TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Platypuschow If a franchise is lucky enough to get to the fourth movie then it needs to be ready to adapt, it needs to be ready to change so that things don't get boring but stay true to its origins.Here in "The Gathering" we see all the towns children get sick with a mysterious virus only to awakan claiming to be someone else. Soon the killings begin and it comes down to a young Naomi Watts to combat their evil scheme.Going in I expected the worst, all 3 previous movies had failed to impress and could not be referred to anything beyond passable. Somehow this has been the best one so far and is true 90's horror at its core.I think the whole Children Of The Corn concept has gotten somewhat over convoluted by this stage and doesn't even remotely resemble Stephen Kings creation. Regardless this is a passable enough little fluff piece that should keep fans of the series entertained.The Good:Looks greatSome inventive killsThe Bad:Still suffers many of the franchises weaker tropesThings I Learnt From This Movie:A scythe to the genitals might be an unpleasant way to go

Scott LeBrun Naomi Watts plays Grace Rhodes, a medical student who returns to her tiny Nebraska hometown to care for her ailing mother June (Karen Black). She's just in time to witness a plague of sorts overtake the towns' children: they suffer convulsions & fevers, and are soon turning murderous and taking the names of kids who were killed years ago. The villain this time is the maniacal spectre of a boy preacher (Brandon Kleyla), who is commanding the children to do his bidding.This really doesn't have very much to do with Stephen Kings' story, other than the prospect of a boy preacher, evil children, and a small nowhere burg. Instead, director / writer Greg Spence and his co-writer Stephen Berger take the opportunity to spice up the tired old formula with a bit of science (as Grace and friendly local doctor Rob Larson (William Windom) do their tests, and a strong touch of the supernatural. Undemanding horror fans will be pleased with the savagery of the killings (one poor chump farmer REALLY gets it bad near the beginning) and the areas' atmosphere.Plus, there's a chance here to see a future Hollywood star paying her dues in this sort of thing, and Watts does a solid job as the kind of tough, intelligent, ass kicking heroine certain to win audience favour. Veteran character actor Brent Jennings is likewise good, in a rare major supporting role as the area resident who helps Grace save the day. Jamie Renee Smith is an appealing child actress as Graces' much younger sister. And Black & Windom are always good value in anything.All the necessary exposition / back story is dumped into one key scene, and the attempt by the filmmakers to throw us for a loop with a supposed "big twist" doesn't really work. Most people will probably see it coming. But overall, this entry in this seemingly never ending series is good for some amusement.Six out of 10.

movieman_kev Grace (Naomi Watts) comes home to Grand Island, Nebraska to take care of her seemingly mentally ill mother, not knowing that all the children of said hometown have come under a unknowable affliction that has them murdering the older generation. All of this,of course, has jack all to do with any of the previous 3 films in the series.The acting runs from merely acceptable to sub-par, the plot line is extremely predictable, and the scares are nonexistent. Naomi would go on to decidedly better horror fare with The Ring films, while this franchise would continue to limp along in squaller never even reaching the low standard of mediocrity. And to think this was actually one of the 'better' COTC sequels. Chew on THAT for awhile.My Grade: D+

Michael_Elliott Children of the Corn: The Gathering (1996) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Good performances and direction help this fourth film in the series be the best so far. A registered nurse (Naomi Watts) moves back home to Nebraska to help her mother (Karen Black) who is slowly losing her mind. The town's children come down with a mysterious virus and soon they are killing adults apparently with the possessed soul of a boy who died fifty-years earlier. Normally you'd expect the fourth film in a rather mediocre series to be the pits but that's not the case here as we have a fairly good story brought to life with some nice acting and good direction. Watts steals the film as she manages to make her character very believable and shows a good strength, which allows her to carry the movie without any problems. Black is pretty much being Black as she plays the weirdo but who better to do that than her? I was also impressed with Brent Jennings as a father accused of killing him wife and William Windom as the local doctor. The actual story, as with the previous two entries, is far away from King's original short story but that might not be such a bad thing. This entry also contains some of the most brutal killings, which leads to all types of gore. One scene has a farmer getting all the equipment used to rip him apart and the every loving scythes. The red stuff is constantly pouring but it never gets in the way of the story, which believe it or not, is trying to be told here.