Rijndri
Load of rubbish!!
Griff Lees
Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.
Tymon Sutton
The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.
greenblu4
This movie started simply, kids decided to kill their parents with no information beyond what their leader(Isaac) told them, which was that he was ordained by God to lead these children. I know, heavy. But for some reason this wasn't as terrifying as it should have been.You are then watching a man(Burt) and a woman(Vicky) who are traveling to Burt's new internship position as a physician. Meanwhile a child is killed and is struck on the road by the couple's car when he staggers out in front of them. When it happens it surprises you, but again no fear. They take the child and search for answers and when they're not able to avoid a little town named Gatlin they decide to go there and find answers, but they find more than what they bargained for. Children have been led to believe that "the one who walks behind the rows" will protect them and lead them to prosperity. This is of course false and Burt realizes this. He is attacked and Vicky is kidnapped.After an explanation from a confused believer, Burt saves Vicky and explains to the children that they have been misled. This is where it gets interesting. A beast consumes one of the children, as it is part of a ritual sacrifice and their leader, Isaac, is sacrificed as well but returns and kills the heretic, Malachai, that sent him to his doom. This was the most thrilling scene.Burt and the confused believer concoct a plan to destroy the beast. They end up removing the demon that was present and leave that God forsaken town.In the end it did have some clever shocks and it stayed true to the Stephen King short story, but it felt dragged along at points. It also doesn't provide the thrill you expect until the last 15 or so minutes. The soundtrack stayed true to its eerie premise and gave an overarching sense of suspense but beyond that it lacked true fear you expect from a horror movie now. But for 1984 I'm sure it was enough and I commend the actors for bringing it to life.
erosthanatosfilms
This has got to be one of the worst Stephen King adaptations and worst horror films ever to become popular. There are so many plot holes and idiotic characters that even my migraine medicine won't take away the pain inflicted upon my brain.Let's start with when the kid is trying to sneak away and the little girl screams "OKAY NO ONE IS WATCHING, GO NOW!!!" Seriously?.... Seriously?Then the dumb kid gets cut up and decides to run into the middle of the road... Only to get hit.How did the lead couple manage to not see the kid when it was a very straight road and the kid was already standing there???Also, does Vicky have narcolepsy? She fell asleep REALLY fast after she was left alone while Burt went go investigate. Also, why is the main couple lost when they clearly had a map in an earlier scene? Why not... USE YOUR MAP!This on on scratching the surface of a poorly put together film that basically bastardized Stephen King's work in favor of a schlock fest... Only watch if you want to see how to tell a horror story poorly.
thelastblogontheleft
This was another re-watch for me and I said the same thing this time that I did after the first viewing: I just don't think kids are that scary. I know lots of movies try to pull of the whole "creepy kid" thing and it just doesn't do it for me.Ultimately, I think this movie starts off really strong and it gave me high hopes. The whole chaotic scene at the diner, with the kids watching as the adults are poisoned and murdered… awesome. I mean, they put a dude's hand through a meat slicer and that creepy music with the kids chanting is playing and you can see beady-eyed Isaac (played awesomely by John Franklin) peering through the window, very pleased at what's going on, and you think hell yeah, I am in for a fun ride.Then we cut to Burt (Peter Horton) and Vicky (Linda Hamilton), who are on their way to Burt's new physician job. They're driving along, cornrow after cornrow whizzing by, and BOOM, out lurches one of the children, half dead from these tiny cult members. It's an intense scene, with a closeup of the kid rolling under the tires, and you can almost feel their sense of panic and confusion. Again, hell yeah, we're on the right track here. We even get an awesome jump scare when Vicky drifts off in the car while waiting for Burt to return from looking for help.But then… I don't know, things get a little silly. They try to find a phone to no avail — the town is abandoned, with corn leaves strewn all over — what? Are the kids just constantly covered in corn leaves and accidentally leaving them places? Is it some kind of calling card?There's some transfer of power with Malachai (Courtney Gains), the brain of the operation — who is by far the scariest looking kid — insisting that Isaac be sacrificed. The whole thing is way too easy, the kids need NO convincing whatsoever, and then boom, Isaac is up on a cross. But He Who Walks Behind the Rows (admittedly a super creepy moniker, but not actually creepy in reality since it just kind of burrows its way under the dirt) is not very discerning, apparently, and takes Isaac despite his pleas. The special effects are shockingly, laughably bad. I want to say maybe it's charming — it was the mid-80's after all. Burt tries to talk some sense into the kids and tell them they're worshipping a false god (which is also VERY easy to do), and then Isaac comes back as a sort of zombie-Isaac and kills Malachai. Wheee!They gather the kids into a barn and realize they need to destroy the cornfield to stop the evil, and they figure the best way is to burn it all up. They do so, and there's a LEGIT SAD FACE IN THE SMOKE AS IT BURNS. I COULDN'T EVEN HANDLE IT WHAT? WHAT??Then everything is hunky dory and Burt and Vicky are leaving (with Sarah and Job in tow) and it's kind of implied that the kids are going to stay with them?? And then one of the evil kids is hiding in the car and attacks them but Burt just kind of annoyedly stops her and they're on their way. SO FREAKING WEIRD.I don't know, I wanted to like it — it's based on a Stephen King story after all — but I think the rest of the movie couldn't even try to compare to those first couple scenes. It has its few very brief moments but nothing else to really grab you. Womp.
matic-paska
Not really the best of slasher films, but considering it as one of Stephen King's works, this had to be a bad transition from a novel to the screen. Typical horror flick; music, plot and acting are pretty much the same as in other similar films of that time. It gives you chills on occasion, but there is not enough excitement as in other slashers. Leading up to the kills are shot perfectly, no arguments here. It is kind of creepy; there are kids doing the killings, that is always a bit more scary. Field of corn adds the thrill, but if you don't consider music one of the prime elements, it's just not good enough to be compared with other classics of the genre. I would say that soundtrack is my favorite part of it, as in many other similar films. Story just doesn't convince me to love it.You should still watch it though, it's a must-see for classic-slasher lovers.
