Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest
Encyclopedia
Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest is the third film in the Children of the Corn
series, based on the short story of the same name by Stephen King. The film focuses on two mysterious brothers who, after living in rural Nebraska for their entire lives, are adopted and brought into Chicago
; a chain of deadly occurrences surrounding the family follows, and revelations of a cult that the younger brother may have been involved in. The film stars Daniel Cerny in the leading role of the younger brother, Eli, and also marks the film debut of Charlize Theron
, who had a non-speaking role as one of the cult's followers.
Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest was the first film to be made entirely by Dimension
/Miramax Films
, and the last film in the series to receive a theatrical release
. It opened in US cinemas on September 12, 1995.
The next day, at their first day in school, Eli nearly gets into a fight with T-Loc, a student in Joshua's grade, and harshly criticizes Joshua for playing basketball with some of the other students. Disgusted with the lifestyle being lived by the modern child, Eli decides to bring He Who Walks Behind the Rows to Chicago.
William Porter, a businessman, finds the cornfield Eli has planted and realizes that with its seemingly perfect nature- invulnerable to disease, able to grow out of season and in the worst of soil- it could be a highly marketable product. Despite the death of his wife, which was arranged by Eli, William finds backers and looks forward to the massive profits Eli's strain of corn will bring.
Eli neglects to inform his foster father of another property the corn possesses- it is able to turn children who eat it into followers of He Who Walks Behind the Rows.
Eli begins to decisively sway the students of his high school towards his beliefs, turning them against the principal and directing them to abandon such previously-typical activities as basketball. The principal, alarmed at Eli's converting the students, attempts to inform other staff, but they do not believe him, as Eli's efforts have had another effect- they have restored order at the school to a degree few thought possible.
By the time Joshua realizes the full truth, Eli has killed both of their foster parents, the school principal, and now has full control of his fellow students. Confronting him, Joshua reveals that he has gone back to Gatlin and found the bible of He Who Walks Behind the Rows, a book that Eli holds sacred and, together with his own body, can survive indefinitely if one is intact.
Eli roars, "Give me the book!" and charges. Joshua throws the book down, and as Eli scrambles to pick it up Joshua stabs Eli and the book with a sickle, destroying both.
As the film closes, the first shipment of Eli's corn arrives in Germany, the beginning of shipments all over the world.
. Filming ended on January 14, 1994.
Children of the Corn (film series)
The Children of the Corn film series began with Children of the Corn, released in 1984. The franchise went on to release six more films through 2001. With the exception of the first two installments, all of the films were released direct-to-video...
series, based on the short story of the same name by Stephen King. The film focuses on two mysterious brothers who, after living in rural Nebraska for their entire lives, are adopted and brought into Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
; a chain of deadly occurrences surrounding the family follows, and revelations of a cult that the younger brother may have been involved in. The film stars Daniel Cerny in the leading role of the younger brother, Eli, and also marks the film debut of Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
, who had a non-speaking role as one of the cult's followers.
Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest was the first film to be made entirely by Dimension
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
/Miramax Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
, and the last film in the series to receive a theatrical release
Wide release
Wide release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing nationally . Specifically, a movie is considered to be in wide release when it is on 600 screens or more in the United States and Canada.In the US, films holding an NC-17 rating almost never have a...
. It opened in US cinemas on September 12, 1995.
Plot
Eli and Joshua are being taken into foster care with Mr. and Mrs. Porter of Chicago after the death of their father. The two boys do not mix well with a home in modern Chicago, their formal, Amish-like clothes from Gatlin and Eli's fire-and-brimstone prayer at dinner, as well as his bringing a suitcase full of corn to Chicago, striking their new parents and neighbors as rather unusual. On his first night in Chicago, after everyone else has gone to sleep, Eli quietly leaves the Porter's house for an empty factory on the other side of a nearby cornfield. Taking with him the suitcase of corn, Eli prays to He Who Walks Behind the Rows and plants corn seeds on the grounds of the factory.The next day, at their first day in school, Eli nearly gets into a fight with T-Loc, a student in Joshua's grade, and harshly criticizes Joshua for playing basketball with some of the other students. Disgusted with the lifestyle being lived by the modern child, Eli decides to bring He Who Walks Behind the Rows to Chicago.
William Porter, a businessman, finds the cornfield Eli has planted and realizes that with its seemingly perfect nature- invulnerable to disease, able to grow out of season and in the worst of soil- it could be a highly marketable product. Despite the death of his wife, which was arranged by Eli, William finds backers and looks forward to the massive profits Eli's strain of corn will bring.
Eli neglects to inform his foster father of another property the corn possesses- it is able to turn children who eat it into followers of He Who Walks Behind the Rows.
Eli begins to decisively sway the students of his high school towards his beliefs, turning them against the principal and directing them to abandon such previously-typical activities as basketball. The principal, alarmed at Eli's converting the students, attempts to inform other staff, but they do not believe him, as Eli's efforts have had another effect- they have restored order at the school to a degree few thought possible.
By the time Joshua realizes the full truth, Eli has killed both of their foster parents, the school principal, and now has full control of his fellow students. Confronting him, Joshua reveals that he has gone back to Gatlin and found the bible of He Who Walks Behind the Rows, a book that Eli holds sacred and, together with his own body, can survive indefinitely if one is intact.
Eli roars, "Give me the book!" and charges. Joshua throws the book down, and as Eli scrambles to pick it up Joshua stabs Eli and the book with a sickle, destroying both.
As the film closes, the first shipment of Eli's corn arrives in Germany, the beginning of shipments all over the world.
Cast
- Daniel Cerny as Eli
- Ron Melendez as Joshua
- Jim MetzlerJim MetzlerJim Metzler is an American television and film actor, best known for guest-appearances on popular TV series. In 1983, he received a Golden Globe nomination for his supporting role in the 1982 film Tex....
as William Porter - Nancy Lee GrahnNancy Lee GrahnNancy Lee Grahn is an American actress who has starred in such soap operas as Santa Barbara as Julia Wainwright Capwell from 1985 to 1993 and General Hospital as Alexis Davis since 1996.- Early life and career :...
as Amanda Porter - Jon Clair as Malcom
- Mari MorrowMari MorrowMari Morrow is an American film and television actress and real estate agent.-Life and career:Morrow grew up in Miami, Florida. She made her television debut appearance in 1992 as Wendy Mallow on the popular television program, Baywatch. From 1995 to 1996, she portrayed Rachel Gannon on the ABC...
as Maria - Michael EnsignMichael Ensign- Early life :Ensign was born in Safford, Arizona and was raised in both the United States and England. He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and spent the first ten years of his professional career working in the theatre in Britain.- Career :...
as Father Frank Nolan - Garvin Funches as T-Loc
- Nicholas BrendonNicholas BrendonNicholas Brendon , is an actor best known for his character Xander Harris in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer .-Early life:...
as Basketball Player One (film debut) - Charlize TheronCharlize TheronCharlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
as an Eli follower (film debut)
Production information
The film was shot in December 1993 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Filming ended on January 14, 1994.