¿Quién puede matar a un niño? (1976)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Narciso Ibáñez Serrador

Writers:

Juan José Plans (novel)
Narciso Ibáñez Serrador (screenplay)

Release Date:

June 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Suddenly . . . They were the only adults left alive on the island.

Plot:

A couple of English tourists arrive on an island where all the children have gone crazy and are murdering the adults.

Plot Keywords:

Children | Island | Murder | Boat | Stranded

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Lewis Fiander	...	Tom
Prunella Ransome	...	Evelyn
Antonio Iranzo	...	Father of Crying Girl
Miguel Narros	...	Guardacostas 1
María Luisa Arias		(as Mª Luisa Arias)
Marisa Porcel
Juan Cazalilla
Luis Ciges	...	Enrique Amorós - the Postman
Antonio Canal
Aparicio Rivero
Fabián Conde	...	Camera shop clerk
Andrès Gomez		(as Andrés Gómez)
Maria Druille	...	Child (Crying daughter)
Lourdes De La Camara	...	Child (Lourdes) (as Lourdes de la Cámara)
Roberto Nauta	...	Child

Also Known As:

Death is Child's Play (UK)
Island of Death (UK) (video title)
Island of the Damned (USA)
Los niños (Spain) (short title)
Lucifer's Curse (USA)
The Killer's Playground
Trapped (USA)
Who Can Kill a Child? (International: English title)
Would You Kill a Child? (UK)

Runtime:

Argentina:107 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival) | Australia:90 min | Spain:100 min (approx) | USA:111 min (DVD)

Country:

Spain

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1977) | UK:X (1976) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) (1982) (cut) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:16 (re-rating) (2003) (uncut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Germany:18 (re-rating) (2009) | Italy:T (DVD) | Australia:M | France:-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Spain:18 | Iceland:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Almuñécar, Granada, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Penta Films

Trivia:

The film was released simultaneously as "Would You Kill a Child?" and "Death is Child's Play" in the UK. Similarly, American International Pictures released the film as "Trapped!" and "Island of the Damned" simultaneously in the USA.

Quotes:

Evelyn: What did the man of the pension tell you?
Tom: Just that something strange had happened to the kids on the island.
Evelyn: Strange... But what?
Tom: I don't know. Some sort of madness. I can't understand this.

Movie Connections:

References La dolce vita (1960)

Very Decent Obscure Film

WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? is a relatively unknown but great little film. It contains some pretty heavy subject matter and is genuinely creepy. The film revolves around a man and his wife who go to a small island on vacation. The man had been there when he was young and wanted to experience the place with his wife. The island is a few hours from the mainland and is pretty isolated. The man and his wife get to the island to find it deserted. Eventually they begin running into a few children who all act very strange. Soon they realize that the children have flipped out and are murdering the adult townspeople. The couple is now torn between their disgust at the thought of committing violence against small children, and their own will to survive.

WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? really is a well done film. The acting is good, and the action is tense. The other thing I really liked was the downbeat ending. Altogether a very good film. Definitely Recommended 8.5/10