I've often wondered why so many eerie scenes involve a cornfield. I first noticed it with "Children of the Corn" by Stephen King. Now that was a gory little tale, involving children, appliances like meat slicers -- and corn.
Mr. King again became involved with corn in "The Stand." To reach Mother Abigail's cabin, it was necessary to travel through a giant cornfield.
The X-Files included corn (and "altered" corn) in several show. What is the appeal of corn?
Is it the mysterious rustling - especially in the dark when the wind rises? Is it the height and density of the rows that prevent those careless enough to enter the field from finding their way out?
I recently read a romantic suspense by Heather Graham entitled "Deadly Harvest." A serial killer had chosen cornfields as the ideal place to hide bodies. The thought of corn now makes me shudder.
Not many grow corn here as a crop. The weather makes it a bit risky. An early autumn can doom a crop. You know what? I'm glad. The stories I've read have made me believe that, although corn is a valuable food product, writers have imbued it with the taint of evil.
