Children of the Damned (1964)

hyped garbage

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Another group of children, this time scattered all over the world and not having the tell tale blue eyes and blond hair, have been reported. The British government has had them brought to London, five of them that is, the sixth being British. We're not necessarily blaming aliens this time. Could it be aliens or has man taken a quantum leap in development? That's what Alan Badel and Ian Hendry who are scientists want to know. But Alfred Burke representing the government sees only two alternatives, make use of their telekinetic and mind reading powers or destroy them.Not quite a sequel to Village Of The Damned, Children Of The Damned adds a few new wrinkles to the situation humankind finds itself in dealing with these super kids. Barbara Shelley who is the aunt of the British kid gets taken over and essentially becomes den mother and spokesperson for the children. The might of British defense has definitely met its match.In the end a rather sensible solution is arrived at and not by the grownups.Nice suspenseful science fiction story.

The Village of the Damned was a real classic. So this in-name-only sequel has a lot to live up to and, not surprisingly, it fails. How does it fail? For starters, the children are no longer menacing like they were in the first film. This time they "just want to be understood" or whatever. This film is not a sinister, slightly subversive sci-fi horror film like the first. It's more of a drama with some touches of the original's plot elements to spice it up.Sequels that change gears do not necessarily have to suck. Look at Curse of the Cat People, a brilliant follow-up to Cat People but a completely different kind of film. Unfortunately there's nothing significantly interesting going on here to elevate it above the middle of the pack. It's watchable but not great. See it with extremely low expectations.

Children of the Damned may be a sequel to 'Village', but it really is a very different story all together. In COTD, the children are not evil little alien minions like the ones in 'Village'. It is very hard to tell if the children are the bad guys in the movie. They don't kill humans in this one unless they are at risk of being attacked by those same humans.Like the original, the kids are very intelligent and keep to themselves. The children in COTD lack in the spooky department though. They were much more effective in Village of the Damned with their blond hair, the way they spoke, and even their movements. Of course doctors want to find out what these kids are. They eventually discover that they are human. They test the cells of one of the boys they kill. It is human, but a much more advanced one. The cells are advanced by a million years.Children of the Damned lacks at building up the characters. In Village, there were root-able characters but in this one it's all so straight forward. The "human" characters are actually the bad guys in COTD, so we never really relate to them or want them to succeed over the children. I also thought this one dragged on a little much compared to Village of the Damned. It's a decent sequel, but a pretty average watch. It failed to keep my attention throughout.5/10

'Village Of The Damned' ( 1960 ) ended with the Midwich children blown sky-high by a bomb in a briefcase. Four years later, 'Children Of The Damned' appeared. As John Wyndham had never written a follow-up novel, it was left to John Briley ( later to write 'Gandhi' ) to concoct an original work. Psychologists Colonel Tom Llewelyn ( Ian Hendry ) and Dr.David Neville ( Alan Badel ) are investigating the backgrounds of a group of children from different countries, all of whom possess incredibly high levels of intelligence. The mother ( Sheila Allen ) of one tells them she was a virgin when her son came into the world. When she bawls him out, he forces her to walk into the path of a lorry.The children escape from custody, taking refuge in a derelict church in London. Attempts to force them out meet with little success - the children use their powers on the adults each time. Finally, the army is brought in...Not as good as 'Village' but nevertheless a solid British sci-fi film. Strangely, the first film's events are not mentioned. The Midwich children had blonde hair, these are dark. Their eyes still turn white whenever they use their powers though. The Midwich kids were believed to be aliens - no-one in 'Children' considers this possibility. Instead they are said to be the next stage in human evolution. Not evil as such, they only kill when threatened. Exactly what they are doing on Earth is never revealed. Asked to explain themselves, one says enigmatically: "To be destroyed!". How did they manage to build a solar-powered machine that kills by amplifying the sound of the church organ? A difference of opinion arises between the Hendry and Badel characters. Llewelyn thinks the children should be allowed to live, Neville believes they pose a threat to Mankind and need to be destroyed. Once again Ron Goodwin's music is wonderful ( particularly effective is his use of an electric organ whenever the children use their powers ). The director, Anton M.Leader, later worked on American shows such as 'Get Smart!' and 'Lost In Space'. He does a good job overall, building suspense to a shattering climax as the army accidentally destroy the church ( and killing the kids in the process ). No further films in the series appeared. Some mistakenly regard Joseph Losey's 'These Are The Damned'( 1963 ) as part of it, but apart from the idea of deadly children ( radioactive, not super-intelligent ) they have nothing in common.