Children of the Corn (1984)

           Hello again fiends!  Since I missed Monday and Tuesday (time was spent watching, instead of writing), I figured I’d put a couple out in one night for you all.  Doesn’t that sound like a spectacular spooky surprise?!  I thought so!  This review is going to focus on Fritz Kiersch’s rendition of Stephen King’s Children of the Corn (1984).  Originally a short story published in Penthouse (hmm…maybe some people do actually buy them for the articles, eh?), Children of the Corn is a somewhat fantastical tale of an entire town of children that wind up killing off all of the adults and forming a sort of cult amongst the rows of corn surrounding their town. 

            And that begins my first critique on the film – the plot.  I really don’t find children to be scary, more creepy than scary.  In my humble opinion, it is really far-fetched for a group of kids to literally kill off all the adults in any given town and have no retaliation whatsoever from either more adults or the elder kids.  In the story, they even have children willingly allowing the others to kill them at age 19.  I don’t know anyone that would willingly die like that, and even if one or two did it would be very difficult to get an entire group to fall into step with dying young.  I honestly didn’t think there was a Stephen King out there I couldn’t get behind, but I’d have to say this one is too far-fetched for me to get the creeps from.  That being said, if you as a viewer can get past the inconceivability of this plot, then you may find you enjoy this film.  The cinematography is decent though one can tell that it is an older film.  Still not bad, not bad.  I can’t honestly say I can remember the soundtrack so I am going to say that it wasn’t memorable and leave it at that. 

         The casting, unfortunately, is another downfall of this particular flick.  Courtney Gains as Malachai…I mean I’m all for giving child actors a bit of a break because they are ‘green,’ so to speak, but this kid was not only terrible, he was also obnoxious to look at.  Every time he yelled “Outlander!” I wanted to reach through the screen and shake him…hard. John Franklin as Issac was pretty awful also, but at least he was somewhat intriguing.  Having not read the short story for this prior to watching, I was hoping Isaac WAS the demon, or possessed and immortal, or something cool.  But alas, I was let down on that as well.  The creepiest thing about this movie was “The Blue Man,” a cop that had been crucified by the kids, his rotting skeleton serving as a point in the cornfield as their meeting place.  Otherwise…it’s pretty out there.  The kids all grab sickles and knives to kill the adults…and the adults grab pipes and duller instruments to try to fight back.  The kids all seem to go along with all of this, and yet don’t appear as brainwashed as one might originally think when we first meet them.  All in all, this is one of my least favorite conceptions that King has produced for us.  Anyways, here come the stats:  Number of deaths?  11.  Killers?  This was a tough call…probably thirty or so?  Boobs? 0. Not even anything remotely racy in this one.  Cheap thrills?  0.  Actual spooks endured?  0.  Ravens Scream Meter says: 2 out of 5 Screams.  Has some carnage so I couldn’t give it a one, even if it isn’t my favorite movie to date.  Thanks again for reading and I’ll be posting another review shortly!  xx

The Stand (1994)

       Welcome fiends, to yet another Wednesday.  I haven’t, I promise, been slacking this week – it just happened to take me a few days to actually get through this movie and I really wanted this to be the first film I review this week.  In honor of Ash Wednesday (which, your humble reviewer does not celebrate, but I do respect the observation), today I am bringing you a detailed review of The Stand (1994).  A classic good vs. evil struggle set smack in the heart of North America, based on the novel by the infamous master of horror, Stephen King.  It is an epic tale, and one of my absolute favorite stories King has ever conceived, but the film is exceptionally long and most likely (unless you have a completely free afternoon sometime) you will have to watch this one in more than one sitting.

The synopsis of this flick, in the case you haven’t yet read or watched it, begins with a plague that destroys mankind.  And while one might think that if a ‘superflu’ (as they call it in this film…or “Captain Tripps”)  were to leak in an area at this point in time, that our government would be able to quickly quarantine the area and prevent it from spreading worldwide, we have to admit that this could indeed be the case.  Humans are flawed, and the guard that was supposed to be the last defense for this quarantine became scared and fled the scene with his family, only to travel halfway across the country before slamming his car into a gas station and then dying in the arms of Stu Redman (Gary Sinise).  Stu is a hero from the beginning, as he cuts the lines to the gas just before the car takes them all out – saving everyone in the gas station…and sparing them.  For the time being, that is.  The government quickly follows the trail of this escapee, and travels to Arnette, TX, ready to shut down the town and quarantine anyone who came into contact with him.  Stu and friends get taken to a government facility and are put under close watch.  But just before they are taken, a cop comes into town to tell them what is going on…and lies to the dispatcher over the waves as to his whereabouts, further spreading this already infectious disease and once again showing the weakness of man.  We meet other important characters along the way, including a deaf-mute named Nick Andros, a girl named Franny Goldsmith and her good friend Harold Lauder, a mentally disabled man called Tom Cullen, a slick city-kid crooner named Larry Underwood and many…many more.  This is quite the epic tale, and most characters that we come to know as surviving this major plague have integral parts in the outcome of the final battle.  The survivors begin having very vivid dreams, one is of an elderly African American woman named Abigail Freemantle, “But people around these parts call me Mother Abigail.”  Mother Abigail tells them all to come see her as soon as they can, and to bring along their friends.  The other side of these dreams, however, are guided by Randal Flag.  An instrument of supreme evil, Flag attempts to grab anyone he can with promises of everything they could ever want as long as they follow him without question.  When I first became familiar with the story, I couldn’t decide fully if Flag was actually the Devil or if he was simply a demon – but all evidence that I can see points to him being the actual Devil.  He’s even called “His Infernal Majesty” by a character at one point, which was one of the things that solidified my opinion on this matter. 

Anyway, the characters begin to split between Boulder and Las Vegas, and prepare to face off.  Mother Abigail is self-proclaimed to be in touch with God, and it does appear that she is as she is well aware that the survivors are heading toward Hemingford Home to meet her and continue on to Boulder.  Throughout the movie, God guides the ‘good’ side through Mother Abigail, and Flag guides the side of the wicked.  The good guys do absolutely everything they can do to stop the evil that is leashed upon them, ending in the final Stand between a few of the Boulder friends who have traveled into Nevada unarmed and without anything but the clothes on their backs.  After they are captured, there is a particularly wonderful conversation between Flag and Glen Bateman (an elderly painter, one of the good guys) where the old man shows his loyalty to mankind and laughs in the devils face – this old dude sure had some stones!  There’s several references to both pop culture (Rolling Stones, anyone?) and more than one reference to the Bible (pride cometh before the fall, Stuart!!!), and both are weaved throughout this tale to punctuate the story and give it some reality where there is much mysticism.  I won’t tell you how the story ends, but I will say again that this is one absolutely epic tale that should definitely not be missed by anyone who is a fan of horror.  Even if you don’t believe in the Christianity theology, this story is one that can be appreciated and admired – and the conception of a plague being the catalyst to the end of the world as we know it is simply genius.

 

And the review.  I’ll start with the cast – what an absolutely brilliant lineup!  Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Jamey Sheridan, Ruby Dee, Miguel Ferrer, Corin Nemec, Matt Frewer, Adam Storke, Ray Walston, Rob Lowe, and more…it may not be an ‘all star’ cast, but every single part was played beautifully by the actors and it is clear to me that they were all invested in the story and wanted to make Mr. King proud.  The cinematography is smooth, and though it is definitely not blu-ray quality, the shots are clean and there isn’t inappropriate camera-shaking or anything that makes the viewer feel as though they are spinning around on a carnival ride.  Obviously everyone is already aware of my feelings on this epic plot, so no need to go there.  I will say that I thought the ending scene was particularly cheesy, as I don’t know anyone (especially anyone with world-saving capabilities) is going to wave and make gestures at a baby that clearly has her eyes closed.  C’mon now.  That could’ve been done better, especially after the build up and climax of this story.  But I guess if that is my only complaint concerning the film, then I’ll live.  The soundtrack is alright, but sometimes not particularly memorable.  The story is what matters here.  What are the stats on this, you ask?  Here we go:  How many deaths?  Well…the world, for the most part, so that is pretty intense!  But as for the core group?  A whopping seven (possibly eight, I might have missed one in there) of them bite it during the course of the film.  Killers?  About eight, if you count the men who spread the disease in the first place.  So this was pretty even with the amount of core deaths in this one.  Boobs?  None, but there are some pretty racy scenes so you probably want to screen this yourself before the kiddos watch.  Cheap Thrills?  None.  Actual thrills?  Around four.  But honestly it’s chilling to see all the dead bodies in stores, churches, and lined up on the highway throughout the films entirety.  Buckle up, fiends.  Raven’s Scream Meter says?  Five out of five Screams.  While it isn’t a movie the whole family can get down with (or maybe it is, depending on your family!), this is absolutely one of the better horror films made. Thanks again for reading my fiends, and please keep on the lookout for more movies based on King's work on the mad scientists review table this week!  xx  ~ Raven

Raven's Top Ten Teen Screams

     Things that go bump in the night. Creepies, crawlies, and all the nasty things you dream about but never thought you’d see in the light of day.  That’s what this list is all about, my fiends.  People always love top ten lists, and whether or not you have the same sensibilities as I do is definitely going to factor in to whether or not you feel these movies are appropriate for your teen (or any child).  I would also think the maturity level of your children would come into play at this point.  I find that if you have to question if they should watch something, they probably shouldn’t.  But I digress.  This is my list of the top ten best horror flicks to watch with your teen (or to let you teen rent/watch).      

10.  An American Werewolf in London (1981) – This film is pretty innocent when it comes to horror, and is also on the lighter side.  Most families would find the majority of the film funny I would imagine, and there is very little in the way of gore (and no sex, and almost no swearing even).  It also happens to be a classic, and I’ve even already reviewed it here in Ravens Reviews.  The film is still wonderful and definitely part of my personal collection. 

9.  The Craft (1996) – Though it isn’t an absolutely accurate homage to the wiccan/pagan community, The Craft was the Bewitched of my generation.  The movie did try to portray a more modern view of witchcraft, even including games I’ve actually played myself such as “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board.”  Pretty tame for a horror film, however, The Craft is more of a fun witchy romp than a bloodbath.  Still, with the newer effects and soundtrack, your teen should have a wicked good time watching this one.

8.  The Ring (2002) – I found this film upon initial view to be incredibly effective, but that could have been due to the fact that I had no idea that what my friends put on was a horror film.  In either case, The Ring is still pretty fun to watch, with its creepy blue filtered lighting and its modern plot about a cursed/evil videotape, this is definitely a creeptastic film that you can pop on with your teens in the room – and most likely everyone will enjoy!

7.  Candyman (1992) – Candyman, candyman, candyman!  This is one of the first horror movies I was allowed to watch, and I have to say it definitely gave me the spooks.  Barely if any nudity again, but there is much violence and possible severe language in this particular flick.  Even if there isn’t too much, and you feel your teen is mature enough for this one, you have to admit that Tony Todd’s performance is chilling and perfect for the role – and that this is perhaps one of the more horrific films on this particular list.

6.  Carrie (2013) – I know this movie has been redone for practically every generation – and the reason for that of corpse is because special effects just keep getting better, and this story is one that should always be fresh to resonate with the current teens that will be watching it. In FX we trust. This is one that actually has a moral to it, and that is not to judge a book by its cover.  The tale itself is definitely geared toward the teenage generation, and is set in high school.  Both parents and their teens will enjoy this new Carrie, as the acting is superb and the cinematography is beautiful. 

5.  Halloween (1978) –  This is the first of all the movies listed to have any nudity (I don’t believe it is terribly often at all, however, which is why I think this one is ok for teens).  But again there’s little to no strong language in the film – though this one is also quite brutal in nature (but hey, it’s horror and that’s kind of the point!).  I do think most teenagers are capable of handling this film but by all means feel free to pre-watch before allowing your children to view.  It’s a classic, and is on television almost every year during the fall with most of anything ‘unfriendly’ cut from it, so you can also go that route if you wish. 

4.  Ginger Snaps (2000) – “I can’t have a hairy chest, B, that’s fucked!”  Ok so this one might have some strong language and graphic content – there isn’t much in the way of horror that doesn’t – but Ginger Snaps is one of my favorite werewolf films and I just had to include it on my list of the top teen horror films.  Based on a pair of sisters going through some ‘changes,’ this frightful fest boasts some great cinematography and truly horrific scenes that the whole family can enjoy (teens and up of corpse). 

3.  Night of the Living Dead (1968) – This is a classic horror film that can definitely be viewed by most of the family, but I will say that the black and white version may be a bit too ‘old’ for your kids so you might want to check with them and see if it piques their interest before popping it in (there’s a color version done by Savini that I’m particularly fond of, if the black and white turns them off).  If your child is already into horror, chances are you already let them check this film out LONG before teenager-time anyway…but if you haven’t and they are this is a perfect movie to share, especially with the current zombie craze.  Romero has been known as one of the masters of the horror genre, zombies being his specialty.  Even if your teen thinks its old they should, especially if they are into this genre, give it a watch at the very least out of respect.  At the very most, they’ll know what most of the jokes in other zombie movies are referencing (Shaun of the Dead, anyone?).

2.  Scream (1996) – “What do you want?” “To see what your insides look like.”  My number two on the top ten list of teen screams is Wes Craven’s Scream.  A (now) classic slasher flick, Scream was one of the better horror movies that came out in the 90s.  Plenty of ingenuity and brass, Scream is definitely horror geared toward teens and even adults can watch and enjoy.  You can see a more detailed review of this film in Ravens Reviews. 

1.  The Shining (1980) – I’ll say this, I could literally put just about any Stephen King based film on this list – I think most of his books (made into films), if not all, are appropriate for teens to watch as well as adults.  That being said, if you need a place to start and have absolutely no clue which film based on his books your teen might be into – this particular creep show focuses our attention on a haunted hotel.  Plenty of spooks, madness, and blood for everyone.

Honorable Mentions Include:

House at the End of the Road

Fright Night

Phantasm

So that is my current top ten list of teen horror films.  It was actually much more difficult than I thought it would be to fashion this list, so I hope that you all can concur with it or at least can grab a couple of the choices off this list for your family to enjoy.  Thank you as always for reading, and stay tuned for more from Raven’s Reviews!