A book about "THE CORNFIELD PEOPLE" in stores now!

Some of you may remember several discussions regarding the supposedly "lost film" The Cornfield People, a low-budget thriller believed to have been filmed sometime around 1999–2001.  It's about a paranormal journalist who is doing a story on the Cornfield People, a cult that knows the meaning of life.

The movie is currently unavailable, and any footage uploaded to Google Video, YouTube or torrents have all been deleted.  This could be due to copyright issues, but author C. W. Schultz's website notes that there is no copyright registrations under The Cornfield People, and its two alternative titles Operation D-minor and The Phantom Film.

Its difficulty to obtain have led many people to conclude that The Cornfield People is nothing more than a hoax.  But Schultz began intense research into the legend of the film, and has just released A Book About a Film, where not only does he claim to have seen the movie, but that he has also received threats for trying to prove its existence.

Schultz is not the first person who has been "bullied" out of talking about The Cornfield People.  No cast or crew members have come forward (save one person detailed in A Book About a Film's appendix, who cannot be verified because he was a "masked extra"), nor has any distribution or production companies claimed any sort of involvement.  While this supports many people's theory that the film is only a hoax, it's a suggestion to others that the events contained within the movie may have actually happened.

Schultz had the pleasure of speaking to many professional and amateur filmmakers about their interpretation of The Cornfield People and how it influenced them in their daily lives.  All of their interviews are documented in A Book About a Film, and the release of the book became so intense that some of the interviewees backed out, resulting in Hillsbury Publishing having to redact some of their names.

A Book About a Film is a double story, per se; one acts as a novelization of The Cornfield People, while the other examines interpretations, symbolism, theories and its underground notoriety.

A Book About a Film was released on Tuesday, September 8th, 2015.  I received my copy on September 10th, and am already 80% of the way through it.  Whether or not you've seen The Cornfield People, Schultz's A Book About a Film is complex, disorienting and hard to put down!

Kindle (not recommended) and paperback are available at Amazon, while hardcover copies can be purchase through Schultz's website by request.

I too have seen The Cornfield People.  Because there are no credits on the bootleg I saw, I often wondered if I actually saw this particular film or if it was some other underground flick.  Schultz's book details exactly what I saw in an unique narrative that's slightly more detailed than a screenplay but slight less detailed than a novel.  Read my review here.

A teaser trailer for A Book About a Film was released, which includes a few clips from The Cornfield People as well as other random establishing shots.  Watch it here, and hurry before it gets taken down too.

"A Book About a Film" cover and release date revealed

If you like thrillers or something along the lines of ergodic literature (à la Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves) be sure to buy yourself a copy of C. W. Schultz's upcoming A Book About a Film on Tuesday, September 8th, 2015.  Geekster On Movies takes a particular interest in this, because the film that this book covers is The Cornfield People.  Some have called The Cornfield People an incomplete film, while others believe it is a true lost film; however, many believe that the film is banned and have pointed out that sites which attempt to host images or clips from the movie have suspiciously removed the content even though there is no trace of The Cornfield People ever being copyrighted.

The film follows journalist Joe Fischer as he investigates the titular group.  The Cornfield People are a secret society who know the meaning of life and what comes after death.  It is essential to the Cornfield People that their knowledge remain hidden from outsiders, and they will stop at nothing to protect their secret.

Schultz sets out to prove the film’s authenticity and that there’s something more sinister behind its scarcity.  A Book About a Film includes rare images of the unreleased Cornfield People.

The Cornfield People

A movie that definitely needs absorbing and will probably always be the subject of debate, this supposed “lost film” does a pretty good job capturing the noir-ish-ness it strives for through good old-fashioned lighting and directing.  Joe Fischer is a down-and-out writer/journalist, burying his career into an uncaring and tabloid-like paranormal magazine; however, his opportunities (and life) turns around when an old buddy calls him up with a story to tell about the titular group—a secret society who knows the meaning of life and what comes after death… and they’ll stop at nothing to keep their knowledge hidden from the outside world because exposure will “interfere with the bigger plan”.  The concept is no doubt interesting, and you got to give the cast and crew props for giving it their all; but one can’t help but notice that a bigger budget would’ve carried this story much further.  Perhaps the most intriguing thing about this film is the mystery behind it (no credits) and difficulty finding it (only known way to see it are unofficial low-quality VHS copies).

The Cornfield People – Belated Holiday gift: UPDATE 12/28/2014

Just got an e-mail from someone who is willing to send me a copy of The Cornfield People.  While I trust C. W. Schultz (who is my main source of information involving this film), the fact that I get to watch this movie for myself gives me a newfound belief in the existence of  this film—after all, there are those who claim this movie is just a hoax.

However, the more I'm piecing things together, the more I'm realizing that this Cornfield People denial-ism is somewhat comparable to North Korea's bullying and terrorizing of The Interview's cancellation.  Rumor has it that members of an actual Cornfield People cult are behind the attempt of erasing The Cornfield People movie from history.

Only time will tell if The Cornfield People is actually as crazy as its underground fame.  If all goes well, I shall see for myself.

The Cornfield People: UPDATE 07/23/2014

I honestly didn't think I'd be making so many updates to The Cornfield People out of the blue, but once C. W. Schultz got in contact with me, the interest and controversy had a snowball effect.  Just to give everyone a heads up, somebody (or somebodies) have been trying to remove information regarding the underground film The Cornfield People.  If this person or these people had been successful, Geekster On Movies would not be the first site taken down for discussing the film.

What's the big secret about this film?  Well, we can grasp based on the little information I have uncovered that the premise of this film involves a cult that knows the meaning of life and what comes after death, and will stop at nothing to keep this knowledge a secret.  Now, this just sounds like the plot of an interesting horror/thriller, right?  Well, perhaps there's a little more truth behind it, which is why the film was never released and why a certain person or group of people are hiding behind the internet while trying to delete The Cornfield People from existence.

Even though Schultz (who is writing a book about this film) has only posted here once, I have actually been in close contact with him regarding these strange posts on this blog.  More details to come, as Schultz has dug up a lot of dirt on this missing motion picture.

The only thing tougher than waiting for the answers is keeping these freaks from hacking my site.  Stay tuned.

The Cornfield People: UPDATE 07/20/2014

An anonymous poster just requested I take The Cornfield People page down, saying there are no facts to back up the claims.

For one, Geekster On Movies is about opinion, not fact.  Two, I will not be censored.  And three, this post just feeds my curiosity even more.

Considering the information I have culled and the ad C. W. Schultz retrieved, it seems that the debate is pretty much at an end. The film does exist.  So how could this anonymous poster says there are no facts to back up my claims?  Furthermore, even if there wasn't, why would s/he care so much anyway?

The comment is now a new fascination of mine, as Schultz warned me I would begin to get pressured into taking anything related to The Cornfield People down.

Luckily for me, I've been given the heads up, unlike other sites that have discussed this film… and I will not be taken down.

The Cornfield People: UPDATE 07/14/2014

On 07/06/2014, author C. W. Schultz replied to this blog, which I originally wrote on 08/28/2013.  Apparently, he is writing a book about this film after coming across all the rumors circulating on the internet; and, in the process, has uncovered some pretty crazy stuff!

In the e-mail exchange we had, he did not provide me with a whole lot of details about his book or about the film itself.  However, he did provide an attachment that "should put an end to the debate of whether or not this film actually exists or is just a myth."  And so… the truth…

Schultz says the above image is an ad found in a Seattle P.I. from April 5, 2002 that he was able to retrieve through Google News Archives in December 2010 when he began working on this project a few months after submitting the final draft of his second novel The Pack to his publisher.

He explained that the blog I originally published in August 2013 covered some interesting facts and rumors that actually assisted him with piecing together the puzzle of his project, but that he has so much more to offer the world about The Cornfield People.

Schultz is exercising caution with the information he is providing me.  Originally, I thought this might be the work of a hoaxer because of how discreet he was being, but after I did some research and found that Schultz is indeed published author, I realized the provided information had at least some credibility.  So then I figured Schultz was just holding back on some info to prevent me from posting some juice on here for free that would drive sales away from his upcoming book.  However, after a couple of exchanges, Schultz has said that the reason for secrecy is that he tried to reach out to other bloggers and webmasters in the past with detailed information about The Cornfield People, but their blogs, message boards and/or websites have since been taken down.

Could it be that there is someone (or a group of people) out there who wants this film to be erased?  It sure it sounding like it.  But, if so, why?  Schultz said he will "cautiously" provide me with more details as he slowly pieces things together.

If you have any information, please shoot me an e-mail.  dant3p3rk1ns@gmail.com

The Cornfield People

The Cornfield People: The youngest lost film 

Wikipedia describes a lost film as "a feature or short film that is no longer known to exist in any studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress."

The further back in film history you go, the longer the list of lost films get.  For the most part, this is the result of studios failing to preserve anything made before the 1930s because these films were thought to have no commercial value (wrong!), or because the nitrate-film that was used for most movies before 1952 caused easy deterioration and/or spontaneously combustion.  The Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation estimates 90% of movies made in the silent film era to be officially lost!

While lost films are indeed common during the early age of cinema, the list gets shorter and shorter once you hit the 1950s.  By the 1970s, the list narrows to only about four films.  A modern lost film is as rare as a gold dust.

A 1999 production called Puppet was thought to have been the most recent lost film to date, and before that was Sam Raimi’s film debut entitled Clockwork in 1978.  Both have since been rediscovered.  However, there is one film called The Cornfield People that is believed to be filmed and completed between 1999 and 2001, and is currently considered the youngest lost film.  

The few people who have heard of this movie—and the fewer who have claimed to have watched it—know it better for its controversial subject matter: the meaning of life and what comes after death.  Many maintain that the film doesn't exist and never did, given the lack of proof—even a lot of the old lost films have proof of existence through publicity stills, ticket stubs, theatre listings or copyright registration… but not The Cornfield People. 

However, Joey L. Asap’s (Red Sands at Dawn and Buried with Leather Gloves) may have been the one at the helm of The Cornfield People.

Around late-1999, Asap was spotted with a small film crew in the Lake Stevens, WA, near the cornfields at the Carleton Farm.  Nothing ever came from this well-known citing, leading many to assume he was filming his unrealized fourth film… which is rumored the mysterious Cornfield People.

Asap's website had confirmed his fourth film's premise was to be based on a banned essay he wrote for Paranormal Pacific entitled “The Truth and No Room for Debate”.  Considering that Paranormal Pacific published a lot of articles that either riled people up or made the small press look bad, it has been long discussed what Asap’s essay could be about and why it was ultimately banned.  Many at www.joeylasap.org’s message board conclude that the controversy of Asap’s essay could easily be related to the meaning of life and what comes after death… the supposed plot of The Cornfield People!

If anyone has any more information about this supposed film, please reply to this blog or e-mail me at dant3p3rk1ns@gmail.com.

Laura Miranda

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Just because one comes out from a movie like this saying, "I could do this", doesn't mean it's a bad thing. The simplicity behind it -- pretty much no character or story arcs, and wordless at times -- is what makes this a good film.

If you go into the theater knowing there isn't much to the story other than people wallowing around during the time of the 1999 Seattle WTO protests, you'll appreciate the movie for what it is. If you're expecting Apocalypse Now or Lord of the Rings, you'll find this film boring and dull. It's not that you wouldn’t get it; it just wouldn’t be your cup of tea.  The last thing the world needs is for something else to get criticized because it was simply “not what you expected”.

Naturally, that’s a risk with any art-form that is marketed for mass entertainment -- film, literature, music, even video games.  Perhaps this here film critic is being a little more sensitive than usual, but that’s because I knew direct Joey L. Asap.

Back to reviewing the film for what it is:

The film's soundtrack is wonderful. It either fits the mood, or goes completely against it which creates a disorientation that parallels the three main characters’ every day life. The amateurishness and rawness really goes hand-in-hand with the actors in a very chilling sort of way -- it's more than likely that fighting characters were really throwing punches at each other (à la skinhead brothers from Harmony Korine’s Gummo) and drunk characters are played by drunk actors. You don't see films like this frequently and it's nice to have another filmmaker like Joey L. Asap added to a short list of such underrated and fearless directors like Larry Clark and Gasper Noé.

Asap is also impressive because of some of the strings he must have had to pull to get this film distributed. While your average person may not know Thomas Din, Jacob Sewell, Errol Keith, Dolly U., the band Primal Scream and William "Will" Hawkes; all of the above are notable people who have participated in the production of this film. You also have to wonder, not only how a filmmaker could get such a budget for the type of film he wanted to make with such little amount of notable support, and then actually get a permit to shoot on the George Washington Memorial Bridge, the Elliot Bay Marina and the home of Kurt Cobain. Did Asap pull an Ed Wood and shoot without permits?

The only thing that should be criticized is the footage of Ricardo Lopez's filmed suicide. While one can argue that its inclusion helps the audience feel uneasy and hopeless, it's actually nothing more than a copout. If Asap wanted to further express such a mood, he should have done it through characters, soundtrack and/or story. Lopez's inclusion is completely unnecessary, as it has nothing to do with anything. Just because a character jumps off the George Washington Memorial Bridge in the film doesn't mean there's any comparison to Ricardo Lopez shooting himself on tape. The only comparison is that they're both suicides, and that is very weak storytelling.

One can now sympathize with Asap’s decision to use footage of Lopez because of his own premature death.  Because this is Asap's final release (save the unfinished Cornfield People), it is hard to watch this without a sense of dread.