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Amazon.co.uk Review
The original 1960 version of Village of the Damned is regarded as a classic of science fiction and horror, and it remains one of the creepiest movies of its kind. Directed with occasional flair by John Carpenter, this 1995 remake trades subtlety for more explicit chills and violence, but the basic premise remains effectively eerie. In the tiny, idyllic town of Midwich, a strange mist causes the entire population to fall asleep, and when everyone awakes the town physician (Christopher Reeve) discovers that 10 women--including his wife and a local teenage virgin--have mysteriously become pregnant. Their children are all born on the same day, with matching white hair and strange, glowing eyes, grow at an accelerated rate and thus raise Reeve's suspicion that they are not of earthly origin. These demonic brats can control minds and wreak havoc with the power of their thoughts, so of course they must be destroyed. Only Reeve knows how to get the job done, and his performance (the actor's last big-screen role before his paralysing accident in 1995) grounds this otherwise superfluous remake with enough credibility to hold the viewer's attention. But for the real chills, definitely check out the original version--it's 20 minutes shorter but twice as spooky. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
A small town's women give birth to unfriendly alien children posing as humans.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Although the most prolific of the 70s directors who worked their way up from superior exploitation to the mainstream, John Carpenter's flame may have burned the brightest but it also burned the most briefly before he descended into lifeless hackwork. Even the more promising projects floundered when confronted with his increasingly pedestrian handling. His 1995 remake of Village of the Damned is a classic example. Ill-advisedly relocated to a California coastal town inhabited by Superman, Luke Skywalker and Crocodile Dundee's girlfriend, the special effects are more prominent and the body count is multiplied more than ten times as villagers burn themselves to death, impale themselves, doctors blind or perform autopsies on themselves, all staged with remarkable flatness and a complete lack of atmosphere or foreboding. A few good ideas are thrown in, but aside from one schoolroom sequence and the foolproof "brick wall" ending, it's desperately dull and under characterised stuff that feels like it was made by a wage slave reluctantly punching a time clock every day. More like Village of the Darned, the most mysterious thing about it is just how Michael Pare managed to get such prominent billing when he doesn't even make it past the title sequence.
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
John Carpenter is one of my fave directors, I own most of his films.
That said, this has to be 1 of the worst films I have ever seen in my life!
BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD. I cant beleive this is the same guy who made The Thing, Big Trouble, The Fog, New York....etc!
I will probably give this film away to someone I dont like.
That said, this has to be 1 of the worst films I have ever seen in my life!
BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD. I cant beleive this is the same guy who made The Thing, Big Trouble, The Fog, New York....etc!
I will probably give this film away to someone I dont like.
11 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
As a kid, i was a huge John Wyndam fan, and have always thought that his books would make good films, but noone has yet succeeded, and this film is no exception. The premise of the film is good - psycho kids with white hair out to take over the world, but the whole film relies upon that - there's little development, and no attempt to add to the atmosphere. Carpenter has done so much better (the Thing for one), and we could have hoped for so much more from a good idea. The only redeeming feature of this film is you get to watch Kirsty Alley cut herself open, which is a memorable and disturbing moment in an otherwise monotonic production.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A surprisingly good remake.
This is a surprisingly good remake of the British 60's thriller of the same name. John Carpenter ups the horror element of the film to good effect and for a 15 year old film the... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Ernie
good but shouldn,t have been a 12
this film was good with o.k. actors and effects but shouldn,t be a 12 more of a pg
film if you ask me.
film if you ask me.
Published on 3 May 2010 by movie raven
Very goodA very good remake, definitely worth watching for any horror...
A very good film, definitely worth watching for any horror fans. Christopher Reeve is fantastic in the leading role. A solid 3 stars
Published on 18 July 2009 by Gareth Page
Emotion is irrelevant, it is not our nature
Emotion is irrelevant, it is not our nature
I think a lot of the reviews are a bit harsh on this version the the famous John Wyndham story. It is a great story. Read more
I think a lot of the reviews are a bit harsh on this version the the famous John Wyndham story. It is a great story. Read more
Published on 31 May 2009 by Peter Wade
I only have eyes for you dear
This movie which holds it own is a remake of the 1960 film classic which in turn was based on the book “The Midwich Cuckoos” ISBN: 0899683878. Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2003 by bernie
One word - avoid
Sadly, this is one of those pretentious horror films that makes the genre simply risible. I am a huge horror fan, yet this is truly awful. Read more
Published on 23 May 2002 by deb2961@aol.com
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