Tim and Allie seek shelter in a remote desert compound after becoming lost and stranded. A strange Manson-like character, Preacher (Drago), reluctantly allows them inside with strict orders to be gone by morning and not wander "where you are not invited." At first, Preacher and his mail-order wife Oksana (Nedeljakova) deny the faint screams and cries that emanate from one of the crumbling outbuildings. When Allie sneaks outside to investigate, she discovers that she and Tim have stumbled onto a bizarre cult worshiping an entity that may -- or may not -- dwell inside a haunted little boy.

 

Children of the Corn: Genesis has had a lot of people asking some very good questions. And that questions would be, is this a sequel that falls within the original series, or does this one follow the remake that came out. Well, this film falls into the original series, so it is actually Children of the Corn 8.

 

But on with the show...

 

This movie picks up at a place where none of the other films left off, because this film wants nothing to do with the franchise it's apart of. Even more to the point, that there really isn't even any “children” for the audience to be fearful of. Sure, there is the boy locked up in the barn...but he is locked up in a barn...so sorry, I'm not afraid of him. And more importantly, I don't give a damn about this character.

 

The character of the preacher, played remarkably by Billy Drago, is the man this film focuses on. So yes...this is another installment of Old Men of the Corn. It's his son that is locked in the barn, and his wife is afraid of him.

 

The couple that come to the house start stirring up tons of shit, and the female character, doesn't listen to anything she is told...but doing exactly what the home owners have asked her not to. Genesis...get it. Adam and Eve. The woman didn't heed the warning from the serpent. Very symbolic.

 

Also the symbolism goes further. This is a genesis, as it is a start to a new “cult” of children. I thought it was the proper route to take, given the lack luster success from the sequels thus far. It's not so much a prequel, as much as it is a starting point from Dimension to branch off of, and maybe start a line of sequels that are actually good.

 

Very little happens in this movie. Preachers wife seduces the boyfriend, while the preacher puts wild allegations into the mind of the girlfriend. It's a big tale of manipulation that opens up tons of back story, but never actually pays off with anything in the end.

 

The acting in this movie is were I think it shines. Billy Drago is one of my personal guilty pleasures. Ever since I saw him in The Untouchables, I've been drawn to anything he is in. And now, he himself has become somewhat of a horror icon, and is cast in anything horror related.

 

Barbara Nedeljakova, of Hostel fame, plays the preachers wife, and shows the audience once again, just how great of a find she was. Now her acting resume is beginning to sore, and she is really able to let her acting chops be seen, without having to pop her tits out to get the job. And from everything I hear, she is the nicest person to meet, as is grateful and thankful for every fan that she has.
 

The look and quality of this movie is actually not too bad. This was a re-launch title for Dimension Extreme, along with another Hellraiser sequel. But most people overlooked it until it was up for streaming on Netflix. I personally think Dimension looked at their catalogue of horror titles and saw this in there, and said to themselves, “hey, we've never really done anything great with this franchise, so what can we do with it now?” And they decided to keep it a small cast, of genre recognizable actors, so they can throw a little bit of money at they movie, but not an insane amount; and still have it look pretty damn good. Which it does. It doesn't look like your typical direct-to-video films. Especially your direct-to-video films that are shot on video. So kudos there Dimension.

 

Overall, I like this movie. Even though very view people die in this film, for a horror film...I enjoy it. They didn't go the typical route, and louse it up. They tried something new, for the new generation of viewers. And for us older viewers, it was a nice palette cleanser from all the garbage Corn films that were shoved down our throats in the 90's.

 

I would recommend this film to the casual horror fan. The die hard “classic” guys might be up in arms about it...but I just don't see it that way. I was never that faithful of a Children of the Corn fan, so I can deal with seeing it go in different directions. The everyday movie goer won't like this film, so don't waste your time. This is just an all around good example of how to tell a simple story, with little money. And those are some of the best movie to watch...but that's only my opinion.

 

Till Next Time Kiddies...

 

-RJ