Way back in
1960, before Christopher Reeve joined Hollywood, Village of the Damned was
made, and it was a massive horror film at the time—though today, it might be
considered more of a thriller. The movie was creepy in its own right and very
interesting to watch.
If you decide to
compare this movie to its 1995 remake starring Christopher Reeve, I’d say it’s
not a fair comparison. The 1960 movie was shot in black and white, which adds
its own unique thrill and atmosphere.
This was a hit
for MGM in the 60s, earning $2,000,000 at the box office on a $320,000
budget. The movie is based on the 1957 book The Midwich Cuckoos by
John Wyndham and is directed by German director Wolf Rilla (this movie was his
best, critically speaking). Rilla also worked on the screenplay adaptation,
making the movie start out creepy and stay that way until the very end.
The director
didn’t bother to lighten the mood or throw in a joke here and there. The movie
was straight-up scary, leaving you shaken from start to finish.
The creepiness
of the children, the townspeople’s hatred for them, and Professor Gordon
Zellaby’s (George Sanders) obsession with studying them to understand their
origins and abilities were mind-boggling.
The movie starts
with the people of Midwich collapsing to the ground unconscious for unknown
reasons. Professor Gordon is on the phone with his brother-in-law when he falls
unconscious. His brother-in-law, David (who works for the British service),
unable to reach him, drives to Midwich to investigate. On the way, he meets a
local constable cycling to the town to look into a missing bus. David watches
the constable collapse as soon as he gets close to the bus. David immediately
contacts the military, and they discover that the entire town has collapsed.
Anyone who ventures near the town—by land or air—also falls unconscious.
Things get even
stranger when the whole town suddenly wakes up. Two months later, all the women
of childbearing age become pregnant. After three months, they give birth to
babies who all have the same hair and eerie gaze.
The children
grow rapidly and develop psychic abilities. Professor Gordon discovers these
abilities, as well as the fact that the children are interconnected and can
read minds.
Soon, the entire
town turns against the children and wants to kill them, but the children also
have an offensive ability: the power to control people.
Village of the
Damned is a great movie, still enjoyable even 56 years later.
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