C. O. R. N: A Field of Screams
Themes: 2.5/5. There’s something to be said about fearing the mundane. It’s just a cornfield, we think, but the rustling can still disarm us if we’re not prepared for it. It’s just an artist collective, a small town, a neighbor, a coworker, but is it really so simple, or is it something scarier? Failure to approach that theme with intention lowers the score here, but it does a simple, clear-cut approach to the topic that suits the rest of the movie.
Storytelling: 3/5. CORN is the best thing I’ve seen put to film. I love their little fancy party. The story is coherent and simple. They didn’t try to do anything outstanding with it, and because of that, they excelled in the story they told rather than poorly executing something bigger. Unfortunately, it’s a bit flat of a story. The non-essential characters, excluding the members of CORN, exist solely as living props for the rest of the story. They have no personality. They’re cardboard cutouts of people. They’re not grounded. They’re horror fodder. That’s something I don’t mind, but objectively it’s a quality issue that I can’t super ignore. If you removed every nonessential character other than the members of CORN from the movie, it would actively be a better movie.
Acting: 2/5. Most of it is fine, but a couple performances are lackluster or actively bad. For the record, I think the bad acting is a plus here. The scenes set during the CORN party while the artists were milling about? Incredible. No notes. I love how you could tell the taxidermy actors were humans and not props because they were breathing or swaying.
Horror: 3/5. I wish there had been more gore in a movie centered around taxidermy, but the gore we did get in those last ten minutes? Pretty solid! I think human taxidermy is a fun angle to play with in horror.
Personal Taste: 4.5/5. I love you, Collective Order of Recreational Necrophilanthropists. I wish those party scenes were longer. I wish you had the time to shine. This movie could be PERFECT if the CORN was a hair campier (I know, hard to do when it’s already super camp) and if there was more dissection gore. Definitely rewatchable for the collective alone.