.png){kind=logo}
Universal Pictures
John Wyndham's novel "The Midwich Cuckoos," first published in England in 1957, had a very eerie premise. It seems that the town of Midwich was mysteriously surrounded by a field of unconsciousness. Everyone who tried to approach the village would be knocked out. Only through aerial photography does the military learn that there was an unidentified silver craft in the middle of the town. As soon as the craft departs, everyone in town awakens. All the women in town are pregnant.
Nine months later, on the same day, 61 children are born in Midwich. They all look alike, sporting white hair and silvery skin. They grow quickly, and by age nine, they look like teenagers. They seem to share a consciousness, and perhaps communicate telepathically. They also have the ability to control the minds of the Midwich adults. The book also notes that similar births have occurred in small villages all around the world. Clearly, this is an alien invasion story.
"The Midwich Cuckoos" was first adapted to the big screen in 1960 by British director Wolf Rilla under the title "Village of the Damned." The movie scales back the scope of the novel a bit, turning it into a more intimate "Twilight Zone"-like fable. The kids still have a group mind, and all have white hair, but otherwise look human. When they activate their mind-control powers, their eyeballs light up like headlights. George Sanders starred.
In 1995, John Carpenter decided to remake "Village of the Damned" in an American milieu. Midwich was transplanted to the sleepy climes of Northern California, and the Sanders character was played by Christopher Reeve. Sadly, Carpenter's version is often seen as one of the director's worst.
Few people liked John Carpenter's Village of the Damned
Universal Pictures
Because the premise of "Village of the Damned" is so eerie, Carpenter's film isn't a total wash. Like in the book and the film that preceded it, the children are truly scary. In Carpenter's version, they wear matching gray-and-white clothing, and their platinum blonde wigs make them look more alien than you might suspect. The eyeball glowing VFX are simple but effective, and actress Lindsey Haun, who plays the lead child Mara, gives a great horror movie performance. She and the other children are, like in all the previous versions, emotionless. They move as a unit, scaring everyone. When a baby stares at her mom and mind-controls her to stick her arm into a pot of boiling water, it's weirdly terrifying.
Reeve plays Dr. Allen Chaffee, the town's doctor who aims to learn more about the alien children his town's women have given birth to. He sets himself up as their teacher, trying to appeal to any humanity they may have. A lot of exposition in "Village" is given to a government epidemiologist played by Kirstie Alley, and she figures out early on that the children are all the spawn of space aliens. She even kidnaps one of the infant (belonging to Meredith Salenger) and conducts experiments on its corpse to bring out its alien qualities. Allen figures that the alien children must have some humanity. He will also be the one to figure out how to block the children from reading and controlling his mind; he just has to concentrate on something they cannot read. Like a brick wall.
The rest of the adults aren't as clever. The children force a man (Buck Flower) to impale himself on a mop.
Village of the Damned was a bomb
Universal Pictures
Linda Kozlowsky and Michael Pare also appear in "Village of the Damned," and Mark Hamill plays the town priest. The movie was filmed shortly before Reeve was paralyzed in a horse riding accident, and it stands as a testament to Reeve's commitment to his craft; he doesn't half-ass his role. Indeed, even Carpenter brings his usual sense of craft to the film, creating ineffable tension through his natural, workmanlike style. It's not a great film, however, as it was working on a smaller budget. It was the second film Carpenter released in 1995, after his amazing "In the Mouth of Madness" the previous February.
These days, "Damned" is most certainly seen as lesser Carpenter. It was poorly reviewed (it has a 28% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 40 reviews), and it tanked at the box office. Made for a slight $22 million, "Damned" only made $9.4 million back. It also hasn't undergone any kind of serious relitigation, with even Carpenter's fans pointing to how dull it is. It's a film for Carpenter completionists more than horror fans. Carpenter admitted in a (sadly unavailable) interview with the Orange County Registrar that he only remade "Village of the Damned" for two reasons. Firstly, he recalls watching the 1960 movie and getting a crush on one of the lead alien actresses, leaving him with fond memories of it. Secondly, he figured he could film it in Northern California, in the same neighborhoods where he lived, making it incredibly convenient for him. Carpenter is a master of horror, but he's not going to work extra hard if he doesn't have to.
Watch the original instead. Or read the book.
English (US) ·