VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED

US, 1995, 99 minutes, Colour.
Christopher Reeve, Kirstie Alley, Linda Koslowski, Michael Pare, Meredith Salenger, Mark Hamill, Thomas Decker, Lindsay Haun.
Directed by John Carpenter.

Novelist John Wyndham had a strong reputation in the 1950s and 60s with his science-fiction, The Day of the Triffids as well as The Midwich Cuckoos, the latter of which was filmed as Village of the Damned.

This remake, transfer to the United States, appeared 35 years later and was directed by John Carpenter, best known for his horror films including Halloween as well as such films as Escape from New York. Carpenter was also responsible for the musical score of his films.

The setting is a small town in California, the film opening by setting the scene, introducing the central characters, everything normal as they prepare for a local fair. Suddenly, everyone collapses, humans, animals, birds and are unconscious for six hours. police and military take charge, especially a government official, a doctor played by Kirstie Alley.

When everything seems to come back to normal – although there is a death at the barbecue and the school principal’s husband, Michael Pare, is killed in an accident on the way home – it emerges that the women of the town are all pregnant. Christopher Reeve (not long before the accident which made him a quadriplegic) is the local doctor. The expert tells the women that they are free in decisions about having their child – and all of them do go through with the birth – and there is a government financial subsidy.

The children are born and, as they grow up, they prove to be very intelligent but also malevolent, the camera focusing on the colour of their eyes as they read minds and force parents to hurt themselves, kill themselves.

Eventually, the children want to take over, go to work in a barn the edge of the town, after causing more deaths including that of the local priest, played by Mark Hamill. However, the doctor had taken one child to study it and that child’s companion, David, son of the school principal, Linda Koslowski, goes to the cemetery searching, begins to have some emotions, something which the leader of the children, Mara, Alan’s daughter, says is something inferior.

Ultimately, there is military and police mayhem as the children control the squads coming to attack them – but Alan, blocking their reading of his mind, prepares explosives with which he will destroy the children, sacrificing himself, allowing them school principal to escape with David.

Although the film seems somewhat conventional as it opens, as it develops, it plays rather well and with some suspense.

1. The reputation of John Wyndham, his novel, the Midwich Cuckoos, the 1960 version of the novel, Village of the Damned, British production?

2. A remake, adaptation to California? The village, the characters, the experience of the attack, the pregnancies, dealing with the pregnancies, the children growing up? The nature of the children, their dominance, malevolence? Confronting the children?

3. The California countryside, the village, the coast, the cliffs? Homes? Church? School? The fair? The barn? laboratory? The musical score?

4. The establishing of the village, people waking up, Alan and his wife, Jill and her husband? The preparation of the fair, everybody busy, Jill’s husband going to get the helium, Alan and his work as a doctor?

5. The suddenness of the attack, everybody collapsing, the cattle, the bird in the cage, the police? The arrival of the authorities, the military, the police, Susan Verner and her command? The testing of the atmosphere, the policeman collapsing, dragging him back? Everybody suddenly rising – resuming life, the man dying on the barbecue? Jill’s husband, driving back, the shock, his crash and death? The sadness of his funeral?

6. The role of the priest, his wife, at the fair, at the funeral, his sermon attacking the children and their malevolence? Confronting them, his shooting himself?

7. Alan, the women coming to him, signs of pregnancy, the widespread pregnancies, even Melanie Roberts, virginal? The woman whose husband was away and his leaving?

8. Susan Verner, the talk in the hall, letting the women be free, their all opting to have the babies? The husbands, Mr Roberts and the double grant for wife and daughter?

9. The medical assistance, the birth of the children, Susan taking one of the children, Melanie’s baby, saying it was dead, hiding it in the basement?

10. The effect of the children, their growing up? Mara, leader, along with Robert? The children and their piercing eyes and colour? Her control of her mother, her arm in the boiling water, going to the cliff, throwing herself down? The doctor and the eyedrops?

11. David, building his name with the blocks, going to the cemetery, looking for his partner, the discussions with Jill, some feelings and emotions? His being different?

12. The control of the children, the uniforms, going in pairs? Melanie in the cemetery? Her death? The priest and his death?

13. Alan, children reading his mind, his providing a barrier, imagining the sea, imagining the brick wall? Jill’s request that he give classes? The children knowing everything? Mara and her control?

14. The decision to go to the barn, the parents dropping them off? The father who was away, returning, looking for his daughter, the crash and his death?

15. Susan Verner, showing the child to Alan? His decision, with the children in the barn, preparing the explosives? Locking Jill in the room?

16. Jill, getting out, driving, rescuing David?

17. The police, the military, the control of the children, the violent shootings, mayhem?

18. Alan, in the room, Mara trying to break down the wall in his imagination, his continually looking at the clock, the building of suspense, the seconds passing? Jill rescuing David? The explosion, Alan sacrificing himself?

19. Jill, driving away with David – what future?