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.
