The Age of Commercialism

Such a frustrating disappointment

Fresh and Exciting

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Between 1960's "Village of the Damned" and this one, I'd say take your pick. Both are effective and creepy sci-fi/horror flicks, this one primarily so for the virtually silent but menacing children who seem to have no parentage on the father side, and exhibit a super-normal intelligence that defies scientific investigation. The young kid Paul (Clive Powell) was particularly effective as the lead youngster, but I had to laugh during the opening scene when he put together the puzzle cube - what was the point of using a stopwatch to time the effort? The other 'normal' kids didn't even have a half dozen pieces completed yet.What the film should convince one of is that film makers don't need to get elaborate with fancy special effects or mindless physical horror when so much more can be done with a mysterious story line and the power of suggestion. Having some of your principal characters go catatonic from time to time helps too, it creates tension and anxiety the way peeking around a dark corner does when you suspect a demon on the other side. Pretty effective.It's too bad we didn't get a firmer idea of what the kids with the million year advanced brain capability were really up to. The finale made an oxymoron of the term military intelligence, can you imagine a battlefield confrontation between super powers determined by the dropping of a screwdriver?

Though Children of the Damned does bear some thematic similarities to 1960's Village of the Damned, it's not a sequel, but a confused allegory that is not only tedious and talky, but ultimately without point or purpose. The children of the title are ill-defined and ultimately uninteresting. Handsomely mounted, Children of the Damned is one of those films like Night of Dark Shadows(1971)where you sit and wait for something to happen. Village of the Damned was a minor classic;compact, chilling and clever, and it hooked you from the start. Even if you haven't seen Village of the Damned, Children of the Damned is bound to be a disappointment.

'Village Of The Damned' ( 1960 ) ended with the Midwich children blown sky-high by a bomb in a briefcase. Four years later, 'Children Of The Damned' appeared. As John Wyndham had never written a follow-up novel, it was left to John Briley ( later to write 'Gandhi' ) to concoct an original work. Psychologists Colonel Tom Llewelyn ( Ian Hendry ) and Dr.David Neville ( Alan Badel ) are investigating the backgrounds of a group of children from different countries, all of whom possess incredibly high levels of intelligence. The mother ( Sheila Allen ) of one tells them she was a virgin when her son came into the world. When she bawls him out, he forces her to walk into the path of a lorry.The children escape from custody, taking refuge in a derelict church in London. Attempts to force them out meet with little success - the children use their powers on the adults each time. Finally, the army is brought in...Not as good as 'Village' but nevertheless a solid British sci-fi film. Strangely, the first film's events are not mentioned. The Midwich children had blonde hair, these are dark. Their eyes still turn white whenever they use their powers though. The Midwich kids were believed to be aliens - no-one in 'Children' considers this possibility. Instead they are said to be the next stage in human evolution. Not evil as such, they only kill when threatened. Exactly what they are doing on Earth is never revealed. Asked to explain themselves, one says enigmatically: "To be destroyed!". How did they manage to build a solar-powered machine that kills by amplifying the sound of the church organ? A difference of opinion arises between the Hendry and Badel characters. Llewelyn thinks the children should be allowed to live, Neville believes they pose a threat to Mankind and need to be destroyed. Once again Ron Goodwin's music is wonderful ( particularly effective is his use of an electric organ whenever the children use their powers ). The director, Anton M.Leader, later worked on American shows such as 'Get Smart!' and 'Lost In Space'. He does a good job overall, building suspense to a shattering climax as the army accidentally destroy the church ( and killing the kids in the process ). No further films in the series appeared. Some mistakenly regard Joseph Losey's 'These Are The Damned'( 1963 ) as part of it, but apart from the idea of deadly children ( radioactive, not super-intelligent ) they have nothing in common.

Many of you out there can relate. When I was a kid, like any other kid, I adored Christmas. However, like most kids, there were times when I got presents that looked wonderful--until I opened them. Getting underwear or socks were such "presents". Well, CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED is like a pack of underwear at Christmas. It looks great, you really anticipate it and when it arrives you are thinking "is this all that there is?!?". That's because the first film, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, was an amazingly good movie--one of the best of the 1960s. Yet, this eagerly anticipated sequel is a horrible, horrible film--rotten in just about every possible way. The only other original film and sequel that may THAT much different might be WILLARD (a fine film) and BEN (a sequel so saccharine that I feel nauseous just thinking about it).So why is CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED so darn bad? Well, in the original, these "children" were alien creations with super-advanced brains and telepathic powers they used for evil. They viewed outsiders the same way we might view ants! Yet in the sequel, these children are creepy looking and gifted BUT they just want to be left alone and be given respect!!!!! What happened to all the terror?! In VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, the kids talked in a creepy monotone manner as one voice AND they used their powers to force people to drive into walls or kill themselves. Here, they just whine about wanting understanding!!! So, a sequel to a horror movie has become, instead, like a live action version of the comic strip "Wee Pals"!!! Ugghh!! Now that is scary!! The production values are okay--so I am giving it two stars. This is generous, as the plot is just horrid--an abomination and a complete waste of time.