Stephen King’s short story transferred well to
the big screen back in 1984. While the low budget movie was mediocre, it
had a few things going for it, namely Linda Hamilton in her prime and
the unforgettable character called Malachai. Then in 1993, Dimension
Pictures revived the franchise for the first of many direct-to-video
sequels. I was not impressed with the first sequel and avoided the rest,
so when the latest entry CHILDREN OF THE CORN: REVELATION crossed my
path, I opted to see if the series had gained any momentum. Dimension
hired veteran horror director Guy Magar to direct their latest Corn
flick (a real surprise considering these direct-to-video snoozefests
usually employ no-name or first time directors). Magar’s first film,
1988’s RETRIBUTION garnered acclaim from fans and critics alike. He
followed that up by directing the Terry O'Quinn-less STEPFATHER 3. Just
in time for Halloween 2000, Dimension released this title on DVD along
with the other CHILDREN OF THE CORN flicks.
An old woman living in a dilapidated tenement
building mysteriously disappears. Her granddaughter Jaime (Claudette
Mink) moves into her grandmother’s building in an attempt to find her.
In the apartment, there is evidence to indicate foul play. Jaime travels
to the local police station and files a report with Inspector Armbrister
(Kyle Cassie), but there is not much the police can do. A frustrated
Jaime returns to the building and meets the other eccentric residents.
She also witnesses the bizarre antics of some young children around the
neighborhood. Then she meets a strange priest (Michael Ironside) who
warns her of the doom to come. The evil children sneak into the
apartment building and begin to knock off the residents one by one in
very grisly ways. Jaime comes to realize that she is the last one left
in the house alive, and the ghostly children have saved her for last. It
all has to do with her grandmother’s tenuous link to he who walks
behind the rows. The battle-scared priest tries to defend Jaime but his
heroic efforts fall short. Luckily, Inspector Armbrister has discovered
some information about the missing grandmother, and heads over to the
apartment building where he finds Jamie under siege by an ever expanding
corn field and it’s tattered emissaries…
People who are fans of this franchise (God help
their souls) all attest that this is the best sequel in the franchise so
far. If this is true, those other movies must be downright awful,
because CHILDREN OF THE CORN: REVELATION is pure torture to sit through.
The script is ultra-generic, the director builds no suspense, and the
cast is bland (with the exception of Claudette Mink, who may go places
someday as she has all the earmarks of a young Michele Pfieffer). There
is absolutely nothing scary about CHILDREN OF THE CORN: REVELATION,
except perhaps that some parents allowed their kids to massacre other
people in this movie. The characters in the apartment building are
one-dimensional stereotypes we’ve seen a million times. There’s the
hard-working stripper, the pot head, the survivalist; all characters
created for the movie simply to become victims. The killing scenes are
totally ridiculous and unthreatening, such as when one kid drops corn
kernels into a bathtub and some plant-like tentacles grab the victim and
drag her underwater. So you not only have to endure these pitiful death
sequences right out of TROLL, but they are not even executed with any
gore. The once-promising career of Director Guy Magar has sunk to an
all-time low with this paint-by-numbers production that is so short it
barely qualifies as a full length feature.
The transfer is anamorphic widescreen 1.85.1.
Despite the lower budget of this film, the picture is very glossy with
sharp imaging. The colors are subdued to create a mood, and the blacks
are deep. The computer graphics are cartoonish and often unconvincing—look
for some truly ridiculous digital effects to depict the rows of corn
growing instantaneously out of the soil. CHILDREN OF THE CORN:
REVELATION has some violence, but no gore. The Dolby Digital soundfield
provides a variety of horrifying sound effects and spooky ambiance. The
synthesizer score adds some suspense to the movie, and complements the
ghostly sounds. Explosions are loud and without distortion. The dialog
is clean and natural and blends perfectly with the effects and the
score. The one drawback to the sound field is that it lacks power. There
are no extras related to the CHILDREN OF THE CORN: REVELATION other than
these trailers:
- CHILDREN OF THE CORN: URBAN HARVEST (FF, DD
5.1, 1:40)
- CHILDREN OF THE CORN: THE GATHERING (FF, DD
5.1, 1:15)
- CHILDREN OF THE CORN: FIELDS OF TERROR (FF,
5.1, 1:14
- CHILDREN OF THE CORN 666: ISAAC RETURNS (FF,
5.1, :55)
- MIMIC 2 (FF, DD 5.1, :40)
- HALLOWEEN: CURSE OF MICHAEL MEYERS (FF, DD 5.1,
1:02)
- HALLOWEEN: H20 (FF, DD 5.1, :36)
- DRACULA 2000 (FF, DD 5.1, 1:20)
CHILDREN OF THE CORN: REVELATION is an example of
all that’s bad about modern horror movies. This one makes Dimension’s
sucky DRACULA 2000 look like Shakespeare by comparison. Usually these
movies have something to redeem them (violence, blood, gore, sex, etc)
but this film has none of that. The only worthwhile thing about it is
actress Claudette Mink who actually has some talent. Dimension’s DVD
mastering is technically sound, but the disc is lacking in the area of
features. Though given the poor nature and quality of CHILDREN OF THE
CORN: REVELATION, I’m sure no one will hold it against them for not
having to sit through a commentary, or any other thing documenting this
sad excuse for a movie. Avoid like Anthrax.
THE
CHILDREN OF THE CORN: REVELATION Double Feature is available from
DVDEmpire.com
THE
CHILDREN OF THE CORN: REVELATION/CHILDREN OF THE CORN: ISAAC'S RETURN
Double Feature is available from DVDEmpire.com
