"Children of the Corn" is a horror short story by American author Stephen King, first published in the March 1977 issue of Penthouse magazine. It was later collected in King's 1978 anthology Night Shift. The story is set in the fictional rural town of Gatlin, Nebraska, where all the adults have been murdered by a cult of children who worship a malevolent entity they call "He Who Walks Behind the Rows," which resides in the surrounding cornfields.
The narrative follows Burt and Vicky, a bickering married couple driving cross-country who stumble upon Gatlin and find themselves at the mercy of the murderous children, led by the fanatical boy preacher Isaac and his enforcer Malachi. The story explores themes of religious fanaticism, the corruption of innocence, and the dark underbelly of rural Americana, all set against the claustrophobic and sinister backdrop of endless cornfields.
"Children of the Corn" has become one of King's most enduring and frequently adapted works, spawning a long-running film franchise that began in 1984. The story's central image of sinister children and its unique setting have cemented it as a classic of modern horror fiction, though the original short story is notably bleaker and more contained than many of its cinematic offshoots.
