Believe it or not, the cult-favorite horror adaptation of Stephen King's Children of the Corn just celebrated the 36th anniversary of its theatrical release last month. A crisp new Blu-ray transfer of the film was released last June to celebrate the 35th anniversary, all but ensuring that the film remains in the public filmgoing consciousness now and forever.
Directed by Fritz Kiersch, the film follows a pair of unsuspecting American motorists who pass through the creepy town of Gatlin, Nebraska. Instantly sensing something amiss, Burt (Peter Horton) and Vicky (Linda Hamilton) soon discover a sect of evil religious children out to murder every adult in town to ensure a fruitful corn harvest. You know the plot, but here are 10 things everyone missed about the main characters in the film.
Night Shift
In a very cool nod to the man who is not only the author of the book version but also the preeminent horror scribe of our time, a copy of Stephen King's Night Shift can be spotted on the dashboard of protagonists Burt and Vicky's Buick LeSabre.
If you didn't already know, Night Shift is a collection of vignettes written by King and published in 1978. Moreover, the story of Children of the Corn was featured in Night Shift. King wrote his own script adaptation, but it was ditched in favor of the more formulaic screenplay written by George Goldsmith.
Terminator Connection
In the same year that Linda Hamilton starred in the even more famous film (franchise) The Terminator, she made a pretty eerie reference to her iconic namesake, Sarah Connor, but that's not the only connection between King and Judgment Day!
As soon as Vicky encounters the little girl in Children of the Corn, she asks what her name is. When the girl responds, "Sarah" Vicky stops and says, "What a beautiful name!" It's so pointed as if it's supposed to be an inside joke. Of course, T-2 star Edward Furlong would go on to star in Pet Sematary II, while Arnold Schwarzenneger himself starred in the adaptation of King's Running Man.
Misspelling
While he has no screen time at all, you'd be hard-pressed to argue that Stephen King isn't the main character in Children of the Corn. At the very least, he's the authoritative figure. Without his imagination, there would be no story. Without his blessing, there'd be no movie. All bow down to the regal King!
Now, here's a head-scratching detail everyone missed. In the original theatrical trailer for the movie, Stephen King's name is unthinkably misspelled as "Steven King." It's not like King was some no-name newcomer. He had already published Carrie, The Shining, and several other of his classic books by the time of this movie's release.
Hemingford
Throughout the film, the main characters Burt and Vicky keep their eye on a place of refuge referred to as Hemingford and doggedly try to make it there in one piece. Well, off the top, can you name the other King book that features this ill-fated locale?
The answer is The Stand. The town of Hemingford is also featured in that book as a place where the main characters are summoned to in their dream states. King often weaves connections throughout his books, but since the film version of The Stand came out well after Children of the Corn, the discovery must come in retrospect.
The Old Man
One of the main characters in the film is referred to simply as The Old Man. The veteran character actor R.G. Armstrong played the part, filming all of his scenes in a single day. But that's just the half of it!
While running the gas station in Gatlin, The Old Man can be heard calling his dog by the name of "Sarge." Well, horror aficionados may have noticed that Armstrong also played a character named Sarge in the 1981 horror film Evilspeak. Coincidence? We think not!
Isaac's Age
This factoid is actually more frightening than anything depicted in the film. Off the top of your head, do you care to brave a guess as to how old the actor who played Isaac was at the time of filming?
Isaac Chroner (John Franklin) is the evil de facto leader of the children of the corn. In the film, he's portrayed as a wee 12-year-old boy. However, in reality, Franklin was actually 24 years old. For comparisons, Linda Hamilton was 28 at the time, while Peter Horton was 31. Here we all thought Chroner was giving a precocious performance, but he was just acting his age.
Original Names
Unless you happen to have read the source novel, chances are you totally missed the altered monikers of the two lead villains in the film version of Children of the Corn. While Isaac and Malachi are overtly biblical names, they were quite different in King's original vignette.
Indeed, in the original story, Malachi was named Craig Boardman and Isaac was named William Renfrew. The names were changed when George Goldsmith took over the script and opted to lean into the religious zealotry of the characters.
Malachai
One of the most memorable performances in the film comes courtesy of Courtney Gains as the villainous Malachai. But chances are everyone missed the detail as to how he landed the gig in the first place.
According to an interview with Morbidly Beautiful, Gaines admitted that he won the part of Malachai by going to extreme lengths with the film's dialect coach, Jeff Goldberg. Gaines pulled a fake knife on Jeff and held it directly under his throat until he was audibly shaken. Gaines says that was what sealed the deal!
Setting
The main characters find themselves in grave peril when they inadvertently drive through the accursed town of Gatlin, Nebraska. Here's a tidbit everyone missed about the film that extends to the protagonists: nearly the entire film was shot in Iowa.
Aside from a few highway shots filmed in California, Children of the Corn was filmed in the Iowan cities of Sioux City, Whiting, Hornick, and Salix. It makes sense given that Iowa is the unofficial corn capital of the country, but given the flat landscapes, there's virtually no way of telling the difference in the film.
Original Ending
Speaking of original plot threads, how many of you are privy to what happens to the main characters in the original ending of King's short story?
In King's original version, Burt is immediately slaughtered by "he who walks behind the rows" after he stumbles upon Vicky's slain corpse. As for Vicky, her demise at the hands of the sinister children before joining the Blue Man on the crucifix with her eyes gouged out was also changed for the film version. For whatever reason, likely to give the audience a happy ending, the film's finale allows for Burt and Vicky to escape.