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A new entry in a long-running horror franchise based on a work by Stephen King has been lambasted across the board ahead of its theatrical release.
Children of the Corn 2023 has been ripped apart by critics across the board. The film is the latest entry in the long-running Children of the Corn franchise, based on the 1977 Stephen King short story of the same name, which began with the 1984 Children of the Corn starring Linda Hamilton as one half of a couple who stumbled upon an isolated Midwest town where a cult of children have killed all the adults. The newest film, from director Kurt Wimmer, is the eleventh film in the franchise and is set to run in theaters for 18 days starting March 3 before dropping on Shudder on March 21.
This week, critics have been releasing their reviews ahead of the brief release of Children of the Corn 2023. Nearly every single one of them agrees that the film is boring, amateurish, and unwieldy, failing to breathe new life into the franchise. While many praise the performance of star Kate Moyer, they almost unanimously agree that the movie is too shallow and unfocused to support her. Read select quotes from various critics below:
Jeff Ewing, Inverse:
The script’s logic could use some retooling, the supporting performances are inconsistent, and more attention could be paid to making it feel like a town instead of a limited collection of shooting locations.
Owen Gleiberman, Variety:
The blood looks like it was made from high-fructose corn syrup — which, in “Children of the Corn,” may be an extreme case of horror turning into its own derivative.
Meagan Navarro, Bloody Digusting:
Expectations might be low at this stage of the franchise, but nothing about Children of the Corn works. Motivations are confusing at best, and Wimmer never manages to set-up who these characters are, let alone establish any rules or worldbuilding that would explain why they behave so erratically.
Marco Vito Oddo, Collider:
Moyer’s acting might not be enough to save Children of the Corn, but it unquestionably elevates the experience. So, fans who feel the urge to watch every new franchise installment have at least that to look forward to.
Luke Y. Thompson, AV Club:
Mostly CG-cartoonish explosions and gore effects are cut around judiciously or utilized for jump scares that are so quick you have no time to see the seams. The big final twist is laugh-out-loud loony and obviously animated, so if you must see the film, at least stick around for that. Otherwise, maybe the 12th attempt to adapt Stephen King’s classic tale will be the charm.
Christian Zilko, IndieWire:
It feels misleading to call this a “slow burn” film — because that would imply that something interesting eventually happens — but the decision to hide all the spectacle behind 80 minutes of bland kitchen sink drama feels inexplicable.
Children of the Corn 2023 Continues a Dismal Franchise Trend
At the time of writing, Children of the Corn 2023 has a 6 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. That puts it firmly in the bottom tier of Stephen King projects. While films that he has been directly involved in bottom out at 11 percent with 2016’s Cell, many Children of the Corn projects fall below even that line.
In fact, in the nearly 40-year run of the Children of the Corn franchise, not a single entry has garnered a fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. While some of the more obscure sequels like 2011’s Children of the Corn: Genesis don’t even have enough reviews to earn a proper score, every single film that has earned a rating has fallen below the original 1984 Children of the Corn and its already rotten 39 percent score.
One point in Children of the Corn 2023’s favor is the fact that it’s not the lowest-rated film in the franchise. That dubious honor would belong to 2009’s Children of the Corn remake and 1999’s Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return, both of which are tied at 0 percent. However, it seems that this new film continues the grim franchise trend of failing to redeem the series despite many previous attempts.
Source: Various (see above)
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