Children Of The Corn 666: Isaac's Return (1999)

Yes. The sixth instalment in a horror franchise that should never have limped past three movies sees the return of, arguably, the most memorable character from the very first movie. Years have gone by, of course, and the child has grown into a man, but Isaac (John Franklin reprising his role) is still as devoted to He Who Walks Behind The Rows as he ever was. He just happens to be in a coma when the movie begins.

Natalie Ramsey plays Hannah Martin, a young woman who travels back to the town (Gatlin) where she was born. Natalie wants to find her real mother and wants to find out just what happened to the town. Little does she know that a lot of the residents of Gatlin are still waiting for a major prophecy to be fulfilled. A prophecy that involves Hannah. Some people have found their faith wavering, but not Isaac. As soon as he wakes up and gets back on his feet, he assures everyone that things are going exactly to plan.

Directed by Kari Skogland, this is nothing more than an excuse to centre another movie on the character of Isaac. It makes sense that Franklin also helped to write the script, sharing the writing duties with Tim Sulka, because he IS the reason to watch the movie. Although Hannah Martin is the dull heroine, Isaac is the most interesting character. It's a shame that Franklin the writer gives Franklin the actor very little to work with because there's still enough to keep you watching, but it's a bit of a slog.

It's also a shame that no thought was given to any of the other Gatlin residents. Okay, Stacy Keach and Nancy Allen get to appear onscreen, but they're rather wasted in their roles. Alix Koromzay and Paul Popowich both do quite well, despite the fact that their characters are left fairly one-dimensional, and everyone else suffers in the same way, with varying acting prowess to deal with the situation.

As soon as this franchise moved beyond the first film it became harder and harder to tell them apart. This instalment does absolutely nothing to change that.

3/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Of-The-Corn-666/dp/B0002ISGCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380193580&sr=8-1&keywords=children+of+the+corn+6

Children Of The Corn (1984)

Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton play a young couple who end up stranded in a small, isolated American town that has actually been taken over by the children and doesn't tolerate the presence of adults. This is largely due to the preachings of young Isaac (John Franklin - AKA the scariest kid on screen ever) and the enforcement of rules by his main henchman, Malachai (Courtney Gains - AKA second-scariest kid on screen ever). The situation goes from bad to worse for the adults and it's a tense battle of wits to see if they can save themselves from being sacrificed to the mighty corn god.

Adapted from a short story by Stephen King, this horror movie impresses more than it should thanks to its central subject matter - killer kids. You can do a lot in horror movies but you rarely show animal cruelty or child fatalities, those are just major no-nos in mainstream horrors, so having a bunch of kids out to kill adults and being retaliated against is refreshing in itself. Things are helped immensely by the fact that all of the young actors are very good (with Franklin and Gains being the most memorable) and Hamilton and Horton aren't too bad either.

Narration is provided by a youngster (played by Robby Kiger) and this is quite a big negative point, it just feels lazy and the viewpoint and speech used is now more than a little cliche when in the context of a Stephen King story.

Okay, so the short story, made into a screenplay by George Goldsmith, doesn't really provide enough decent material for director Fritz Kiersch to make a classic and there's definitely a sagging middle section but you also get a fantastically eerie opening sequence, some goosebumps raised every time Isaac preaches, decent tension throughout despite the diminutive size of the baddies and even an okay ending only really marred by the budgetary limitations that are so obvious in the special effects of the climax.

Looking slightly deeper into the material, whether it's intended or not (and I think it is), you also have an interesting look at religious dogma, how it is interpreted and preached to others in a way that can cause great harm if not questioned or kept in check. In fact, this is a cult movie in every sense.

It's a fun horror - no more, no less - and one that my nostalgic fondness for is shown in my, admittedly generous, rating.

P.S. I have yet to see ANY of the sequels but they will be viewed and the reviews appearing here very soon, for better or worse.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-The-Corn-Boxset-3-DVD/dp/B0046YWTV4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345456988&sr=8-1