Children of the Corn: The Gathering (1996) (V)

User Rating:

3.6/10   

Director:

Greg Spence

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (short story "Children of the Corn")
Stephen Berger (written by) ...

Release Date:

8 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

In a sleepy midwestern town... A horrifying evil is about to rise again!

Plot:

All the kids in a town over night become feverish and have convulsions. The next day they start to become evil...

Plot Keywords:

Teeth | Doctor | Direct To Video | Fourth Part | Numbered Sequel

Cast

Naomi Watts	...	Grace Rhodes
Jamie Renée Smith	...	Margaret Rhodes
Karen Black	...	June Rhodes
Mark Salling	...	James Rhodes
Brent Jennings	...	Donald Atkins
Toni Marsh	...	Sandra Atkins
Lewis Flanagan III	...	Marcus Atkins
Brandon Kleyla	...	Josiah
William Windom	...	Doc Larson
Salle Ellis	...	Jane Nock
Marietta Marich	...	Rosa Nock
Jonathan Patterson	...	Charlie McLellan
Joshua Patterson	...	Scott McLellan
Kay Bower	...	Janet McLellan
Samaria Graham	...	Mary Anne

Also Known As:

Children of the Corn IV (USA) (working title)
Deadly Harvest

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, and for some language.

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2002) | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1998) | Germany:18 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | UK:18 | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

A deleted scene features Jane and Rosa Nock telling Grace (Naomi Watts) and Donald (Brent Jennings) how the children called Josiah by a different name: "He Who Walks Behind The Rows".

Quotes:

[first lines]
June Rhodes: Yes? Can I help you?

Movie Connections:

References The Exorcist (1973)

The kids aren't alright!

"Children of the Corn" is one of the least exciting franchises in horror cinema ever and all the sequels are average at best. Part two, three, four or five...what's the difference? When you've seen one, you've seen them all. This fourth entry is bearable, but only thanks to the starring of Karen Black and a young Naomi Watts who plays the lead-role. The premise here has got nothing to do anymore with the original Corn-movie and introduces a 'new' type of spiritual evil that takes over the minds of young children in an offbeat Nebraska town. Grace takes a break from university to look after her ill mother at home but she soon discovers that pretty much everyone in town has issues. Especially the children, who all get feverish together and take over the personalities of kids that lived in town 60 years earlier. The script of this straight-to-video production is a giant mess and the substance is far too ridiculous to evoke any scares or atmosphere. The plot actually hasn't got anything to do with corn or cornfields so it's clear that the makers exclusively used the name to make their marketing campaigns easier. There's only one reason to check out this film and that is – of course – the gore! We witness a couple of very gruesome deaths here, committed with typical farmer tools like shovels, pitchforks and (yay!) scythes! You see that the bloodthirsty children in Nebraska interpret the term "harvasting season" very seriously...