| Children of the Corn | |
| Author: | Stephen King |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Horror, short story |
| Published In: | Penthouse, Night Shift, Stephen King Goes to the Movies |
| Media Type: | Print (hardcover) |
| Pub Date: | 1977 (magazine) 1978 (collection) |
"Children of the Corn" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 1977 issue of Penthouse, and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift.[1] The story has been adapted into several films, spawning a horror feature film franchise of the same name beginning in 1984. In 2009, the story was included in the book Stephen King Goes to the Movies.
Burt and Vicky, a couple trying to save their marriage, are driving to California for a vacation and to visit Vicky's brother. As they are driving through rural Nebraska and arguing, Burt is ready to call off the vacation and consult a divorce attorney. Then they accidentally run over a young boy who had his throat slit and was thrown into the road. Burt opens the boy's suitcase to find a crucifix made of twisted corn husks. They agree to report the incident to the police and place the body in their car's trunk.
Burt and Vicky go for help to the nearest town—a small, isolated community called Gatlin—for help. At first the town appears to be abandoned, but they soon discover that it is inhabited by a cult of murderous children who worship "He Who Walks Behind the Rows", a demon that lives in the local cornfields. The children abduct Vicky and stab Burt, who escapes into the corn. After wandering through the corn, Burt finds the crucified corpses of Vicky, the town's former minister, and the town's former police chief. He Who Walks Behind the Rows arrives and kills Burt.
The story ends with the children having a meeting in the cornfield the next day. Isaac, the cult's leader, lowers the age limit for sacrifices from 19 to 18. That night, Malachi (the killer of the boy Burt and Vicky ran over) and all of the other 18-year-olds walk into the corn and disappear. Malachi's pregnant girlfriend, Ruth, watches on and wants to stop this, but she has no power to do so.
Gatlin was mentioned in It. Hemingford Home, a neighboring town to Gatlin, was also the town where Mother Abagail lived and rounded up the good survivors of the super flu in The Stand, and was also the location in 1922.
See main article: Children of the Corn (film series). The story was first adapted into a 1983 short film, Disciples of the Crow.
A year later, the story was adapted into a larger-budget film re-adopting the original name, Children of the Corn, starring Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton. Several sequels, and two adaptations[2] followed.
The 2000 South Park episode "The Wacky Molestation Adventure" parodies the story and its adaptations.
In September 2009, the Syfy channel premiered a television film version which is based on King's short story.