What is the order of the Children of the Corn movies?

In 1984, Children of the Corn made its cinematic debut in cinemas. The horror film – an adaptation of the Stephen King short story of the same name – focused on a small Nebraska town, which becomes the centre of something sinister.

While Children of the Corn received mixed reviews from critics, the film was successful enough with audiences to spawn a collection of follow-ups. The majority of these films became a mainstay of the direct-to-video market, as the series expanded considerably.

But how many Children of the Corn movies are there and what is the viewing order? For all the details, keep reading.

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The Children of the Corn movies

Children of the Corn (1984)

As noted above, the Children of the Corn movie series began in 1984 with Children of the Corn (marketed as Stephen King’s Children of the Corn). The film focused on a young couple who find themselves trapped in the remote town of Gatlin, where a malevolent entity entices the local children to perform ritual murders. (92 mins)

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

With Children of the Corn proving popular at the box-office, a sequel followed in 1992 titled Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice. In this film, a journalist and his son travel to Nebraska to investigate the town of Gatlin, only to find themselves crossing paths with the murderous children. (92 mins)

Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995)

Movie No.3 followed in 1995, however, unlike the two previous offerings, this one (and more or less everything that followed) went straight to video. In this film, Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest, two brothers connected to the cult of Gatlin are taken to Chicago by an adoptive couple. (92 mins)

Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996)

In Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering, a nurse returns to Gatlin only to find the town’s children have fallen under a mysterious mass illness. (85 mins)

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

Onto movie No. 5, Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror, in which six college students are in the midst of a road trip when they take a disastrous wrong turn. (83 mins)

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

Movie No. 6, Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return focuses on a teenage girl who arrives in Gatlin searching for her biological mother. (82 mins)

Children of the Corn: Revelation (2001)

The seventh movie in the Children of the Corn movie series debuted in 2001 under the title Children of the Corn: Revelation. This film focused on a girl who uncovers a dark secret about her grandmother, which has a connection to the children. (82 mins)

Children of the Corn (2009)

Following an eight year hiatus, the Children of the Corn series returned with its eighth entry, this time airing on the Syfy channel. This film was conceived as a reboot, remaking the events of the 1984 movie, with the aim of drawing in a new audience. (92 mins)

Children of the Corn: Genesis (2011)

Movie No. 9 arrived in 2011 under the title, Children of the Corn: Genesis. This film focused on a young couple who attempt to free an imprisoned child with dreadful results. (80 mins)

Children of the Corn: Runaway (2018)

In movie No. 10, Children of the Corn: Runaway, a mother who experienced horrid things as a child in Gatlin, attempts to spare her own child of the horror. However, when she arrives in a small town in Oklahoma, she discovers something is following her. (82 mins)

Children of the Corn (2020)

For the 11th entry in the series, the reset button is sort of pushed once again, as a third adaptation of Stephen King’s Children of the Corn is served up. However, this adaptation is more of a prequel, which describes the events that led up to the kids taking over the town. (93 mins)

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The Children of the Corn movies in release order

To date, there are eleven Children of the Corn movies. The collection incorporates a mix of theatrically released films, direct-to-video titles, and television movies.

The Children of the Corn movies include:

• Children of the Corn (1984)
• Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992)
• 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)
• Children of the Corn: Revelation (2001)
• Children of the Corn (2009)
• Children of the Corn: Genesis (2011)
• Children of the Corn: Runaway (2018)
• Children of the Corn (2020)

The majority of the films within the Children of the Corn movie collection are all loosely part of the same series. Each new entry acts as a sort-of sequel to the previous film, although the connection between each entry is largely in name only.

The exceptions to this rule are Children of the Corn ’09, which is a TV movie remake of the original film, and Children of the Corn ‘20, which is a prequel to the original 1984 movie.

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Who are the cast of the Children of the Corn movies and are the films the work of the same director?

The cast of the Children of the Corn films differ across the course of the series. Notable actors include Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, John Franklin, Courtney Gains, Terence Knox, Naomi Watts, Alexis Arquette, Eva Mendes, David Carradine, Kane Hodder, Nancy Allen, Stacy Keach, and Michael Ironside.

In terms of the directors, the Children of the Corn movies are the work of the following:

• Fritz Kiersch directed Children of the Corn ’84
• David Price directed Children of the Corn II
• James D. R. Hickok directed Children of the Corn III
• Greg Spence directed Children of the Corn IV
• Ethan Wiley directed Children of the Corn V
• Kari Skogland directed Children of the Corn 666
• Guy Magar directed Children of the Corn: Revelation
• Donald P. Borchers directed Children of the Corn ’09
• Joel Soisson directed Children of the Corn: Genesis
• John Gulager directed Children of the Corn: Runaway
• Kurt Wimmer directed Children of the Corn ‘20

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Which is the best Children of the Corn movie?

According to IMDb the Children of the Corn films are rated as follows:

• Children of the Corn (1984) – 5.6/10
• Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992) – 4.4/10
• Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995) – 4.3/10
• Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) – 4.3/10
• Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998) – 3.9/10
• Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return (1999) – 3.5/10
• Children of the Corn: Revelation (2001) – 3.4/10
• Children of the Corn (2009) – 3.8/10
• Children of the Corn: Genesis (2011) – 3.6/10
• Children of the Corn: Runaway (2018) – 3.7/10
• Children of the Corn (2020) – 3.8/10

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Editor/Writer/Child of the Corn

Alex Wiggan

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I hope this information about the Children of the Corn movie series has proved useful. Should you wish to learn about other movie series on It’s A Stampede!, please check out one of the recommended reads below.