Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992)

Movie Info

Props for diversifying the cast…and he’s the first guy dead

The children of Gatlin, Nebraska have murdered their parents, but police believe that the leaders of the group coerced the other children into the murders.  The Gatlin kids have been sent to the neighboring town of Hemingford, Nebraska while police investigate the murders, but He Who Walks Behind the Rows isn’t finished.  Possessing a boy named Micah (Ryan Bollman), He Who Walks Behind the Rows intends to wipe out all the adults in Hemingford, but a reporter named John Garrett (Terence Knox) and his estranged son Danny (Paul Scherrer) could have just walked into the story of John’s lifetime…if they survive.

Directed by David Price, Children of the Corn II:  The Final Sacrifice is a horror B-Movie follow-up to the Stephen King adaptation Children of the Corn from 1984.  The film received a theatrical release (the last of the series) and received negative reviews.

Wait…what’s happening?

Children of the Corn was kind of freaky as a kid.  The kids were creepy and even the cheesy “He Who Walks Behind the Rows” was a bit scary if you were young.  Now, take the same format as the original and make it even cheesier and less scare-based and you get Children of the Corn II.

The story has the kids from Gatlin rising up (again) and killing the townspeople.  Within the story there is a weird subplot of poisoned corn and a conspiracy that technically explains (but doesn’t really explain) the murders.  This is mixed with a bad father-son storyline, two weak romances, and a Native American (with nine lives) explaining the origins of He Who Walks Behind the Rows.  It isn’t good and it isn’t scary (which is the primary error in this entry).

The cast is bland and led by Terence Knox who isn’t interesting or sympathetic as the delinquent father of the acting challenged Paul Scherrer.  Ryan Bollman is odd which helps the character of Micah but he’s no Malachai or Isaac for the original…and a real scary kid is necessary to make a killer kid movie work.

Oh man…must have been something I ate

The movie has a weird blend of minimal effects and early computer animation.  The corn scenes and much of the action is just people throwing cornstalks and wind machines…plus gasoline and explosions.  Two segments do have computer animation with an early morphing scene near the end where Micah is transformed and another bizarre scene where he’s “infected” (which raises new aspects of the whole demon He Who Walks Behind the Rows character since he appears like a virus).  Overall the practical effects and the computer effects are ineffective.

Children of the Corn II:  The Final Sacrifice is another example of a franchise that should never have been a franchise.  The movie is uninspired and bland…which is a travesty for the horror genre which can get away with so much due to its nature.  Blood and guts, nudity, and crazy villains and characters are all horror hallmarks that get passes because you expect it.  The movie attempts to get campy at points (like the Wicked Witch of the East/West references with the two sisters), but it can’t seem to commit to it and falls flat as a result.  Despite the ho-hum nature of this film, Children of the Corn II:  The Final Sacrifice was followed by Children of the Corn III:  Urban Harvest in 1995.

Related Links:

Children of the Corn (1984)

Children of the Corn III:  Urban Harvest (1995)

Children of the Corn IV:  The Gathering (1996)

Children of the Corn V:  Fields of Terror (1998)

Children of the Corn 666:  Isaac’s Return (1999)