Les disciples du corbeau

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.

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.

I have not read Stephen King's story, and the only Children of the Crow movie I can swear to having seen is the sixth one. This short stands well on its own, without requiring knowledge of the story, though that may add something.

It's available on a German DVD as Night of the Crow, and on an out-of-print videotape titled Stephen King's Nightshift Collection. That video also has the short The Night Waiter (1987), and a "coming soon" teaser called "Highrise," supposedly from something called "Slightly Astounding Stories." I don't know that anything by that name was ever released, and it's unfortunate it lacks credits, as it is actually well done and has a funny, surreal ending. Confusingly, there is another videotape titled Stephen King's Nightshift Collection that has different shorts on it (though the box does indicate which shorts) It opens in Jonah, Oklahoma in 1971. A child with a mole on his chin has an unusual shrine in a cornfield, where is is watched by crows. He and some other children do some sort of ritual, dropping things into a boiling pot. When the kid is in church with his mother and her boyfriend, he looks at a stained glass window depicting Jesus, whose face turns into a skull. That night the children kill their parents with a variety of implements, though this happens offscreen.

In 1983, a couple driving near Jonah, OK hit a young man who runs into the road. They find some strange things on the body, and try to find someone to whom they can report the accident. This is only the beginning of their problems. The couple's arrival in Jonah is somewhat reminiscent of ¿Quién puede matar a un niño? (1976) AKA Who Could Kill a Child?, although this is perhaps inevitable given the shared subject matter.

It's quite well directed and acted. The art direction and locations are well done too. Surprisingly, it appears director John Woodward only did two movies after this one.

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