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A classic slice of Spanish horror, Who Can Kill A Child? is one of the most unsettling and infamous Eurocult items of the 1970s. When an English couple holidaying in Spain travel to a small, apparently deserted island, soon the hideous truth reveals itself: all the adults have been killed by the child population, and are far from finished with their systematic slaughter. With its sun-bleached photography, dread-filled atmosphere and shocking imagery, Who Can Kill A Child? (¿Quién Puede Matar a un Niño? aka Trapped, Death is Child's Play, Island of Death, Would You Kill A Child? and Island of the Damned) has become one of the most talked-about but little-seen shockers of perhaps cinematic horror's finest decade. This critically acclaimed 1970s horror and precursor to films such as Children of the Corn (1984) and The Children (2008), is available on DVD from the 23 May 2011 for the very first time in the UK in its original uncut version.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Spanish genre movies from the late 60' and 70's have a very good track record. (cannibal man, bell from hell, The blind dead movies) This however is the best of the lot. The plot involves a british couple on holiday in spain who decide to visit a remote island for some peace and quiet, only to find the local kids have begun killing all the adults, faced with life threatening danger from the kids the couple have to ask themselves 'who can kill a child'. Interestingly this predates stephen kings children of the corn by 10 years and I wonder if king had ever caught this film.
There are many reasons to reccomend this film. It is uncut in the west for the first time, the picture quality is great, as is the sound. The film itself is very well made and very disturbing, it has a great soundtrack and excellent performances all round!
There are many reasons to reccomend this film. It is uncut in the west for the first time, the picture quality is great, as is the sound. The film itself is very well made and very disturbing, it has a great soundtrack and excellent performances all round!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I screened this film at my University's Cult Film Society and it received a great, yet split reaction from the audience.
The film does question you on a number of levels, and also is one of the only films that truly emphasises the classical meaning of horror, that of loss. In this case a loss of innocence and self control.
The film is definitely worth buying if you're interested in exploring the question of the title, essentially it asks the viewer: could YOU kill a child if the situation depended on it? In our case many decided that they would kill the children in order to save themselves and their family.
We watched the Spanish language version with the English subs because the film was initially released in Spain and we wanted to experience it in its original form. However the two leading characters' lines were recorded in English and then dubbed into Spanish, therefore the majority of the film was originally filmed in English. I recommend watching both the Spanish and English dubs (both included on the disc) in order to get a more rounded feel for the movie, as at some times the English subtitles made the film seem more like a novel and as a result the completely English audience may not have felt the same emotion for the characters as they would have had an English audio track been playing. Also the subtitles change a tad too quickly before you can read them all on some occasions.
A number of reviews have criticised the slow pace of the film. This film pre-dates the fast-paced norms that Western audiences got used to during the slasher boom of the 1980s.
Essentially the interview with the film's cameraman (one of the disc's special features) says it all; they weren't trying to make a horror film but a psychological thriller, and they certainly succeeded.
The film is not boring, however it does take a good 30 minutes or so to get going, but if anything this heightens the shock-value of the final 2/3 of the film.
The extra features are fairly interesting though not particularly vast. It would have been nice to see a documentary or perhaps an analysis of the film by a scholar, comparing it to other films of its time, but what with Who Can Kill A Child being a fairly obscure film I doubt anyone of any notoriety would be interested, despite it's interesting subject matter and being an all around good film. To be honest, I was surprised that Dark Sky managed to interview two of the films key creators, so good on them for the effort.
Overall I didn't give the product 5 stars because of the few quibbles I had with the disc with regards to presentation/etc, however the movie itself is a good 7.5/10.
The film does question you on a number of levels, and also is one of the only films that truly emphasises the classical meaning of horror, that of loss. In this case a loss of innocence and self control.
The film is definitely worth buying if you're interested in exploring the question of the title, essentially it asks the viewer: could YOU kill a child if the situation depended on it? In our case many decided that they would kill the children in order to save themselves and their family.
We watched the Spanish language version with the English subs because the film was initially released in Spain and we wanted to experience it in its original form. However the two leading characters' lines were recorded in English and then dubbed into Spanish, therefore the majority of the film was originally filmed in English. I recommend watching both the Spanish and English dubs (both included on the disc) in order to get a more rounded feel for the movie, as at some times the English subtitles made the film seem more like a novel and as a result the completely English audience may not have felt the same emotion for the characters as they would have had an English audio track been playing. Also the subtitles change a tad too quickly before you can read them all on some occasions.
A number of reviews have criticised the slow pace of the film. This film pre-dates the fast-paced norms that Western audiences got used to during the slasher boom of the 1980s.
Essentially the interview with the film's cameraman (one of the disc's special features) says it all; they weren't trying to make a horror film but a psychological thriller, and they certainly succeeded.
The film is not boring, however it does take a good 30 minutes or so to get going, but if anything this heightens the shock-value of the final 2/3 of the film.
The extra features are fairly interesting though not particularly vast. It would have been nice to see a documentary or perhaps an analysis of the film by a scholar, comparing it to other films of its time, but what with Who Can Kill A Child being a fairly obscure film I doubt anyone of any notoriety would be interested, despite it's interesting subject matter and being an all around good film. To be honest, I was surprised that Dark Sky managed to interview two of the films key creators, so good on them for the effort.
Overall I didn't give the product 5 stars because of the few quibbles I had with the disc with regards to presentation/etc, however the movie itself is a good 7.5/10.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I had mixed feelings about this one and would recommend a viewing before investing. After the most off-putting credits in movie history (a seemingly endless montage of newsreel atrocities against children interspersed with creepy la-la kiddie chanting music) the film does a good job of creating a disturbing atmosphere - no mean feat in a sun bleached Spanish seaside town. Problem is that this atmosphere continues for 90 odd minutes with no real pay-off. Kids loiter menacingly, then run off, repeat half a dozen times. In the last 10 minutes there are 2 twists, one stolen (from a certain zombie classic, say no more), one ridiculous. I was left feeling both depressed and pondering the point of it all. By no means is this a bad movie but I couldn't imagine wanting to see it again, and isn't that the point of buying a dvd?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Won't Someone Please think of the Children!
This is one of those `lost classics' and has been resurrected and put back put on DVD by a number of distributors. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Tommy D
Truly creepy and very exciting
I had to watch this in the daytime. Great tension, lovely cinematography, terrific story. I was afraid it might be too gory for me but I was pleased that it was more suspense and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by CH Ryan
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