The Children (2008)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Tom Shankland

Writers:

Tom Shankland (writer)
Paul Andrew Williams (based on a story)

Release Date:

5 December 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

You brought them into this world. Now ... They will take you out.

Plot:

A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents. |

Plot Keywords:

Children | Christmas | Cell Phone | Forest | Madness

Cast

Eva Birthistle	...	Elaine
Stephen Campbell Moore	...	Jonah
Jeremy Sheffield	...	Robbie
Rachel Shelley	...	Chloe
Hannah Tointon	...	Casey
Raffiella Brooks	...	Leah
Jake Hathaway	...	Nicky
William Howes	...	Paulie
Eva Sayer	...	Miranda

Also Known As:

The Day (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:18 | UK:18 (DVD rating) | USA:R (certificate #45508)

Company:

Vertigo Films

Goofs:

Continuity: In the end scenes when Casey and her Mum are escaping in the Volvo, the car windscreen goes from frosty at the bottom only, to frozen all over and back to partly frozen again.

Quotes:

Elaine: Come on now, Daddy's not angry!
Jonah: No, Daddy's very angry!

You brought them into this world. Now ... They will take you out.

A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents. Ooooooh! Scarrry! Well, that's what you might think at first, but you'll suddenly regret saying that when you've watched the film. Seriously. In fact, your expectations for this film will be out of the radar when you find yourself jolting off of your seat, covering your eyes, and screaming profanity for all to hear!

That happened to me. I NEVER curse. Actually, I rarely curse. I've only cursed about five times in my whole short life. To see that I cursed out about ten words under my breath through the film is just AMAZING! This is not because characters are stupid, although some of them are. It's because the movie is basically a taboo. You see kids holding knives, kids killing people, parents killing kids, etc! It's a movie filled with what society taught us not to do!

And don't get me started on the tension. The film has some of the best build-ups in a WHILE. In fact, the very first "attack," we'll call it, is edited so well your heart gets racing a minute before the attacking starts! I must say, that's an incredible feat! And who would've thought kids are creepy? The amount of violence in here is also surprisingly high and I say that as a complement.

For a movie based around killer kids, you must have good, no, great, young actors to take these parts. You shan't be afraid. The kids in here are fantastic. The one that stuck out the most was Raffiella Brooks, an Amy Smart look-a-like, and probably the best acted kid in the group. The older people are also very good here.

Overall, it's a big surprise, of course. Just when you think your expectations are right, they get punched down one by one every minute that you watch this film. The film is genuinely creepy and has some great, nail-biting tension. However, it's ultimately forgettable the second the credits role. Still, it's a nice way to spend 80 minutes of your life.