FAQ

While driving through Nebraska on their way to California, constantly bickering couple Burt (David Anders) and Vicky (Kandyse McClure) Stanton accidentally hit a young boy on the highway. When Burt examines the body, he notices that his throat has been cut and concludes that the boy was probably dead prior to being hit. The couple decides to take his body to the nearest town, Gatlin, but find that the town is deserted, except for a group of children. They soon learn that all the adults in Gatlin have been murdered and that the town is ruled by a religious cult, led by nine-year-old child preacher Isaac (Preston Bailey) and his lieutenant Malachai (Daniel Newman), neither of whom are about to let Burt and Vicky leave the town alive.

Children of the Corn is based on a short story of the same name by American horror writer Stephen King. The story was published first in the March 1977 issue of Penthouse Magazine before being included in King's 1978 collection Night Shift. The story was adapted for the screen by Donald P. Borchers (who also directed and produced). It is a made-for-TV remake of an earlier movie, also titled Les Démons du maïs (1984) (1984).

As night begins to fall, Burt tries to make his way out of the cornfield and back to the road, but the corn begins closing in and attacking him. Running aimlessly, he comes upon the clearing where he finds the bodies of his wife and the Blue Man strung up like scarecrows, their eyes ripped out of their heads. Vicky "awakens" and bids him to join her but, before he can do anything, he is viciously attacked by He-Who-Walks-Behind-The-Rows. The next morning, the children gather before the cornfield, and Isaac informs that that He is displeased with their sacrifice and, because of this, He has lowered the Age of Favor from 19 years old to 18 years old. The older boys then cover the bodies of the children killed by Burt and, as the rest of the children file past, they throw ears of corn on top the tarp. Isaac then sets it on fire. "Scarecrow!", he calls out and turns to face the newest scarecrow...Burt. In the final scene, it is nighttime. The children have again gathered before the cornfield. Among them are Malachai and several other children who have reached their 18th birthdays. Malachai kisses his pregnant girlfriend Ruth (Alexa Nikolas) goodbye and makes her promise to raise their son to love religion and hate the world. Ruth cannot do so and, instead, has a vision of fire consuming the cornfield where He walks. "It is time," Amos (Ryan Bertroche) calls out, and the 18-year-olds walk together into the corn, offering themselves to their god. "Little children keep youselves from idols. Amen." 1 John 5:21.

The unrated DVD includes scenes of violence and nudity that were excised from the TV version.