Children of the Corn

Last updated
"Children of the Corn"
Short story by Stephen King
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s) Horror, short story
Publication
Published in Penthouse , Night Shift
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Publication date 1977 (magazine)
1978 (collection)

"Children of the Corn" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 1977 issue of Penthouse , and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift . [1] The story has been adapted into several films, spawning a horror feature film franchise of the same name beginning in 1984. In 2009, the story was included in the book Stephen King Goes to the Movies .

Contents

Plot

Burt and Vicky, a couple trying to save their marriage, are driving to California for a vacation and to visit Vicky's brother. As they are driving through rural Nebraska and arguing, Burt is ready to call off the vacation and consult a divorce attorney. Then they accidentally run over a young boy who had his throat slit and was thrown into the road. Burt opens the boy's suitcase to find a crucifix made of twisted corn husks. They agree to report the incident to the police, place the body in their car's trunk, and go to the nearest town—a small, isolated community called Gatlin—for help. At first the town appears to be abandoned, but they soon discover that it is inhabited by a cult of murderous children who worship a demon that lives in the local cornfields, “He Who Walks Behind The Rows.” After Burt finds this the children attack and abduct Vicky and stab Burt, who escapes into the corn. After wandering through the corn Burt finds Vicky’s corpse as a tribute to He Who Walks Behind The Rows. He Who Walks Behind The Rows arrives and kills Burt. The story ends with the children change the mandatory age of when they are killed for offerings from 19 to 18. Malachai, an 18 year-old walks into the corn and disappears.

Connections to other books

Gatlin was mentioned in It . Hemingford Home, a neighboring town to Gatlin, was also the town where Mother Abagail lived and rounded up the good survivors of the super flu in The Stand , and was also the location in 1922 .

Adaptations

The story was first adapted into a 1983 short film, Disciples of the Crow. [2]

A year later, the story was adapted into a larger-budget film re-adopting the original name, Children of the Corn , starring Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton. Several sequels, and two adaptations [3] followed.

In September 2009, the Syfy channel premiered a television film version which is based on King's short story. [4]

Original film series

Other adaptations

See also

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Children of the Corn is a 1984 American supernatural horror film based on Stephen King's 1977 short story of the same name. Directed by Fritz Kiersch, the film's cast consists of Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, John Franklin, Courtney Gains, Robby Kiger, Anne Marie McEvoy, Julie Maddalena, and R. G. Armstrong. Set in the fictitious rural town of Gatlin, Nebraska, the film tells the story of a malevolent entity referred to as "He Who Walks Behind the Rows" which entices the town's children to ritually murder all the town's adults, as well as a couple driving across the country, to ensure a successful corn harvest.

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<i>Children of the Corn</i> (2020 film) American film by Kurt Wimmer

Children of the Corn is a 2020 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Kurt Wimmer. It stars Elena Kampouris, Kate Moyer, Callan Mulvey and Bruce Spence. The film is the third adaptation of Stephen King's short story "Children of the Corn" (1977) and the eleventh installment in the Children of the Corn series. It is the first film based on King's story to be theatrically released since Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992).

References

  1. King, S. (2008). Night Shift. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN   9780385528849 . Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  2. "Disciples of the Crow (1983) - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  3. Bradley, Laura (2023-03-03). "The Ridiculous 'Children of the Corn' Remake Is a Mostly Rotten Mess". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  4. "Children of the Corn (TV Movie 2009)". IMDb . Retrieved July 12, 2015.