Disciples of the Crow

I rented this short film as a part of `Stephen King's Night Shift Collection.' Previously, I thought that there was only one volume in this `collection,' that being the one that contained student films of `The Boogeyman' and `The Woman in the Room,' neither of which I enjoyed. `Disciples of the Crow' is paired up with a short film made in 1987 called `The Night Waiter,' which doesn't seem to be a King story at all. But never mind that, as that is a review for another day. I wasn't sure what to expect with this film. Just by the title, I knew that the story was based on `Children of the Corn.' This movie had the unfortunate chance of being made one year before the actual `Children of the Corn' film (which I liked, but I know I am in the minority). It would have been lost in oblivion had it not 1) been adapted from a Stephen King story and 2) been found by Karl James Associates to cash in on the late-80's Stephen King craze.

Pushing aside thoughts of the film series and letting the film stand on its own, I must say they almost pulled it off. I won't bore you with details of the original story's plot, but I will say that I wouldn't get the short film so much had I not either read the story or watched the feature film. Perhaps for the sake of time, key elements of explanation are gone and no attempt is made to characterize any of the children (I know the King story didn't do this either, but since this short acts like it is about to do this with one character and then balks, it is worth mentioning). The good points are that John Woodward slowly and effectively builds suspense to the point of creating nervousness for the viewers and that the sunny, outdoor setting adds to the rural creepiness---it's pretty obvious why this King story was chosen by both these students and Hollywood. Sadly, the film is too short, ending immediately after the full shock is released. It was a good try, but it just barely misses. Zantara's score: 5 out of 10.

Before Stephen Kings Children Of The Corn became a feature movie in 1984 we had Disciples of the Crow, essentially a highly compacted version of the story.

For those unaware it tells the tale of a cult that is made up of psychotic children and truth be told is one of the weakest links in Kings arsenal in my opinion. I never liked the books and of the movies I've seen so far I've been less than impressed by.

This short is around the 30 minute mark and merely tells the tale of a couple who encounter the cult in the ghost town they reside within after accidentally hitting one with their car.

Very little happens, the atmosphere is pretty neutered and our protagonists are far from likeable.

I'd say this is for fans of the franchise only, and even then maybe not.

The Good:

I like the setting if nothing else

The Bad:

Dull

Poor characters

Real animal cruelty on show

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Corn has many culinary uses and can also disable cars, who knew?

I have not read Stephen King's story, and the only Children of the Crow movie I can swear to having seen is the sixth one. This short stands well on its own, without requiring knowledge of the story, though that may add something.

It's available on a German DVD as Night of the Crow, and on an out-of-print videotape titled Stephen King's Nightshift Collection. That video also has the short The Night Waiter (1987), and a "coming soon" teaser called "Highrise," supposedly from something called "Slightly Astounding Stories." I don't know that anything by that name was ever released, and it's unfortunate it lacks credits, as it is actually well done and has a funny, surreal ending. Confusingly, there is another videotape titled Stephen King's Nightshift Collection that has different shorts on it (though the box does indicate which shorts) It opens in Jonah, Oklahoma in 1971. A child with a mole on his chin has an unusual shrine in a cornfield, where is is watched by crows. He and some other children do some sort of ritual, dropping things into a boiling pot. When the kid is in church with his mother and her boyfriend, he looks at a stained glass window depicting Jesus, whose face turns into a skull. That night the children kill their parents with a variety of implements, though this happens offscreen.

In 1983, a couple driving near Jonah, OK hit a young man who runs into the road. They find some strange things on the body, and try to find someone to whom they can report the accident. This is only the beginning of their problems. The couple's arrival in Jonah is somewhat reminiscent of ¿Quién puede matar a un niño? (1976) AKA Who Could Kill a Child?, although this is perhaps inevitable given the shared subject matter.

It's quite well directed and acted. The art direction and locations are well done too. Surprisingly, it appears director John Woodward only did two movies after this one.

Disciples of the Crow (1983)

*** (out of 4)

Just about everyone, horror fan or not, has heard of CHILDREN OF THE CORN be it the original Stephen King story or the 1984 film, which has since gained six sequels and a remake (to date). What most people might not remember is that the 1984 film wasn't the first to adapt the King short story. This film starts off in 1971 as a child leads other children into killing all of the adults in town. Jump forward to 1983 as a couple are driving through Nebraska when they accidentally run over a kid and soon run into the evil cult. Having seen all of the CHILDREN OF THE CORN movies (including the remake) I must admit that this is the best of the bunch. Perhaps part of this is due to the fact that this runs a quick paced 18-minutes but it doesn't contain any stupid subplots and instead just delivers the goods in terms of creepy atmosphere and a rather suspenseful ending. I'm not sure what the budget was on this thing but it was obviously low and that helps the small town atmosphere that it gets. The movie has an effective music score, nice editing and just an all around great pacing. Eleese Lester does a pretty good job as Vicky and Gabriel Folse isn't too bad either as the husband. The film shares a lot more in common with the eventual 2009 remake as the husband and wife are constantly fighting and the ending here is one used in the later film. Speaking of the ending, it manages to pack a pretty good punch and makes this film worth viewing.

This is intense and well-made for a b short film. Disturbing atmosphere, somehow decent acting, and overall much better than the later films based on Children of the Corn. Well-made effects, especially the corpses and the "blue man" (hehe). The music is eerie as hell. Worth watching for any King fan.