Les disciples du corbeau

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".

Before the films in the "Children Of The Corn" franchise began to be made, it all started with this short film that only adapts half of the original story. It begins in an interesting way showing what would already be the beginning of the cult of children. This time they decided that the entity they adore would be represented with the image of the raven, which gives it some originality, for which the image of the raven comes to symbolize. All good, then when they introduce us to the leading couple and then nothing else. It is noted that due to the limited budget, they could not adapt the entire story and this short film ends up being a free adaptation that tells only half of the story. Even so, this was just the beginning of a horror saga that started well, but then deteriorated as more installments were released. My final rating for this short film is 6/10.

One year before the famous adaptation of King's "Children of the Corn" from 1984, student John Woodward made this twenty-minute film. Not only was he the first to adapt the "Children of the Corn", but practically with no budget, and with amateurs and actors in their first roles, he made a horror that in some respects is even better than the franchise that followed. Although it's too short, and just when it reaches its peak it ends, Woodward manages to achieve a very effective eerie atmosphere, which is particularly difficult in a movie that takes place during the daylight, and the acting is surprisingly realistic and believable. If he only had a little more money and time this film could occupy the place where today is the movie from 1984.

7/10

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.

Before Stephen Kings Children Of The Corn became a feature movie in 1984 we had Disciples of the Crow, essentially a highly compacted version of the story.

For those unaware it tells the tale of a cult that is made up of psychotic children and truth be told is one of the weakest links in Kings arsenal in my opinion. I never liked the books and of the movies I've seen so far I've been less than impressed by.

This short is around the 30 minute mark and merely tells the tale of a couple who encounter the cult in the ghost town they reside within after accidentally hitting one with their car.

Very little happens, the atmosphere is pretty neutered and our protagonists are far from likeable.

I'd say this is for fans of the franchise only, and even then maybe not.

The Good:

I like the setting if nothing else

The Bad:

Dull

Poor characters

Real animal cruelty on show

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Corn has many culinary uses and can also disable cars, who knew?