Stephen King's Children of the Corn (1984)

A creepy concept with decent execution at barely 90 minutes. The film opens with a narration (a signature trait of King's stories) by little Job about how a once sweet small town in Nebraska went so sour so fast because he and his clairvoyant sister Sarah are the only youngsters that don't wield farm tools. Biblical names galore in this picture, too, because, well, Gatlin's got religion. Trouble is, the poor children should have lost it instead of losing their minds (and their parents) and seeking to reap the harvest of fanaticism.
But no worries; Sarah Connor, the mother of humanity's savior, real name Linda Hamilton, has come to town, or maybe those credentials do not extend beyond The Terminator story (also released in 1984). Along with Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton gives a satisfactory performance, but the characters lack notable substance outside of being a happy couple. She wants to get married; he doesn't. What else is new? The screenplay was on a diet.

The best part is the kids and eerie atmosphere. The close camera angles on the farm tools and children make for remarkable imagery, along with wide shots of the desolate ghost town. There is also a nice but shoddy theme about manipulation and how it can lead people to commit terrible acts.

Of course, this manipulation comes from a supernatural demon that lurks behind the rows of corn, but hey--what else from a Stephen King story! I guess Old Scratch enjoys corn on the cob and possessing Isaac, sporting devil horns and a very deep pubescent voice.