Children of the Damned (1964)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Anton Leader

Writers:

John Briley (writer) and
John Wyndham (novel)

Release Date:

29 January 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

So young, so innocent, so deadly - they came to conquer the world!

Plot:

Scientists discovers that there are six children who each have an enormous intelligence. The children are flown to London to be studied...

Plot Keywords:

Children | Church | Embassy | Scientist | Intelligence

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Ian Hendry	...	Col Tom Llewellyn
Alan Badel	...	Dr. David Neville
Barbara Ferris	...	Susan Eliot
Alfred Burke	...	Colin Webster
Sheila Allen	...	Diana Looran
Ralph Michael	...	Defense Minister
Patrick Wymark	...	Commander
Martin Miller	...	Prof. Gruber
Harold Goldblatt	...	Harib
Patrick White	...	Mr. Davidson
André Mikhelson	...	Russian official
Bessie Love	...	Mrs. Robbins, Mark's Grandmother
Clive Powell	...	Paul
Yoke-Moon Lee	...	Mi Ling
Roberta Rex	...	Nina

Also Known As:

Horror! (USA)
The Children (UK) (working title)
The Children Return (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Unrated (video release) | UK:12 (re-rating) (2006) | UK:X (original rating) | Norway:16 (1964) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Bermondsey, London, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: Children of the Damned" (1996)

Forgotten semi-sequel to "Village of the Damned"

Five super-intelligent, emotionless children are discovered around the world. They also have the power to control peoples minds (their eyes glow when they do this). They're all taken to London to be studied but they escape and barricade themselves in an old, abandoned church. But what do they want?

Not as good as the original "Village..." but this sequel showed real promise. It's effectively filmed in moody black & white and has some very talented British actors giving good performances. Also the kids themselves are extremely spooky--especially when their eyes are glowing. It also shows how various countries want to use the children for their own gain. It also leads up to a (sadly) violent climax leaving most of the questions unanswered. Basically, it's a cop out and that's too bad. If you're going to set up a situation like this at least give it an ending...don't just end with violence (although that may be the point). Some people think this is better than the original but I disagree. Still, I was never bored and admired the direction and photography. Worth seeing, if you can handle the lousy ending.