Stephen King: The Night of the Crow

A couple passing through a small Oklahoma town discover that it has been taken over by a homicidal cult that worships a crow god -- and that all the cult members are children.

Whether this was done officially or not I have no idea, but John Woodward went all in -- writing, directing, editing. He even has a small role. And you know what? This film is every bit as good as the "real" version of the story. Anyone watching this would say Woodward had a bright future in cinema, and yet he never really did.

Actor Gabriel Folse, on the other hand, has done well for himself. Although not a big name by any stretch of the imagination, he does seem to have worked steadily since this short, and appeared in "Miss Congeniality" and "office Space".

This a very good movie It has a great story line. It is very scary. It has great acting. The 1984 remake The Children of the corn is better. This is one the scariest movies from 1983. It is scarier then The silence of the lambs could ever be.

Why is it so hard to be loyal to the original work? If you're gonna make a weak carbon copy, at least honor the original, don't try to f--k it up in your way. The actings and ambiance are poor.

Disciples of the Crow (1983)

*** (out of 4)

Just about everyone, horror fan or not, has heard of CHILDREN OF THE CORN be it the original Stephen King story or the 1984 film, which has since gained six sequels and a remake (to date). What most people might not remember is that the 1984 film wasn't the first to adapt the King short story. This film starts off in 1971 as a child leads other children into killing all of the adults in town. Jump forward to 1983 as a couple are driving through Nebraska when they accidentally run over a kid and soon run into the evil cult. Having seen all of the CHILDREN OF THE CORN movies (including the remake) I must admit that this is the best of the bunch. Perhaps part of this is due to the fact that this runs a quick paced 18-minutes but it doesn't contain any stupid subplots and instead just delivers the goods in terms of creepy atmosphere and a rather suspenseful ending. I'm not sure what the budget was on this thing but it was obviously low and that helps the small town atmosphere that it gets. The movie has an effective music score, nice editing and just an all around great pacing. Eleese Lester does a pretty good job as Vicky and Gabriel Folse isn't too bad either as the husband. The film shares a lot more in common with the eventual 2009 remake as the husband and wife are constantly fighting and the ending here is one used in the later film. Speaking of the ending, it manages to pack a pretty good punch and makes this film worth viewing.

This is intense and well-made for a b short film. Disturbing atmosphere, somehow decent acting, and overall much better than the later films based on Children of the Corn. Well-made effects, especially the corpses and the "blue man" (hehe). The music is eerie as hell. Worth watching for any King fan.