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.

---

Plot Keywords:

alien | small town | alien life form | paranormal phenomena | world domination | 

---

Taglines:

Beware the Children

---

Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sci-fi terror and violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Carpenter had planned to work again with "Universal" on their long-gestating remake of "Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)," but the film's box office failure killed those plans. As of 2017, the remake remains unmade, although speculation began again with the announcement of "Universal"'s "Dark Universe" brand.

---

Goofs

At around 91 minutes. As Jill and David crouch by the car during the explosion, the clapboard can be seen reflected on the side of the car.

---

Quotes

David McGowan: What is that word you're thinking? What is empathy?... So if I have felt pain I should be able to identify with others who feel pain

---

Connections

Referenced in Horror Business (2005)

User Reviews

Good Old School Film-making

John Carpenter, a respected director among the horror genre enthusiasts, gives us a remake of the classic 60's sci-fi /horror movie. Many people consider it the weakest Carpenter movie, but now, almost 10 years later, it's easy to notice why this movie was considered a failure in it's time, and certainly it's easier to appreciate it for what it is: an old school horror movie.

A year before Scream gave new life to the genre, this movie told the story of a small village lost in the rural areas of the U.S. where something strange happened one afternoon when the entire town fell unconscious. By strange circumstances 10 women got pregnant that day, but only 9 children survived. The remaining children look all the same and behave in strange ways, creating horror in town. All this while a government team studies them.

Christopher Reeve stars as the father of the leader of the children, Mara. Co-star Kirstie Alley as the government scientific in charge of the study. To be fair, the acting of the children was superb, while the acting of the adult characters was somewhat weak. Reeve steals the show, and Alley just seems out of place.

As I wrote before, the whole movie has that early 80's feeling, and I would dare to say that it feels as something made for TV. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's probably the main reason this movie is not very popular. This old school style maybe was not very attractive for 95's audience, Carpenter would go in a better direction once reunited with Kurt Russell in 96's Escape From L.A.

I have not seen the original movie yet, so I came to it without any expectation, I can't say I ended pleased, but I found it entertaining, although quite slow at times.

It's worth to notice that it has beautiful cinematography, and even when it may be a flawed effort, it's worth a rent. It's one of those movies that takes it's time to grow on you.

7/10

Details

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)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,222,450, 30 April 1995

Gross USA:

$9,418,365

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,418,365

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Alphaville Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo DTS Dolby SR Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1