Children of the Damned

Six children from six different nations, each gifted with superior intellects and telekinetic powers, are tested by scientists keen to discover the limits of their capabilities. Inevitably, the children come to the attention of shady government types who wish to exploit the children for the purposes of national security, or failing that, destroy them. In fear, the children join forces and take refuge in a derelict church, where they are forced to strike back at those who might wish to do them harm.

Children of the Damned is generally considered to be a sequel to the excellent Village of the Damned; however, when viewed like this, glaring anomalies prevent it from being a fully satisfying experience. Children of the Damned is therefore best viewed as a standalone project; seen in this way, the film is more than worthy of any sci-fi/horror fan's time—an intelligent, thought-provoking piece that raises religious, ethical and philosophical debates and which, depending on how the somewhat ambiguous ending is interpreted, also delivers a prophetic warning: unless humans can overcome their innate distrust and fear of that which they do not understand, there can be no hope of survival for mankind.

Opinion about which of the 'of the Damned' films is better is seriously divided, but given the choice, I would always go for the freaky, blonde-haired and undeniably malevolent mutants of 'Village' over the normal looking, multi-cultural, and possibly benevolent saviours of mankind from 'Children'. Guess that's just how I roll...

Not really a sequel to the original classic, but rather its own story with its own things to say. This is, in fact, a powerful allegory about our violent world, the suspicious nations that make it up, what those nations teach their children by way of example, the state of religion in the modern world, etc. Very smart, and beautifully shot in glorious black and white. If you're looking for a horror movie, you might be disappointed, but as an allegorical fantasy it's top of the line.

In CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED, kids with supra-genius intelligence are suddenly popping up all over the world. They soon gather together, using an abandoned cathedral as a fortress. The military is utterly powerless against the psychic abilities of these terror tots.

These kids mean business!

Though this movie isn't quite as dark as its predecessor, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, it does offer political intrigue, a resurrection, and a cool secret weapon involving a pipe organ.

Highly recommended for fans of the original film...

The inexplicable appearance of a group of children, advanced 1 million years beyond Mankind's genetic development, causes fear among the governments of the world. When the authorities try to contain them, the children respond with deadly telepathic force.

This is a rare instance of a sequel being better than the original. The 1960 adaptation of John Wyndham's Midwich Cuckoos, filmed as Village Of The Damned, was a highly memorable and influential movie in its own right. However, it was also a product of post-war British film making complete with cozy, somewhat gentrified attitudes to class, sex and an illusory rural idyll. This was exemplified by George Sanders' typically suave performance as the smoking-jacket clad, martini sipping hero. Children Of The Damned is a much tougher affair. This time the action takes place in the dark, grim, urban backstreets of early sixties London - not so much swinging as downright gothic.

Rather than the aliens invaders of the first film, the children here are a human super-species, socially and intellectually incompatible with the rest of humanity. They don't seem to mean any harm, but their eerily cold and quiet presence provokes the authorities into a fearful contemplation of what they might do. John Briley's adult and intelligent script takes an insightful look at how our inherently insecure systems of authority might hunt and destroy that which merely suggests a challenge to their control.

The cast is excellent. Ian Hendry and Alan Badel as the two conscientious scientists trying to fathom the children's secret, are terrific. They bounce Briley's sometimes caustically witty lines between them with a delightful, naturalistic touch. The rest of the cast play it for keeps too, imparting a sense of urgency and, as with Alfred Burke's government man, icy menace.

The children themselves are surprisingly well played. No brattish over-acting here. Instead, the group of young, multi-racial actors exude a perfect sense of other-worldly calm, and, when necessary, chilling ruthlessness.

The film's technical credits are excellent. Cinematographer Davis Boulton's vivid black and white images ensure that Children of the Damned is one of the best photographed British films of the era. The special effects are simple (glowing eyes) but startlingly effective. The late, great Ron Goodwin was a composer best known for comedies and war films, but here he provided a subtler kind of score which suggests both the child-like and the ethereal. It was one of his best.

The main plaudits must go to director Anton M. Leader. His handling of actors, the imaginative staging and his pictorial compositions, particularly towards the climax, are outstanding. For example, the scene depicting a group of gunmen trying, somewhat disastrously, to capture (or kill) the children in a derelict church is a tour de force of tension and horror. Yes, horror. This movie may have children in it, but it isn't a children's film.

In all, this is much more than a quick cash-in sequel. It deserves credit for making an early stab at confronting the ethics of genetics, and for being, along with the Quatermass movies, that rare thing; a thought provoking, grown-up science fiction film.

Although it is often referred to as a sequel to "Village of the Damned", the plot differs in enough ways to make the claim seriously questionable. No mention is made of the events in the first film. The only real similarity is that the story concerns six children who are perceived as a threat to mankind because they possess strange telepathic and mind-control powers.

Unlike the first film, however, the children are of different nationalities (not identical blonds, as the children in the first film) and they do not mature at an accelerated rate.

It's as if the basic premise (six superintelligent kids who are a threat to mankind) was reworked into a new story. The children are explained as being "quantum leaps in evolution" (not alien offspring, as in the first film). And yet the story never clarifies why they were all born at approximately the same time in different parts of the world (coincidence?). When one sympathetic government agent asks the children, "Why are you here?", the children reply "We don't know."

A line of dialogue by a major character, stating that the children are here to help mankind, was later edited from the film. Too bad.

Mankind, rather than the kids, are portrayed as the bad guys. Despite some confusion over these basic plot elements, director Anton M. Leader does deliver a clear message concerning the hate, fear, and intolerance which society feels towards anyone who doesn't "fit in", as well as the greed for power which nations feel in their efforts to gain dominance over each other.