Two-Movie Tuesday: Little Monster Children of the Corn
Who’s scarier—kids or grown-ups?
Little Monsters (2019)
For all the time the opening act spends on developing douchebag Dave, his redemption arc feels too quick, though McGiggle’s fate seems about right (eGads, is Josh ever hilarious--“I fucking hate those little kiddlywinks”). The rest of the script is a nice balance of quirky situational contrast humour (innocent and cute kindergarteners vs. nasty zombies/kids entertainers) and engaging pathos driven by Nyong’o’s sweet and protective teacher: Bullies, exes, zombies--just shake 'em off, shake 'em off.
6
Children of the Corn (1984)
Sets itself up nicely as the horrors of the opening bloodbath lend plenty of tension to the slow build-up that follows (the sign confusion on the way was a nice touch). The rest waffles between genuine creepiness and thrills (indoctrination is truly scary, kids) and total cheese (the SFX are terrible). Thank He Who Walks Behind The Rows that there were at least two cute kids to root for cuz Vicky was reduced to a damsel in distress and macho Burt was the worst. One of the best endings ever tho.
5
Here’s to teachers, (candy)corn, T-Swift, and whatever or whoever else gets you through this scary world!