Stephen King’s Children of the Corn comes to 4K Blu-ray via Arrow Video – Review

Based on a short story by Stephen King, 1984’s Children of the Corn emerges from the cornstalks in a new 4K Blu-ray from Arrow Video. While Children of the Corn is rarely brought up when discussing the best King adaptations, it more than makes up for its low-budget in terms of atmosphere and performances, and has somehow inspired nearly a dozen direct-to-video sequels in its wake.

Directed by Fritz Kiersch (Tuff Turg, Gor), the film follows Vicky Baxter (The Terminator‘s Linda Hamilton) and her boyfriend Burt Stanton (Thirtysomething) who are on a road trip across the country when they accidentally run over a small boy near the fictional town of Gatlin, Nebraska. Burt soon realizes that the boy’s throat had been cut before they hit him, which leads the couple to begin exploring the creepy small town that seems to be devoid of any adults. Instead, they find the town overrun with children, including the 12-year-old Isaac (John Franklin) who has a religious-like power over the rest of the children, who have banded together to kill every last adult in town.

While Children of the Corn suffers from some ridiculously chintzy special effects, the film features some suspenseful moments and some very memorable roles, including unforgettable performances by Franklin as the unsettling Isaac (who was actually in his 20’s when he filmed his role) and the intense Courtney Gains as the unstable teenage Malachai. The film also boasts an effectively eerie score by Jonathan Elias and copious shots of the encroaching cornfields which lend the film a tangible sense of dread and isolation.

Children of the Corn makes the jump to 4K with this new release from Arrow Video, and it’s hard to think of a film that benefits less from the upgrade than this one. Children of the Corn has always looked soft, and this release is no exception. The film boasts a grain-heavy look, which is only more pronounced on the 4K version; some viewers may enjoy the film-like style, but if you prefer a cleaner look you may want to stick with the initial Arrow Video Blu-ray release. On the audio front, the film features a strong DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, as well as the original theatrical stereo option.

There are no new extras on this disc, but Arrow has ported over all of the extras it created for the recent Blu-ray disc, as well as extras that date back to the initial DVD release (RIP Anchor Bay). The best of these extras include an interview with charismatic star Linda Hamilton, Harvesting Horror: The Making of Children of the Corn, a vintage retrospective featurette on the making of the film, and a pair of audio commentaries featuring director Fritz Kiersch, producer Terrence Kirby and actors John Franklin and Courtney Gains, along with one featuring horror journalist Justin Beahm and Children of the Corn historian John Sullivan.

While the added resolution seems a bit superfluous here, Children of the Corn remains one of the better King adaptations to hit the big screen. If you already have the recent Arrow Video Blu-ray you can probably skip this upgrade, but if this is your first time entering Gatlin’s cornfield, this is a worthy pick-up. For all of its faults, Children of the Corn remains a perennial fall horror classic, which ensures you’ll get mileage out of this new release for many seasons to come. UK viewers (or those with region-free players) can also pick up the new 4K disc as part of a Children of the Corn box set that also includes the first two sequels and a 60-page book; you can order the set here.