# Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest
**Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest** is a 1995 American supernatural horror film directed by James D.R. Hickox, the third installment of the *Children of the Corn* series based on [Stephen King](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-king)'s 1977 short story. It moves the franchise's setting from rural Nebraska to Chicago, following two orphaned brothers from the murderous children's cult of Gatlin who are adopted by a childless couple, with the younger boy, Eli, using hypnotic power to recruit schoolmates and destroy adult opposition.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/) • [2](https://www.miramax.com/movie/children-of-the-corn-iii-urban-harvest/) The film was released direct-to-video in the United States on September 12, 1995.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/) • [3](https://childrenofthecornmakingof.blogspot.com/2011/01/chapter-5-children-of-corn-iii-urban.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | James D.R. Hickox; screenplay by Dode B. Levenson, with uncredited revisions by Matt Greenberg; based on Stephen King's short story "Children of the Corn"[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/fullcredits/) |
| Lead cast | Daniel Cerny as Eli Porter, Ron Melendez as Joshua Porter, Jim Metzler as William Porter, Nancy Lee Grahn as Amanda Porter[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/fullcredits/) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/children-of-the-corn-iii-urban-nightmare) |
| US release | Direct-to-video, September 12, 1995; a second VHS printing followed on July 2, 1996[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/) • [3](https://childrenofthecornmakingof.blogspot.com/2011/01/chapter-5-children-of-corn-iii-urban.html) |
| Technical profile | 92 minutes, rated R, color, Ultra Stereo sound, 1.85:1 aspect ratio[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/) |
| Composer and effects | Score by Daniel Licht; creature and makeup effects designed by Screaming Mad George[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/fullcredits/) |
| Reception | IMDb rating 4.4/10 from about 9,300 votes; Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 25% from 2 reviews[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/children_of_the_corn_iii_urban_harvest) |
| Notable early roles | Charlize Theron appears uncredited as one of Eli's followers; Nicholas Brendon also makes a film appearance[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/fullcredits/) • [7](https://moviedatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Children_of_the_Corn_III%3A_Urban_Harvest) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and plot
The story centers on Eli and Joshua, two brothers connected to the murderous children's cult of Gatlin, Nebraska. After Eli kills his father, the boys are taken to Chicago by an adoptive couple, William and Amanda Porter.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/) • [8](https://www.netflix.com/title/60021423) Joshua tries to fit into city life and befriend his new classmates, while Eli remains a follower of "He Who Walks Behind the Rows," the cornfield deity of the series, and begins hatching a plot to make everyone pay.[9](https://tiredoldhack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/22a72-that-was-a-bit-mental-vol-2.pdf)
Eli transports corn from Gatlin in his suitcase and sows it on soil at a derelict industrial site, where the cult is reborn.[10](https://s1.thcdn.com/design-assets/documents/arrowfilms/ChildrenoftheCornTrilogy_Booklet_watermarked.pdf) He uses his power to hypnotize schoolmates into mindless followers and to destroy adult opposition, continuing the campaign of terror that began in the first film.[2](https://www.miramax.com/movie/children-of-the-corn-iii-urban-harvest/) His method differs from the earlier films' leaders: rather than killing through proxies or remote corn voodoo, Eli kills with the corn itself, using magical kernels that turn into insects before or after being ingested.[10](https://s1.thcdn.com/design-assets/documents/arrowfilms/ChildrenoftheCornTrilogy_Booklet_watermarked.pdf) The plot builds to a confrontation between the brothers, as Joshua is the one person who can possibly stop the destruction.[2](https://www.miramax.com/movie/children-of-the-corn-iii-urban-harvest/) In the late going, in inner-city Chicago, Joshua confronts Eli and his army of children, who have brought the teachings of He Who Walks Behind the Rows from Gatlin.[9](https://tiredoldhack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/22a72-that-was-a-bit-mental-vol-2.pdf) • [10](https://s1.thcdn.com/design-assets/documents/arrowfilms/ChildrenoftheCornTrilogy_Booklet_watermarked.pdf)
## Production and cast
Production on the film began in December 1993, and it was filmed in Los Angeles, California.[7](https://moviedatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Children_of_the_Corn_III%3A_Urban_Harvest) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/) It was produced by Gary DePew and Brad Southwick for Park Avenue Productions, Force Majeure Productions, and Illustra Films, with Anthony Hickox as executive producer.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/fullcredits/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/) Gerry Lively was the director of photography and Chris Peppe the editor.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/fullcredits/)
The special effects work became one of the film's signatures. Screaming Mad George served as creature makeup effects designer through S.M.G. Effects, Inc., with Kevin Yagher among the additional special makeup effects designers.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/fullcredits/) Critics later credited these "goopy Screaming Mad George effects" with the film's standing, particularly its third-act contributions.[11](https://horrorpress.com/movies/12564/the-children-of-the-corn-franchise-ranked/)
The cast includes several actors in early or notable roles. [Charlize Theron](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlize-theron), before her mainstream career, appears uncredited as one of Eli's followers.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/fullcredits/) • [12](https://eiga.com/movie/64887/) The Movie Database Wiki also identifies the film as the debut of [Nicholas Brendon](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicholas-brendon), later known for the television series *Buffy the Vampire Slayer*.[7](https://moviedatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Children_of_the_Corn_III%3A_Urban_Harvest) Nancy Lee Grahn's character, Amanda, is listed as "Alice" in the end credits.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/)
## Release and versions
Although Miramax's listing gives a 1994 release year, matching the 1994 production date cited in Japanese sources, the film was released straight to video in the United States on September 12, 1995, with a second VHS printing on July 2, 1996.[2](https://www.miramax.com/movie/children-of-the-corn-iii-urban-harvest/) • [12](https://eiga.com/movie/64887/) • [3](https://childrenofthecornmakingof.blogspot.com/2011/01/chapter-5-children-of-corn-iii-urban.html) In Japan it opened theatrically on October 13, 1995 under the title スティーブン・キング アーバン・ハーベスト; when the first film received its first 4K theatrical release in 2024, this film was re-released in Japanese cinemas on September 6, 2024 under the title チルドレン・オブ・ザ・コーン3 都会の収穫.[12](https://eiga.com/movie/64887/)
The UK version is cut by 13 seconds, removing some close-ups of gore and sexual references.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/) An unrated international cut running 92 minutes was later issued on Blu-ray by Arrow Video in the United Kingdom in 2021, both individually and as part of a *Children of the Corn* trilogy 4K UHD and Blu-ray set, with DTS-HD MA 5.1 and stereo 2.0 audio.[13](https://www.criterionforum.org/Video/children-of-the-corn-iii-urban-harvest-arrow-video-blu-ray) In the United States the film is available digitally, with rental options on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, and Google Play Movies, and free streaming on Hoopla.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/children-of-the-corn-iii-urban-nightmare)
## Reception and standing in the series
The film holds a 4.4/10 rating on IMDb from about 9,300 users and a 25% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 2 reviews.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/children_of_the_corn_iii_urban_harvest) Contemporary and retrospective critics have been divided. Walter Chaw of Film Freak Central called it "the first entry to embrace the H.P. Lovecraft roots of King's story unabashedly," rating it 3/4, while Stefan Birgir Stefans described it as not a great film but an entertaining straight-to-video horror, citing its serious tone, its "The Omen"-type operatic choir-of-the-devil soundtrack, and its ludicrous plot points.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/children_of_the_corn_iii_urban_harvest) A Daily Grindhouse retrospective noted that Daniel Cerny's fiery speeches as Eli produce laughter rather than brimstone, while acknowledging the film's over-the-top death scenes.[14](https://dailygrindhouse.com/thewire/cinema-devoid-children-corn-iii-urban-harvest-1995/)
Within the franchise, the film has a comparatively strong reputation. Horror Press ranked it first among the *Children of the Corn* films, praising its sustained tension, its bingo hall death scene, and its "enjoyably nutty" treatment of the new creepy kid Eli.[11](https://horrorpress.com/movies/12564/the-children-of-the-corn-franchise-ranked/) The Arrow Films booklet for the trilogy observes that the film inverts the usual narrative so that the children from the country are themselves the threat to the city, and notes Eli's use of adult greed, seducing his adoptive father into an international distribution deal for his corn, to spread the cult worldwide.[10](https://s1.thcdn.com/design-assets/documents/arrowfilms/ChildrenoftheCornTrilogy_Booklet_watermarked.pdf) The film also established the pattern of sequels moving the series to new settings, and it introduced the franchise's most direct on-screen depiction of He Who Walks Behind the Rows to that point in the series' third entry.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/children_of_the_corn_iii_urban_harvest)
## References
1. [Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/)
2. [Children Of The Corn III: Urban Harvest, Official Site, Miramax](https://www.miramax.com/movie/children-of-the-corn-iii-urban-harvest/)
3. [Children of the Corn – A History: Chapter 5, "Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest"](https://childrenofthecornmakingof.blogspot.com/2011/01/chapter-5-children-of-corn-iii-urban.html)
4. [Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest – Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109415/fullcredits/)
5. [Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/children-of-the-corn-iii-urban-nightmare)
6. [Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/children_of_the_corn_iii_urban_harvest)
7. [Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest, Movie Database Wiki](https://moviedatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Children_of_the_Corn_III%3A_Urban_Harvest)
8. [Children of the Corn 3: Urban Harvest, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/60021423)
9. [Children Of The Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995), Tired Old Hack](https://tiredoldhack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/22a72-that-was-a-bit-mental-vol-2.pdf)
10. [Children of the Corn Trilogy booklet, Arrow Films](https://s1.thcdn.com/design-assets/documents/arrowfilms/ChildrenoftheCornTrilogy_Booklet_watermarked.pdf)
11. [The 'Children of the Corn' Franchise, Ranked, Horror Press](https://horrorpress.com/movies/12564/the-children-of-the-corn-franchise-ranked/)
12. [チルドレン・オブ・ザ・コーン3 都会の収穫, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/64887/)
13. [Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest, Arrow Video Blu-ray details, Criterion Forum](https://www.criterionforum.org/Video/children-of-the-corn-iii-urban-harvest-arrow-video-blu-ray)
14. [Cinema of the Devoid: Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995), Daily Grindhouse](https://dailygrindhouse.com/thewire/cinema-devoid-children-corn-iii-urban-harvest-1995/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Horror and slasher series film entries › 1990s releases*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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