Village of the Damned (1995)

A small town's women give birth to unfriendly alien children posing as humans.

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

John Wyndham (book), Stirling Silliphant,

Stars:

Christopher Reeve, Kirstie Alley, Linda Kozlowski

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Reeve	...	Dr. Alan Chaffee
Kirstie Alley	...	Dr. Susan Verner
Linda Kozlowski	...	Jill McGowan
Michael Paré	...	Frank McGowan
Meredith Salenger	...	Melanie Roberts
Mark Hamill	...	Reverend George
Pippa Pearthree	...	Sarah, George's Wife
Peter Jason	...	Ben Blum
Constance Forslund	...	Callie Blum
Karen Kahn	...	Barbara Chaffee
Thomas Dekker	...	David McGowan
Lindsey Haun	...	Mara Chaffee
Cody Dorkin	...	Robert
Trishalee Hardy	...	Julie
Jessye Quarry	...	Dorothy

Storyline

An American village is visited by some unknown life form which leaves the women of the village pregnant. Nine months later, the babies are born, and they all look normal, but it doesn't take the "parents" long to realize that the kids are not human or humane.

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Plot Keywords:

birth | small town | alien | baby | children | 

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Taglines:

Beware the Children

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sci-fi terror and violence

Details

Official Sites:

JohnCarpenter - movie site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Village of the Damned

Filming Locations:

Inverness, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$9,417,567 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Alphaville Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo DTS Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Carpenter:  man at pay phone

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Goofs

During the graveyard scene between David and Alan, it is clear (because of changes in the amount of light, and the angle of sun in the background, as well as cloud cover) that this particular scene was shot over a period of several hours or possibly days.

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Quotes

Mara Chaffee: You are thinking of the one who died
David McGowan: She was to be my partner
Mara Chaffee: Yes it's true. Without a mate you are of less importance to us and your development of emotions is disturbing. We can't leave you behind David, it's time we resolved this.

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Crazy Credits

Man at Gas Station Phone : RIP Haight RIP Haight is really John Carpenter, the film's director.

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Connections

Referenced in Smallville: Harvest (2010)

User Reviews

Indifference to violence

John Carpenter's remake of the 1960 original has little to add but it's more violent and explicit. The plot is the same; 10 women get pregnant simultaneously during a group pass out. Several years go by and the children all look similar and stick together. They appear to be anything but normal and once they start killing the residents of the small village it's clear they have to be stopped.

Carpenter is really a master of suspense and some scenes work remarkably well, however this is not one of his best films. Not much happens here and the film drags a bit, plus the inclusion of a government intervention and a possible world wide epidemic of these children does little to further the film. Still, Carpenter manages to create a decent amount of suspense and uneasiness by playing on the film's simple premise; that little children are the evildoers here. The soulless stares and glowing eyes are enough to creep you out. The social statement about people (and children) becoming indifferent to violence is a valid input, since the film couldn't really go for the same underlying meaning as the original, which was made during the cold war; the children personifying the threat from the east penetrating the west.

An average John Carpenter film is still a lot more interesting than most other horror films out there. Village of the Damned is not one of his best but it's a good film nonetheless.