides were introduced to increase the harvest, but the result has been that the corn is dying. It grows brown and unusable. In a town meeting an agreement is made to flatten the corn fields and sell the land for other uses.

A young girl called Eden steps up who calls herself the Red Queen. Her age isn't stated, but the actress Kate Moyer was 12 when the film was made. She rallies the other children in the town to protect the corn fields. Together they slaughter the adults, offering many of them as a sacrifice to "He Who Walks", a mysterious figure who lives in the fields.

So what's good and what's bad?

Kate Moyer is an incredible actress. How can someone so young play such a mature role? It's impossible to fault her acting abilities. She's truly terrifying as the leader of the rebellion. The scenes with the children are outstanding.

Then there's "He Who Walks". When he finally appears he looks so ridiculous that he can't be taken seriously. Couldn't the studio have invested more money in CGI? The final scene is so awful that I couldn't help laughing. Is that supposed to be the climax of a horror film?

I can recommend the film, just about, but be prepared for the ups and downs in quality.