Children Of The Corn’s Malachai Is The Franchise’s Most Underrated Villain

Here’s why Courtney Gains’ character Malachai is the Children Of The Corn franchise’s most underrated villain. Children Of The Corn started as a short story penned by master of horror Stephen King that was adapted into a feature-length movie in 1984 starring Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton, which has since gained something of a cult following. Since then, the franchise has spawned no less than eight (mostly direct-to-video) sequels, plus a reboot of the original movie and a prequel film that arrived in 2021.

Stephen King’s Children Of The Corn movie follow a bickering couple named Burt (Horton) and Vicky (Hamilton) driving through rural Nebraska en route to the West Coast who find themselves stranded in the small town of Gatlin. There they find the town practically devoid of grown-ups and controlled by a murderous cult of children led by young preacher Isaac (John Franklin). The cult ritualistically sacrifices adults to appease a deity dubbed “He Who Walks Behind The Rows” who in turn grants them a successful corn harvest.

The malevolent entity that is “He Who Walks Behind The Rows” is the overarching villain of the Children Of The Corn series, but its juvenile leaders are terrifying too – especially Isaac, whose creep factor has yet to be met and who remains one of the franchise’s best villains. However, one Children Of The Corn character that doesn’t get near as much recognition as a villain is fellow corn-worshiper Malachai, who was played menacingly by Courtney Gains in the original 1984 film.

Isaac might trump Malachi as the first Children Of The Corn movie’s villain, but Malachi is a worthy antagonist in his own right. As Isaac’s right-hand, he’s the main enforcer of the cult’s rules and conducts his duties with an iron fist. Consequently, Malachai is the one the other cult kids fear the most and it’s him that they turn to to get things done. This includes when they fetch him, rather than Isaac, to deal with Burt when he stumbles upon one of their sacrificial rituals.

Malachai isn’t afraid to challenge Isaac’s rule in the original Children Of The Corn movie either. When the last remaining adult in Gatlin – mechanic Diehl (R.G. Armstrong), who the cult allows to live in exchange for fuel – tries to convince Burt and Vicky to leave, Malachai goes against Isaac’s orders and mercilessly kills him. Later, Malachai leads a revolt against Isaac and has enough power and sway among the cult to convince several kids to join him. He doesn’t succeed, but the fact he tries – combined with his brutality and ability to instill fear in his fellow cult members – makes Malachai Children Of The Corn’s most underrated villain.