The Children (2008)

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

Director:

Tom Shankland

Writers:

Paul Andrew Williams (story), Tom Shankland

Stars:

Eva Birthistle, Stephen Campbell Moore, Jeremy Sheffield

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

Elaine and Jonah and their teenage daughter and young son and daughter, come to spend New Year with her sister Chloe and husband Robbie and their two young children at their isolated country home. One by one the children, after apparently being sick, become increasingly malevolent.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | killer child | murder of a child | death of mother | child murders an adult | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing bloody violent content, terror, language and brief drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was nominated for the 2009 Fright Meter Award for Best Horror Movie.

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Goofs

In the end scenes when Casey and her Mom 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.

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Quotes

Miranda: Bye-bye Mummy.
Elaine: What?
Miranda: Be nice to Leah and Nicky
[grabs her leg splints]
Miranda: .

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Connections

References SimCity (1989)

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Soundtracks

Aphrodisiac
Written by Eva Abraham / Andrew Waterworth (as Andy Waterworth)
Performed by Eva Abraham / Andrew Waterworth (as Andy Waterworth)
Published by Hamworth Music
Courtesy of Hamworth Music

User Reviews

Wonderful Stuff.

Horrid smug Middle class parents get killed by and kill their own children, what could be better? Who could not enjoy this? Well, other than 15 year olds who can't appreciate a horror film with *shock horror* time spent on genuine character development, a decent script and people behaving in a believable manner when confronted and confused by the horror they're confronted with.

The Children is great because it's a rare oasis in the desert of generic (mainly US) horror, these are parents who understandably find it difficult to accept their own children have become killers and are obviously not too enamoured with the idea of killing their own offspring (which explains to certain 15 year old fools why the adults are so easily overcome). There are no generic idiot teens walking into danger for no discernible reason, in fact the one teen Casey (played excellently by Hannah Tointon) is the strongest character in the film.

This is the best Horror film I've seen in quite a while...if it doesn't appeal to teenage horror fans...so much the better.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 December 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Children

Filming Locations:

Cookhill Priory, Cookhill, Alcester, Warwickshire, England, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,300,051

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vertigo Films, Aramid Entertainment Fund, Barnsnape Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1