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 | baby | alien | small town | outer space | 

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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:

Kirsting Court, Sierra Madre, 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

One of the few films in which both leading men appear bare-chested during the opening credits.

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Goofs

Mara's white tights become blue anklets during her first visit to the Midwich Clinic.

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Quotes

Jill McGowan: Something very strange is happening to all of us... you know, they say the Roberts girl is a virgin.

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Connections

Referenced in John Carpenter: Fear Is Just the Beginning... The Man and His Movies (2004)

User Reviews

The black and white original was much more colorful

What made the original version of this film such a classic horror picture? A sense of understatement, of unspoken horror. John Carpenter has never been a director to master the art of understatement, and maybe that's why this movie is such a pale shadow of the 1960 version.

The best parts of this film are those that mirror the original. But since the remake was made in the 1990s, Carpenter could throw in grueling childbirth scenes, boiling arms, barbecuing heads, a grisly shootout, an alien baby that looks like one of those 1960s troll dolls in a bottle, and of course, the option of abortion for parents who don't want to go through with their strange pregnancies. In 1960, the idea of an alien "virgin birth" was left understated; Carpenter gives us pregnant women in white robes reaching for the heavens. What happened to the original eerie emphasis on how fast the children grew? I don't recall any mention of that in the remake; in fact, Alley mentions how long she has been observing the children.

The most misbegotten idea of all was the addition of Kirstie Alley and the subplot involving government agents SUPPORTING the alien children. And out of nowhere, in a town that seems vaguely Episcopalian (with emphasis on the 'alian'), a wild-eyed bunch of torch-waving fundamentalists appear to confront the children. All we're missing is a fat burgomeister in lederhosen.

The eyeball effects are good, adding color change to the original glow (which effect, by the way, still stands up in the B/W version). There are no glaring problems with casting or acting either; this was just an unnecessary and uninspiring remake of a classic film.