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 | locked in a room | killer child | murder of father | hit by a car | 

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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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 December 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

As Crianças

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£98,205 (United Kingdom), 7 December 2008, Limited Release

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

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

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

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Connections

Featured in The Making of 'The Children' (2009)

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Soundtracks

One and a Same
Written by S. Reid / S. Alexander / C. Roberts / D. Warwick
Performed by Amino
Published by Spit Publishing UK Limited
Courtesy of Spit Kingdom Records Ltd

User Reviews

A Family Christmas to Remember

One of the most effective aspects of this movie is the way the tension builds inexorably. From the moment you see the children there is an impending sense of doom. The children themselves are both brilliantly cast and wonderfully realistic, by which I mean that their behaviour is easily recognisable as the normal behaviour of manipulative and moody kids, until it spills over to the purely demonic.

The rest of the cast who, apart from Stephen Campbell Moore, I didn't recognise, all portrayed characters who were very believable, even if not entirely sympathetic. After all, how can you sympathise with smug middle class parents discussing homeschooling now that they've sold the business? The adults were in fact wonderfully flawed, matched in spades by Casey, who enters the movie as the least sympathetic character: selfish, self absorbed, and distant in the way that only a sixteen year old can be. However, Casey is arguably the real hero.

The script skillfully presents the tip of the iceberg, suggesting and hinting at the unseen part of the characters' lives, never spelling everything out, but crediting the audience with the wit to work some things out for themselves. The horror cliché of characters doing stupid or unrealistic things that annoy the audience was always avoided, as was the use of the dark. Instead the action takes place against a white Christmas backdrop, which sadly reminded me a little of Reny Harlin's 'snow' bound Die Hard 2, but even so the blood on snow motif was very effective.

Tom Shankland's script, and in particular the dialogue, was very convincing, but he is also a highly visual director. According to my girlfriend the Miss Marple he helmed is quite beautifully photographed, and I really liked the atmosphere and visuals in WAZ. The Children also has the same stunning images, which along with the very powerful soundtrack, conjure a mood of foreboding and dread. If you appreciate horror movies with tension and beauty as well as a succession of wince- inducing set pieces, then this is a film for you.