At the time of its release in 1984, parents and critics alike were outraged at the pack of killer kids featured in Stephen King's Children of the Corn.
Naturally, the film has become a bona fide '80s horror cult classic and spawned many sequels. On Friday, July 2nd, publishing/production house 1984 will release a deluxe gatefold vinyl edition of the Children of the Corn soundtrack, its first time on wax since the film's original debut. The LP (containing foil elements on the cover) will be available in five different variants, along with cassette and CD editions.
All packaging is designed by "Ghoulish" Gary Pullin, who previously worked with 1984 on his coffee table book Ghoulish: The Art of Gary Pullin, the vinyl soundtracks for the films Prom Night ('80) and Silent Night, Deadly Night ('84), plus the double A-side 12-inch for Goblin's themes for Suspiria and Dawn of the Dead.
"When 1984 Publishing asked me to create the artwork for a new re-issue of Jonathan Elias' chilling soundtrack, I had been in familiar territory with the packaging for Arrow Video's Children of the Corn Blu-ray. The Arrow design featured the penance stare of Isaac, the creepy cult leader played by John Franklin. However, for the upcoming re-issue of the film's score, we wanted to focus on Malachai, and for good reason. He's a pivotal character and perhaps the most terrifying person in the film. Actor Courtney Gains perfectly channels Malachai with the kind of cold indifference it would probably take to be a feral, parent-hating serial killer. I can almost hear him screaming 'Outlander!' when I reflect on the cover design. There are some other 'easter eggs' we've hidden throughout the packaging, and I hope that fans of the film and Jonathan's score enjoy this very special release," said artist Gary Pullin.
Children of the Corn features 17 tracks composed, conducted, and arranged by Jonathan Elias, who worked directly with producer Donald Borchers on both the original '84 film and the '09 television adaptation.
Adam Bose at Cauliflower Audio newly remastered the soundtrack audio, Dave Polster at Well Made Music cut the master lacquer, and Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland, Ohio pressed the vinyl in five different variants:
- "He Who Walks Behind the Rows" / Bright Yellow & Black Splatter (1984 exclusive / 250 copies) "Outlander Orange" / Transparent Orange & Black Streaks (1984 exclusive / 250 copies) "Midnight Harvest" / Red & Orange Swirl (wholesale exclusive)
- "Bloody Cornfield" / Red & Yellow & Clear Swirl (Light in the Attic exclusive / 500 copies)
- "Burning Cornfield" / Clear with Black Smoke (PopMarket exclusive / 100 copies)
- The cassette will likewise be available in two different shell colors:
- "Cornfield Yellow" (wholesale exclusive / 100 copies)
- "Blood Red" (1984 exclusive / 100 copies)
The LP and CD packages additionally include new liner notes by writer Aaron Lupton (Blood on
Black Wax: Horror Soundtracks on Vinyl) and composer Jonathan Elias.
The "1984 exclusive" variant pre-orders begin at noon EST on July 2, 2020 at 1984Publishing.com/store, while wholesale orders should be directed to URP Music Distribution.
Children of the Corn was released March 9th, 1984 and stars Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, R.G. Armstrong, John Franklin, Courtney Gains, Robby Kiger, Anne Marie McEvoy, Julie Maddalena. The film was directed by Fritz Kiersch.
