The fourth installment of Children of the Corn series, released in 1996 and the first to direct-to-video.
Grace Rhodes (Naomi Watts) is taking a break from studying to visit her mother in the small town of Grand Island, Nebraska. At the same time, the children are suffering from a strange fever, which is caused by a preacher boy who was killed years ago.
This film has the examples of:
- Achilles' Heel: Since Josiah was poisoned by quicksilver before he died, mercury now acts as his weakness.
- Big Bad: Josiah, who is influencing the children.
- Couldn't Find a Pen: A message written in blood is left for Grace to find.
- Creepy Child: Josiah, and the sick children.
- Creepy Twins: One pair of infected kids are identical twin boys.
- Dolled-Up Installment: Averted. While the kids are led by a preaching child figure, the corn of the title is not at focus at all, which made some viewers think that the film wasn't meant to be a CotC installment at all. The sole scene mentioning the series Greater-Scope Villain He Who Walks Behind The Rows
being cut doesn't help matters. - Dream Within a Dream: Grace has a nightmare where she sees Margaret suddenly having wounds on her face and begging for help. She then wakes up to another nightmare where she is stabbed by her.
- Eye Awaken: Josiah, who is introduced sitting in a well all corpse-like, opens his eyes with an accompanying sting in the soundtrack.
- Fingore: Sandra's fingers are first to go when she is murdered by the children.
- Groin Attack: Old drunk gets a scythe to his groin before Josiah decapitates him.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: Doc is cut in half by a hospital gurney.
- Kill It with Water: Josiah is destroyed by showering him with mercury-laden water.
- Nightmare Dreams: The opening turns out to be a nightmare that June is having, which she wakes up from by jumping upright.
- Pinned to the Wall: Mary Anne is pinned to a wall by flying syringes.
- Pivotal Wake-up: Margaret is shown doing this as she and other kids suffer from their fever at night.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Josiah has been imprisoned in a sealed well, and is accidentally released by an old drunk.
- Shout-Out: To The Exorcist with this quote: "I don't want to be the one in charge when their heads start doing three-sixties and hurling pea soup".
- Sinister Scythe: Most of the murders are done with a scythe.
- Staggered Zoom: Used when June is running away from her house, and turns back to look at it. A staggered zoom then shows a scythe breaking through a window.
- Stopped Numbering Sequels: The opening credits omit the numbering, though some of the covers on video releases retain it.
- Tears of Blood: A picture produces a single tear of blood as Nock sisters relay Josiah's backstory.
- Two-Faced: Half of Josiah's face bears burn-scars.
