IMDb > Village of the Damned (1960)
Village of the Damned
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Village of the Damned (1960) More at IMDbPro »

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Village of the Damned (1960) -- In the English village of Midwich, the blond-haired, glowing-eyed children of uncertain paternity prove to have frightening powers.

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Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   3,956 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Stirling Silliphant (screenplay) &
Wolf Rilla (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Village of the Damned on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 December 1960 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
What Demonic Force Lurks Behind Those Eyes? more
Plot:
In the English village of Midwich, the blond-haired, glowing-eyed children of uncertain paternity prove to have frightening powers. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
Oam + 31 Days of Horror: Blood of the Vampire
 (From FilmSchoolRejects. 4 October 2009, 11:17 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Brick wall, brick wall more (76 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
George Sanders ... Gordon Zellaby
Barbara Shelley ... Anthea Zellaby
Martin Stephens ... David Zellaby
Michael Gwynn ... Alan Bernard
Laurence Naismith ... Doctor Willers
Richard Warner ... Harrington
Jenny Laird ... Mrs. Harrington
Sarah Long ... Evelyn Harrington
Thomas Heathcote ... James Pawle
Charlotte Mitchell ... Janet Pawle
Pamela Buck ... Milly Hughes
Rosamund Greenwood ... Miss Ogle
Susan Richards ... Mrs. Plumpton
Bernard Archard ... Vicar
Peter Vaughan ... P.C. Gobby
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Additional Details

Runtime:
77 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
UK:12 (re-rating) (2005) | UK:A (original rating) | West Germany:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The eerie effect of the children's glowing eyes was created by matting a negative (reversed) image of their eyes over the pupils when they used their powers. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: Just before the credits, there's a long crane shot which ends in the trees. It's obvious that the crane snagged a branch on its way up, because a branch suddenly snaps into the frame. They follow the shot with a brief view of other branches waving around, as though to cover the mistake...but the first branch was *not* blowing in the wind. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Prof. Gordon Zellaby: [on telephone] Good morning. Uh, would you get me Major Bernard at his Whitehall number? Thank you.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Silent Hill (2006) more

FAQ

How is "Children of the Damned" related to "Village of the Damned"?
Why was the title changed to "Village of the Damned"?
How does the movie end?
more
28 out of 31 people found the following comment useful.
Brick wall, brick wall, 3 October 2004
Author: Bucs1960 from West Virginia

This classic low budget, black and white film is right up there with the best of the sci-fi/horror movies of the time. It appears that it was shot on a very low budget ($300,000), thus no special effects beyond the superimposed glowing eyes of the children and the burning house at the end (not much of an effect). But it became a real moneymaker and a cult developed around it. They went on to make a sequel which doesn't live up to the original.

The cast, though limited, is quite good. The ever sophisticated, urbane, George Sanders as the scientist; Barbara Shelley from Hammer films as his wife; and little Martin Stephens as David, putative offspring of Shelley and Sanders. This kid is evil personified and does a bang-up job for such a youngster.

The story involves the village of Midwich and the birth of 12 children fathered in a very strange way that is never totally explained, who are intellectual giants with one purpose.....take over the world. Should they be destroyed or studied?....that's the problem facing Sanders and the government. Sanders comes to the inevitable conclusion and because they can read his thoughts, he must think of a brick wall in order to mask his intent. The ending, although not surprising is still effective.

This film is a keeper and is recommended to all those who like their films straight to the point without all the special effects and computer generated action. It's minimal with maximum punch.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Village of the Damned (1960)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Time for a Sequel rollingndoe
Which leader do yall prefer? Latinamerican
'Fantastic Children' Village of the damned rip-off? bbhood_mel
Ideas about the children? kalliope42
Was This the Inspiration for Sci-Fi Writers of Today? rollingndoe
What Ever Happened to the Child Actors lasalle1-1
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