Hey, folks, let’s talk about Children of the Corn 2023, shall we? This franchise has been around for a while, and it all started with Stephen King’s 1977 short story. But as we’ve seen with the previous ten entries, they veered away from the source material. And this new one is no different.
So, what’s it about, you ask? Well, we’ve got murderous kids, a ton of corn, and a small town in Nebraska. But don’t get too excited because there’s not much connecting these elements logically or meaningfully.
The movie starts with young Eden playing outside her group home as her brother comes out of the cornfield looking like he’s been through the wringer. He grabs a weapon lying around and goes on a killing spree, eventually getting taken down by the authorities. Cut to Bo, a teenager who wants to leave the dying town but gets sidetracked when she tries to save the town’s corn crops. Unfortunately, she has to deal with a newly psychotic Eden and her cult of kids who want to punish the grown-ups and bring the corn back to life.
Now, the two introductory scenes are where we start to see some issues with the movie. Eden’s sudden change in personality is never explained, leaving us scratching our heads. And while Bo’s opening presents some exciting narrative possibilities, they never fully develop. It’s like the filmmakers had too many ideas and insufficient time to flesh them out properly.
And that’s not the only problem. The characters are all over the place, with inconsistent and sometimes incredulous behavior. Bo and Eden speak and act in ways that don’t match their ages, and character beats don’t amount to much. The horror elements are also lacking, with only a few moments of inspired gore and a focus on cultish behavior rather than the body count. And don’t even get me started on the underbaked villain and the rough CGI.
Look, I know we weren’t expecting much from this franchise by now, but Children of the Corn 2023 doesn’t work. Confusion over motivations, poor character development, and a lack of worldbuilding leaves us scratching our heads. Even the horror elements don’t hit as hard as they could. It feels like a movie edited to death, with potential scenes removed, leaving us a jumbled mess. The only thing it gets right is the suggestion that it’s time to let this franchise die.
