I originally saw this when I was in junior high on late night TV. Those glowing eyes gave me nightmares for weeks! Seeing it now MANY years later, it still scares me. It's very quiet but very spooky. No real on-screen violence, no special effects (with the exception of the eyes) and all talk but never dull. The film is intelligent, doesn't talk down to the audience and handles the subject matter in a very realistic manner. Most people in horror films act like idiots--not in this one! Also some superb acting by George Sanders, Barbara Shelley (as his wife) and those creepy little kids (especially Martin Stephens) helps a lot. Proves a quiet little, goreless film can scare you silly. AT ALL COSTS, AVOID THE 1995 REMAKE!!!!!!! Carpenter's a great director, but you can't remake a great film. See this one!!
150 Reviews
The Midwich Brick Wall.
hitchcockthelegend8 May 2010
Village of the Damned is directed by Wolf Rilla and is a fairly faithful adaptation of the novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. It stars George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Martin Stephens & Michael Gwynn. It was originally meant to be an American produced picture starring Ronald Colman but MGM got itchy feet on account of what they deemed as some sinister issues. A couple of years down the line the film was relocated to England and shot on location at Letchmore Heath, with Sanders stepping in for the recently passed away Colman.
The peaceful English village of Midwich falls victim to a strange occurrence that sees the inhabitants fall asleep for several hours. With no clue to exactly what happened or what caused such an event, the villagers are further baffled to find all the women of Midwich have suddenly fell pregnant. Come the births of the children it's apparent that all is not well here in this once sleepy little village.
The 1950s was a great decade for the sci-fi movie fan, with the paranoia of potential atomic war and communist fervour taking hold, a ream of B movie schlockers tapped into this feverish air of mistrust. With the sight of giant creepy crawlies and atomic monsters rampaging across America creating much fun, it's arguably with the alien invasion that 50s cinema garnered its real terror. Enter English sci-fi writer John Wyndham (The Day Of the Triffids), who wrote The Midwich Cuckoos in 1957. Wyndham came up with an original idea to take the alien invasion premise to another level, use children. Horrible, creepy, blonde haired, blank staring, children.
The film in truth is too short to fully do justice to Wyndham's frightening novel, while other issues such as the barely believable coupling of Sanders and Shelley ensures the film has a lot of creakiness within. But it's still a potent bit of sci-fi horror that, come the latter stages, cranks up the creep factor as the children are born and the piece becomes a conventional monster movie. It's here where Rilla does a terrific job of building the dread. Armed with a small budget of under $300 thousand (it was a monster box office smash), the stop frame effects work is surprisingly effective, as are the child actors. Led by the impressive Martin Stephens who a year later would continue the creepy vein as Miles in The Innocents. A more than decent sequel would follow three years later {Children Of the Damned} and a poor remake by John Carpenter would surface in 1995. But it's this one that stands the test of time as a genre classic. Spooky atmosphere coupled with a genuinely intelligent and sinister story makes for an eerie 70 odd minutes of cinema. 8/10
The peaceful English village of Midwich falls victim to a strange occurrence that sees the inhabitants fall asleep for several hours. With no clue to exactly what happened or what caused such an event, the villagers are further baffled to find all the women of Midwich have suddenly fell pregnant. Come the births of the children it's apparent that all is not well here in this once sleepy little village.
The 1950s was a great decade for the sci-fi movie fan, with the paranoia of potential atomic war and communist fervour taking hold, a ream of B movie schlockers tapped into this feverish air of mistrust. With the sight of giant creepy crawlies and atomic monsters rampaging across America creating much fun, it's arguably with the alien invasion that 50s cinema garnered its real terror. Enter English sci-fi writer John Wyndham (The Day Of the Triffids), who wrote The Midwich Cuckoos in 1957. Wyndham came up with an original idea to take the alien invasion premise to another level, use children. Horrible, creepy, blonde haired, blank staring, children.
The film in truth is too short to fully do justice to Wyndham's frightening novel, while other issues such as the barely believable coupling of Sanders and Shelley ensures the film has a lot of creakiness within. But it's still a potent bit of sci-fi horror that, come the latter stages, cranks up the creep factor as the children are born and the piece becomes a conventional monster movie. It's here where Rilla does a terrific job of building the dread. Armed with a small budget of under $300 thousand (it was a monster box office smash), the stop frame effects work is surprisingly effective, as are the child actors. Led by the impressive Martin Stephens who a year later would continue the creepy vein as Miles in The Innocents. A more than decent sequel would follow three years later {Children Of the Damned} and a poor remake by John Carpenter would surface in 1995. But it's this one that stands the test of time as a genre classic. Spooky atmosphere coupled with a genuinely intelligent and sinister story makes for an eerie 70 odd minutes of cinema. 8/10
Classic British Sci-Fi about some Midwich women who are mysteriously pregnant by strange forces
ma-cortes4 February 2012
Some women give birth various strange children with supernatural power and extraordinary intelligence . An suspenseful and interesting premise dealing about several strangely emotionless children all born at the same time in a small village in Midwich . The scene is a village called Midwich in which a rare event overcomes the idyllic location . At the same moment, every single person and animal in town has passed out just as suddenly ; some unknown force has put all the inhabitants of Midwich to sleep. Everybody falls into a deep, mysterious sleep for several hours in the middle of the day. When the army gets involved, they find this force has precise boundaries. A few hours later, this strange force disappears and everyone wakes up. The mystery remains unsolved for weeks, but it has a sequel. Later on , every woman (Barbara Shelley married to George Sanders) capable of child-bearing is pregnant . All Midwich women of childbearing age are unaccountably pregnant . Nine months later, the babies are born, and they all look normal, but it doesn't take the "parents" long to realise that the kids are not human or humane .And the glowing-eyed children (Martin Stephens , among others) they have will prove to be worse than what they could have feared. The children that are born out of these pregnancies seem to grow very fast and they all have the same blond hair and strange, penetrating eyes that make people do things , all of them have telephatic powers , the stare will paralyze the will of the villagers . They result to be mind-controlling demons or aliens . Meanwhile a government officer (good performance by George Sanders) along with the doctor (Laurence Naismith) attempt to stop their plans of conquest .
This classic Sci-Fi thriller contains chills , suspense , intrigue and creepy events about some precocious deadly children and their quest of power . MGM shelved the project, because it was deemed potentially inflammatory and controversial, specifically due to its sinister depiction of virgin birth . Eerie and strange plot very well developed by the screen-written Sterling Silliphant based on John Wyndham novel titled "The Midwich Cuckoos" that focuses a British village visited by some unknown life form which leaves the women of the village pregnant. Performance is frankly good as main cast as Barbara Shelley and Ronald Colman was originally supposed to star in this film but he passed away in 1958 and was replaced by an excellent George Sanders who married Colman's widow Benita Hume . Exceptional support cast formed by prestigious Brit actors as Michael G. Wynne , Laurence Naismith and very secondary Peter Vaughan as Policeman . Special mention to Martin Stephens as an unsettling little boy , his creepy effect of the glowing eyes was made by matting a negative image of their eyes over the pupils . Intriguing and atmospheric musical score by Ron Goodwin . Furthermore , it packs appropriate cinematography in black and white by Geoffrey Faithful who photographs splendidly the scenarios from the village . This suspenseful and thrilling film is well directed by Wolf Rilla . Rating : Very good , providing pleasant screams for the viewer . Essential and indispensable seeing for Barbara Shelley and George Sanders followers .
Other renditions based on John Wyndham novel titled ¨The Midwich cuckoos¨ and well adapted by Stirling Silliphant are the following : A nice sequel titled ¨Children of the damned (64)¨ by Anton Leader with Ian Hendry , Alan Badel and Barbara Ferris . It's subsequently made an acceptable remake (1995) titled ¨John Carpenter's Village of the damned¨ with the same premise still interesting enough to watch it and starred by Kirstie Alley , Christopher Reeve and Mark Hamill ; however, it suffers from unimaginative account because being a copy from original film with more violent and explicit scenes and fails to provide the intelligent atmosphere from previous story .
This classic Sci-Fi thriller contains chills , suspense , intrigue and creepy events about some precocious deadly children and their quest of power . MGM shelved the project, because it was deemed potentially inflammatory and controversial, specifically due to its sinister depiction of virgin birth . Eerie and strange plot very well developed by the screen-written Sterling Silliphant based on John Wyndham novel titled "The Midwich Cuckoos" that focuses a British village visited by some unknown life form which leaves the women of the village pregnant. Performance is frankly good as main cast as Barbara Shelley and Ronald Colman was originally supposed to star in this film but he passed away in 1958 and was replaced by an excellent George Sanders who married Colman's widow Benita Hume . Exceptional support cast formed by prestigious Brit actors as Michael G. Wynne , Laurence Naismith and very secondary Peter Vaughan as Policeman . Special mention to Martin Stephens as an unsettling little boy , his creepy effect of the glowing eyes was made by matting a negative image of their eyes over the pupils . Intriguing and atmospheric musical score by Ron Goodwin . Furthermore , it packs appropriate cinematography in black and white by Geoffrey Faithful who photographs splendidly the scenarios from the village . This suspenseful and thrilling film is well directed by Wolf Rilla . Rating : Very good , providing pleasant screams for the viewer . Essential and indispensable seeing for Barbara Shelley and George Sanders followers .
Other renditions based on John Wyndham novel titled ¨The Midwich cuckoos¨ and well adapted by Stirling Silliphant are the following : A nice sequel titled ¨Children of the damned (64)¨ by Anton Leader with Ian Hendry , Alan Badel and Barbara Ferris . It's subsequently made an acceptable remake (1995) titled ¨John Carpenter's Village of the damned¨ with the same premise still interesting enough to watch it and starred by Kirstie Alley , Christopher Reeve and Mark Hamill ; however, it suffers from unimaginative account because being a copy from original film with more violent and explicit scenes and fails to provide the intelligent atmosphere from previous story .
Brick wall, brick wall
Bucs19603 October 2004
This classic low budget, black and white film is right up there with the best of the sci-fi/horror movies of the time. It appears that it was shot on a very low budget ($300,000), thus no special effects beyond the superimposed glowing eyes of the children and the burning house at the end (not much of an effect). But it became a real moneymaker and a cult developed around it. They went on to make a sequel which doesn't live up to the original.
The cast, though limited, is quite good. The ever sophisticated, urbane, George Sanders as the scientist; Barbara Shelley from Hammer films as his wife; and little Martin Stephens as David, putative offspring of Shelley and Sanders. This kid is evil personified and does a bang-up job for such a youngster.
The story involves the village of Midwich and the birth of 12 children fathered in a very strange way that is never totally explained, who are intellectual giants with one purpose.....take over the world. Should they be destroyed or studied?....that's the problem facing Sanders and the government. Sanders comes to the inevitable conclusion and because they can read his thoughts, he must think of a brick wall in order to mask his intent. The ending, although not surprising is still effective.
This film is a keeper and is recommended to all those who like their films straight to the point without all the special effects and computer generated action. It's minimal with maximum punch.
The cast, though limited, is quite good. The ever sophisticated, urbane, George Sanders as the scientist; Barbara Shelley from Hammer films as his wife; and little Martin Stephens as David, putative offspring of Shelley and Sanders. This kid is evil personified and does a bang-up job for such a youngster.
The story involves the village of Midwich and the birth of 12 children fathered in a very strange way that is never totally explained, who are intellectual giants with one purpose.....take over the world. Should they be destroyed or studied?....that's the problem facing Sanders and the government. Sanders comes to the inevitable conclusion and because they can read his thoughts, he must think of a brick wall in order to mask his intent. The ending, although not surprising is still effective.
This film is a keeper and is recommended to all those who like their films straight to the point without all the special effects and computer generated action. It's minimal with maximum punch.
British icon
SnoopyStyle17 March 2019
The small English town of Midwich suffers a mysterious event for several hours. Everyone who comes under the invisible dome around the town would pass out on the spot. After they wake up, all the fertile women find themselves pregnant. The children are born healthy despite an accelerated growth rate. They all have blonde hair and growing mysterious mind powers. The military discovers other similar incidents around the world during the same time. The children are studied but their powers of mind control soon becomes a threat.
This is a British indie of a sci-fi horror icon. It starts well enough with an intriguing mystery premise. The audience is slowly uncovering the mystery along with the characters. I like the logical step by step investigation. More and more mystery is added to the story until we get to the iconic children. They are a great new visual idea. Kids can be creepy sometimes and this plays up that characteristic. To top it off, the eye glow is the coup de grâce. The only drawback is the lead George Sanders. He's not a charismatic movie lead as much as he is the professor of the charismatic lead. This is smaller budget affair which is highlighted by the final toy miniature house setting off the cutest tiny explosion and a short running time. It was a solid hit back in the day and a compelling icon for all times.
This is a British indie of a sci-fi horror icon. It starts well enough with an intriguing mystery premise. The audience is slowly uncovering the mystery along with the characters. I like the logical step by step investigation. More and more mystery is added to the story until we get to the iconic children. They are a great new visual idea. Kids can be creepy sometimes and this plays up that characteristic. To top it off, the eye glow is the coup de grâce. The only drawback is the lead George Sanders. He's not a charismatic movie lead as much as he is the professor of the charismatic lead. This is smaller budget affair which is highlighted by the final toy miniature house setting off the cutest tiny explosion and a short running time. It was a solid hit back in the day and a compelling icon for all times.
Magnificent
Gafke5 June 2004
On a perfectly normal, lovely afternoon in the English countryside, a small town is suddenly taken over by an unseen presence. Everyone within the town - man, woman and child - suddenly passes out cold for no apparent reason whatsoever. Anyone who attempts to enter the town from the outside is also stricken down, yet revive instantaneously when removed from the danger zone. No one, not police or military, can pass the invisible barrier, but within a few hours the strange presence is gone. Everyone seems to be alright...until a few weeks later, when all of the women in town who are of childbearing age discover themselves to be pregnant. Nine months later, a dozen identical children are born to these somewhat suspicious mothers, children with white- blond hair and scary eyes that glow. The children are oddly emotionless and only associate with each other, acting as a single entity. Worst of all, they can make anyone do whatever they want them to do, which often has fatal results. Can kindly schoolteacher (the wonderful George Sanders), whose beloved wife has borne one of these creatures, help the alien children embrace their human half? Or will he have to destroy them all?
This is an absolute masterpiece of paranoia, sci-fi style. The acting is superb, especially by the late and under-appreciated Mr. Sanders, whose compassion and intellect sets the tone for this quiet and somewhat sad little tale. The lovely Barbara Shelley as Sanders loving wife is sweet and totally believable. Indeed, the townsfolk are all very realistic and approachable, kind and simple folk who don't really deserve the wrath of the spooky children who have invaded their small town. Young Martin Stephens, who also turned in a creepy performance in the ghostly masterpiece "The Innocents" is every bit as creepy here as George and Barbara's "son."
Filmed in moody black and white, this movie creeps along with all the menacing stealth of a thick London pea souper. This is an intelligent horror film which deserves better attention. It probably won't be appreciated by people who consider expletives and explosions to be main characters, but for people who prefer horror with brains (and not brains ripped out of skulls) this is the film for them. Fans of George Sanders shouldn't miss this; it's quite a switch from his usual smarmy roles, and a nice switch at that.
Highly recommended!
This is an absolute masterpiece of paranoia, sci-fi style. The acting is superb, especially by the late and under-appreciated Mr. Sanders, whose compassion and intellect sets the tone for this quiet and somewhat sad little tale. The lovely Barbara Shelley as Sanders loving wife is sweet and totally believable. Indeed, the townsfolk are all very realistic and approachable, kind and simple folk who don't really deserve the wrath of the spooky children who have invaded their small town. Young Martin Stephens, who also turned in a creepy performance in the ghostly masterpiece "The Innocents" is every bit as creepy here as George and Barbara's "son."
Filmed in moody black and white, this movie creeps along with all the menacing stealth of a thick London pea souper. This is an intelligent horror film which deserves better attention. It probably won't be appreciated by people who consider expletives and explosions to be main characters, but for people who prefer horror with brains (and not brains ripped out of skulls) this is the film for them. Fans of George Sanders shouldn't miss this; it's quite a switch from his usual smarmy roles, and a nice switch at that.
Highly recommended!
A Wyndham Adaptation That Sticks To The Book
Theo Robertson11 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
After seeing the BBC travesty that claims to be based on John Wyndham's DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS I decided to catch the film version of The Midwich Cuckoos given the more melodramatic title of VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED and wasn't disappointed . It's a very faithful adaptation of the author's work showing the strength and weakness of Wyndham's writing
Like most of Wyndham's work the theme of mankind trying to survive the presence on Earth of an alien life form is well realised . The aliens in question - a new breed of children - are portrayed as being amoral rather than cruel and belligerent . The problem with this is that people nowadays are far more used to " talking monsters " where they come to Earth and explain their plans and motives to the human characters and The Midwich Cukoos is probably the closest Wyndham came to these type of aliens . Certainly if you read The Kraken Wakes you might be surprised that humanity is incapable of making any kind of communication to the aliens
If there's a downside to this type of writing it's that much of the drama revolves around scientists , military men and government bureaucrats sitting around tables discussing the matters in hand and how to deal with the threat . Much of the film is dialogue driven and for an audience brought up on DOCTOR WHO they might find this slightly boring . It's not helped by an old fashioned feel where the likes of the local vicar being a centre for the community and a scene where a character visits the doctor's surgery only to see the doctor pull out out a cigarette and light up
Perhaps the most effective scene is the opening where the village inhabitants fall asleep and anyone approaching the village also falls unconscious . This gives a very eerie opening installment along with the revelation that several of the female inhabitants have become pregnant . It's a great premise though to be honest once you know where the plot is going it's not as exciting as you expect . The film also has a rather short running time which means there's not much plotting involved . That said at least it keeps to Wyndham's book and is much better than the 1995 remake by John Carpenter
Like most of Wyndham's work the theme of mankind trying to survive the presence on Earth of an alien life form is well realised . The aliens in question - a new breed of children - are portrayed as being amoral rather than cruel and belligerent . The problem with this is that people nowadays are far more used to " talking monsters " where they come to Earth and explain their plans and motives to the human characters and The Midwich Cukoos is probably the closest Wyndham came to these type of aliens . Certainly if you read The Kraken Wakes you might be surprised that humanity is incapable of making any kind of communication to the aliens
If there's a downside to this type of writing it's that much of the drama revolves around scientists , military men and government bureaucrats sitting around tables discussing the matters in hand and how to deal with the threat . Much of the film is dialogue driven and for an audience brought up on DOCTOR WHO they might find this slightly boring . It's not helped by an old fashioned feel where the likes of the local vicar being a centre for the community and a scene where a character visits the doctor's surgery only to see the doctor pull out out a cigarette and light up
Perhaps the most effective scene is the opening where the village inhabitants fall asleep and anyone approaching the village also falls unconscious . This gives a very eerie opening installment along with the revelation that several of the female inhabitants have become pregnant . It's a great premise though to be honest once you know where the plot is going it's not as exciting as you expect . The film also has a rather short running time which means there's not much plotting involved . That said at least it keeps to Wyndham's book and is much better than the 1995 remake by John Carpenter
Aaaaaaaaaaargh!! Those EYES!!
Coventry21 May 2004
Village of the Damned is a strongly compelling Science-Fiction highlight and easily of the eeriest movies I ever saw. Although it's a very modest and simply made production, the scary-effect of this film is a lot more effective than some of its big-budgeted colleagues. On a random day, the entire English village of Midwich falls into a trance-like sleep. Completely inexplicably, they awake again seemly normal but two months later it appears that every fertile woman in town got pregnant on the day of the blackout. The newborns show a strange resemblance in looks and what is even more bizarre they're telekinetic! Due to their amazing intelligence and emotionless behavior, they form a huge threat and freak out the entire little town. `Village of the Damned' is loyally adapted from John Wyndham's novel `The Midwich Cuckoos'. Throughout the whole film, you don't get much explanation and, as a viewer, you're forced to guess at the mystery's origin. Although highly unlikely, the events in Midwich really are alarming and make you feel uncomfortable. This effect is reached through solid tension and macabre atmosphere much more than through special effects. The eerily lit eyes of the children' are the only real effects but they cause a lot more fear than gallons of blood ever could! Village of the Damned also owes a lot of its power to a terrific casting job. Essentially to achieve the obtained scary effect were the children. Well, they did a good job! The offspring looks alienated almost naturally and their appearance literally chills your blood. The concerned adult in Village of the Damned is excellently played by George Sanders. Sanders was a terrific and shamefully overlooked English class actor who committed suicide in the early 70's. He has a got a few other delightful horror movies on his repertoire like `Psychomania' and `Doomwatch' (both are some of his last films). Village of the Damned is a highly recommended picture that'll certainly keep you close to the screen till the end-credits role. Equally recommended is the (unofficial) sequel called `Children of the Damned'. There's a bit more background in that film, as well as some more explicit horror sequences. The 1995 remake by John Carpenter, however, is rather unexciting and one of the most redundant films ever made. Stick to the original and be scared!
An ingenious set-up for a thriller...let down a bit by talk and a tight budget
moonspinner5510 October 2009
Wolf Rilla directed this expert thriller from John Wyndham's novel "The Midwich Cuckoos", coming up with pretty stylish returns on such a tight budget. The mystery begins one day in the small British village of Midwich: all the residents are rendered unconscious for nearly four hours by an unseen substance which, three months down the road, results in pregnancies in every of-age female in town. When the babies are born, they are extraordinarily healthy and intelligent, paving the way for some scary behavior once the kids reach school-age. These tykes are the most exasperating little prigs imaginable, yet Professor George Sanders (himself the 'father' of one of the boys) is the only man unafraid of them--and perhaps the only one who can stop their path of destruction. Rilla doesn't overload the picture with nonsense; his narrative is clean-cut and the pacing is quick. Still, there's the usual leaden discussion-phase, wherein the adults have to formulate a plan which we in the audience know will soon be rendered moot. Sanders isn't really into his role, though he plays along rather splendidly, and the child actors have amazing faces. We don't get a sense of how many extraordinary children there should actually be however, and the pack of spooky towheads keeps changing in size. Followed by a sequel, "Children of the Damned", in 1964; remade by John Carpenter in 1995. *** from ****
The Brick Wall
claudio_carvalho21 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
In London, the military Alan Bernard (Michael Gwynn) is talking to his brother-in-law Gordon Zellaby (George Sanders) in Midwich by telephone when there is a communication breakdown with the village. Alan heads to the British village and finds that all the inhabitants have fallen unconscious at the same time and who else crosses the borderline faints. Out of the blue, the inhabitants awake at the same time. Two months later Anthea Zellaby (Barbara Shelley) tells her husband Gordon that she is pregnant. But soon, the local Dr. Willers (Laurence Naismith) and Gordon realizes that every woman in the village of childbearing age is pregnant.
Anthea and the other women deliver perfect children and soon Dr. Willers note that all the children have strange eyes, short fingernails and different blond hair. Gordon also finds that his son David (Martin Stephens) is a leader of the children that have no feelings and what one learns, the others also learn. Further they are capable to read and control minds and are a menace to the inhabitants of Midwich. Will Gordon be capable to keep the children under control?
"Village of the Damned" is a mysterious and scary horror movie, with an original story in the style of "The Twilight Zone". The plot is intriguing and has not aged. The performances are excellent and the simple special effect of the eyes of the children associated to their performances is frightening. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil):"A Aldeia dos Amaldiçoados" ("The Village of the Damned")
Anthea and the other women deliver perfect children and soon Dr. Willers note that all the children have strange eyes, short fingernails and different blond hair. Gordon also finds that his son David (Martin Stephens) is a leader of the children that have no feelings and what one learns, the others also learn. Further they are capable to read and control minds and are a menace to the inhabitants of Midwich. Will Gordon be capable to keep the children under control?
"Village of the Damned" is a mysterious and scary horror movie, with an original story in the style of "The Twilight Zone". The plot is intriguing and has not aged. The performances are excellent and the simple special effect of the eyes of the children associated to their performances is frightening. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil):"A Aldeia dos Amaldiçoados" ("The Village of the Damned")
eh, pretty good, kind of creepy.
indieboy31111 March 2002
Clearly Michael, the son of the professor, is the scariest little devil human. His voice dub was interesting, I wonder how high (or low) his voice was at that time that they didn't want to use it.
The plot:there's a kind of force-field around a small town in England for a few hours, everyone passes out, then several women find themselves pregnant with too-rapidly developing babies, even virgins. The babies come out all looking like little goths, wearing black, white-blond hair. They have a mental community amongst themselves, when one devil kid learns something they all do, and they communicate telepathically. They are scary because they can control people's minds, and make them commit suicide. There's the wacko military that wants to kill them, the professor who naively wants to study them and use them for good, and the small boy with glowing eyes that makes a guy shoot himself. Most were downplayed, which was the strongest point of the film. Everyone was very British; ie. they are calm and polite, even when discussing small satanic kiddies. The lack of melodrama saves it and makes it a little more intelligent than it could have been.
The plot:there's a kind of force-field around a small town in England for a few hours, everyone passes out, then several women find themselves pregnant with too-rapidly developing babies, even virgins. The babies come out all looking like little goths, wearing black, white-blond hair. They have a mental community amongst themselves, when one devil kid learns something they all do, and they communicate telepathically. They are scary because they can control people's minds, and make them commit suicide. There's the wacko military that wants to kill them, the professor who naively wants to study them and use them for good, and the small boy with glowing eyes that makes a guy shoot himself. Most were downplayed, which was the strongest point of the film. Everyone was very British; ie. they are calm and polite, even when discussing small satanic kiddies. The lack of melodrama saves it and makes it a little more intelligent than it could have been.
A great classic thriller, unfortunately overshadowed by the spectacular psychological thriller released the same year - Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.
Anonymous_Maxine9 September 2000
Village of the Damned is a very well-made thriller that seems to have been overlooked because of the sheer magnitude of its competition - Psycho. Both of these films are testaments to the idea that low budgets are very capable of producing great films. It is not the size of the budget that matters, it is the skill of the filmmakers and the actors. Village of the Damned makes use of a variety of very easily done but also very effective special effects, such as the boundary across which all people and animals lose consciousness, the creepy eyes on those kids, and their hypnotic powers.
The discussion of the exact same phenomenon happening to a few remote towns all over the world does a lot to show what these kids can do, and it increases the dramatic tension of the film as a whole. Cheaply made, but also very well made because a lot of thought was obviously put into it, Village of the Damned is a timeless thriller, even in black and white. When you watch a movie like this, if you are the kind of person who is so superficial about your movies that you refuse to watch black and white films, keep in mind that black and white photography REQUIRES good acting, to put it in the immortal words of Orson Welles. You can't have black and white photography and bad acting, the film would never work. Village of the Damned takes black and white photography and fills it with excellent acting, a fascinating story, and good direction that makes me wonder why this was the only film that Wolf Rilla ever directed.
The discussion of the exact same phenomenon happening to a few remote towns all over the world does a lot to show what these kids can do, and it increases the dramatic tension of the film as a whole. Cheaply made, but also very well made because a lot of thought was obviously put into it, Village of the Damned is a timeless thriller, even in black and white. When you watch a movie like this, if you are the kind of person who is so superficial about your movies that you refuse to watch black and white films, keep in mind that black and white photography REQUIRES good acting, to put it in the immortal words of Orson Welles. You can't have black and white photography and bad acting, the film would never work. Village of the Damned takes black and white photography and fills it with excellent acting, a fascinating story, and good direction that makes me wonder why this was the only film that Wolf Rilla ever directed.
Give me Human Characters
view_and_review24 December 2018
A peculiar event happens in the town of Midwich. All of its residents suddenly fell unconscious. Shortly thereafter they regained consciousness and about a dozen of the women were found to be pregnant. The result of those pregnancies were platinum blond kids with strange behavior and super intelligence but they seem to have more than just that.
I actually love the plot. It is very intriguing. The only thing I found distasteful were the dispassionate Brits that seemed to be in a perpetual state of debate. Here it is, strange occurrences are happening throughout Midwich, the children clearly seem to be the cause, and a bunch of middle age men sit around debating the matter as though they're arguing over what fine restaurant they should dine at. I expected far more concern, worry, fear, anything. Or are we to believe that they were so intelligent and refined that they evolved past any emotional connection to their hometown and its inhabitants? It's a fascinating concept for a movie and fine execution for the most part-- just give me some characters that are human.
I actually love the plot. It is very intriguing. The only thing I found distasteful were the dispassionate Brits that seemed to be in a perpetual state of debate. Here it is, strange occurrences are happening throughout Midwich, the children clearly seem to be the cause, and a bunch of middle age men sit around debating the matter as though they're arguing over what fine restaurant they should dine at. I expected far more concern, worry, fear, anything. Or are we to believe that they were so intelligent and refined that they evolved past any emotional connection to their hometown and its inhabitants? It's a fascinating concept for a movie and fine execution for the most part-- just give me some characters that are human.
Kind of a Bore.
hampersnow-413692 July 2022
There are old horror films that deserve to be called classics, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Blob, Carnival of Souls , so many more, but Village of the Damned just isn't one of them. Maybe it's the British constraint, but this was boring and I didn't feel anything menacing or even creepy about it. No great camera work, George Sanders seemed miscast, and in the end I was nodding off. It really wasn't it's age, I love old horror/thriller and I love B&W, but this is way over-rated. Unless you find children creepy to begin with, this is one to skip.
Them Their Eyes
BaronBl00d11 January 2002
A small countryside village in England experiences a time period of several hours where all living things lie lifeless and helpless. Anything living that connects within this sphere of lifelessness gets the like treatment. Everyone soon awakens from whatever happened, and soon the women of child-bearing years all get pregnant and are all due on the same day. Village of the Damned is one of those discerning, intelligent science fiction films of yesteryear that tends to leave much to your imagination in terms of gore and violence as well as make you think and ponder important questions about the limits with which humanity should go to procure knowledge. The children are decidedly very creepy as their eyes glow when they are angered. Martin Stephens as George Sanders' boy is particularly good as he looks and speaks with such class and distinction yet has the conscience of a cold-blooded, calculated killer. Sanders is also very good in his role as a man torn between bridging the field of knowledge with the unknown and protecting mankind from foreign/alien harm. His wife, played with credibility, is Hammer beauty Barbara Shelley. A great British science fiction film and certainly one of the more thought-provoking ones around.
A Powerful and Much-Imitated Sci-fi Film, Well Acted and Interesting
silverscreen8882 July 2007
Science fiction is, I assert, difficult to write well; unlike many other genres of "fiction", it requires some imagination, a strong ability to relate characters to values, and a ruthless logic. "Village of the Damned", adapted, by Stirling Silliphant, the film's director Wolf Rilla and George Barclay, from the famous novel by John Wyndham "The Midwich Cuckoos" is often an absorbing film. It never, in my judgment, establishes enough of a reality of English life against which to set the presence of the film's aliens. These are children; ordinary looking children, who are super-intelligent, have psychic powers and whose eyes glow gold. One cannot discuss this film's eerie story line without disclosing too much of its evolving direction; suffice it to say that one day, strange occurrences happen in a number of countries: everyone blacks out for four hours in the small town of Midwich England as elsewhere, the setting being the one for the British whose fortunes we follow. As a result of these happenings, every fertile female in town--married or not--gives birth to an odd child--strange, to say the least, but blond-haired and human in a full sense by every appearance. The central characters of the film are an older couple played by Barbara Shelley, who is beautiful and very professionally sympathetic in her role; George Sanders also does quite well in the part of an understanding teacher who demands that the children be taught ethics and tries to do the job himself; thus he becomes the children's professor. The alternative is a plot to kill all the children, the military's position-to safeguard the country's populace. Others prominently featured in the steady but not stellar cast include fine actor Laurence Naismith, Richard Warner and Rosamund Greenwood. The plot moves the participants from shock, to curious acceptance of the strange offspring, to fear and then beyond at a surprisingly good pace, I suggest. Ron Goodwin's usual musical contribution is very successful indeed, aiding the atmosphere of the film. Cinematography was by Geoffrey Faithful with consistent Art Direction by Ivan King and convincing special effects by Tom Howard. The taut and moving first half of the film seems to me as a writer a bit rushed in the second portion of the work; However, this very influential film--whose effects, ideas and setting have been copied many times since, stands on its own. It has some very good actors, a straightforward development and two leads who are world class--plus a very logical and memorable ending. This is a taut and often literate black-and-white sci-fi film that can be watched more than once, I suggest.
a fantastic and minimalistic thriller
planktonrules5 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I am giving this film a 10 based on the "bang for the buck" it provides. Despite having a small budget, few special effects and an unknown cast (aside from George Sanders), it is an engrossing and terrifying sci-fi adventure.
The movie begins with a VERY STRANGE occurrence--a small village just STOPS. All people life within the village stops--machinery, animals and people. And, when the military tries to enter the town, the soldiers just STOP as well--falling into comas. Then, just as suddenly, everyone awakens--none the worse for wear. Or so it would seem, for later, many women in this small hamlet are found to be pregnant! Once these little bundles of joy are born, the fun begins as these brilliant but disturbingly freaky kids slowly scare the crap out of everyone--especially as they walk, talk and look alike and speak as one (sort of like an evil version of Huey, Dewey and Louie)! And, it turns out, they are apparently unstoppable and up to some sort of evil (though exactly what they intend is uncertain--but it MUST be bad considering their evil proclivities)!
NOTE: Do NOT see the supposed sequel, "Children of the Damned". It's terrible. Instead of the kids harassing people (such as making them crash their cars into walls or blow their heads off), the kids are misunderstood and only want to live in peace!! What crap--I want murder and global domination!
Another NOTE: Do NOT see the recent remake of Village of the Damned. It lacks the subtlety of the original and just does NOTHING to improve an already great film.
The movie begins with a VERY STRANGE occurrence--a small village just STOPS. All people life within the village stops--machinery, animals and people. And, when the military tries to enter the town, the soldiers just STOP as well--falling into comas. Then, just as suddenly, everyone awakens--none the worse for wear. Or so it would seem, for later, many women in this small hamlet are found to be pregnant! Once these little bundles of joy are born, the fun begins as these brilliant but disturbingly freaky kids slowly scare the crap out of everyone--especially as they walk, talk and look alike and speak as one (sort of like an evil version of Huey, Dewey and Louie)! And, it turns out, they are apparently unstoppable and up to some sort of evil (though exactly what they intend is uncertain--but it MUST be bad considering their evil proclivities)!
NOTE: Do NOT see the supposed sequel, "Children of the Damned". It's terrible. Instead of the kids harassing people (such as making them crash their cars into walls or blow their heads off), the kids are misunderstood and only want to live in peace!! What crap--I want murder and global domination!
Another NOTE: Do NOT see the recent remake of Village of the Damned. It lacks the subtlety of the original and just does NOTHING to improve an already great film.
Unmissable, Suspense-Filled Sci-Fi Classic Of Alien Space Kids In Rural England
ShootingShark2 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
One day, everyone in the English village of Midwich inexplicably falls asleep for several hours at the same time. Months later it emerges that all women of a suitable age are pregnant, dating from the strange day. What happened, and will their children be human ?
I must confess a bias; the book on which this movie is based - The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham - is one of my very favourite novels, a short, sharp, stunning story with a killer premise and a gripping, scary, imaginative and exhilarating narrative. The movie is an almost note-perfect adaptation; the pre-credits depiction of the blackouts is one of the best opening sequences in any film, the mystery and suspense leading to the birth and development of the alien space children is terrific and the finale is (literally) explosive. What I particularly love about this story is the depiction of alien/evil in the children. A standard alien invasion story (say War Of The Worlds) makes the threat very external and other-worldly, but in this tale the conquerors are much more domestic and innocent-seeming. This is such a rich theme; the space-seed idea seems curiously plausible, are the kids at least partly human, and aren't children the Earth's natural inheritors anyway ? Sanders is excellent as the troubled protagonist, Gordon Zellaby, in my favourite of his many roles, and solid supporting performers like Naismith and Vernon give the film great legitimacy and dramatic bite. Geoffrey Faithful's camera-work is brilliant, documenting the village with sharp intensity, flowing into the action and not wasting a single shot. Brilliantly scripted by the prolific Stirling Silliphant (who also wrote In The Heat Of The Night and The Poseidon Adventure amongst others), with solid direction by the otherwise undistinguished Rilla. Despite its low budget, this is the original and fabulous creepy kids movie (predating Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist and The Omen), a model of lean, exciting film-making and one of the best British science-fiction / horror films ever made. Followed by a sort-of sequel (Children Of The Damned in 1963) and remade (brilliantly) by John Carpenter in 1995.
I must confess a bias; the book on which this movie is based - The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham - is one of my very favourite novels, a short, sharp, stunning story with a killer premise and a gripping, scary, imaginative and exhilarating narrative. The movie is an almost note-perfect adaptation; the pre-credits depiction of the blackouts is one of the best opening sequences in any film, the mystery and suspense leading to the birth and development of the alien space children is terrific and the finale is (literally) explosive. What I particularly love about this story is the depiction of alien/evil in the children. A standard alien invasion story (say War Of The Worlds) makes the threat very external and other-worldly, but in this tale the conquerors are much more domestic and innocent-seeming. This is such a rich theme; the space-seed idea seems curiously plausible, are the kids at least partly human, and aren't children the Earth's natural inheritors anyway ? Sanders is excellent as the troubled protagonist, Gordon Zellaby, in my favourite of his many roles, and solid supporting performers like Naismith and Vernon give the film great legitimacy and dramatic bite. Geoffrey Faithful's camera-work is brilliant, documenting the village with sharp intensity, flowing into the action and not wasting a single shot. Brilliantly scripted by the prolific Stirling Silliphant (who also wrote In The Heat Of The Night and The Poseidon Adventure amongst others), with solid direction by the otherwise undistinguished Rilla. Despite its low budget, this is the original and fabulous creepy kids movie (predating Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist and The Omen), a model of lean, exciting film-making and one of the best British science-fiction / horror films ever made. Followed by a sort-of sequel (Children Of The Damned in 1963) and remade (brilliantly) by John Carpenter in 1995.
One of the All-Time Greats
utgard145 November 2013
Intelligent low-key sci-fi thriller about a small English village where all the women become mysteriously pregnant and give birth to strange emotionless children with telepathic abilities. Brilliant script adapted from John Wyndham's novel The Midwich Cuckoos. Taut, suspenseful direction from Wolf Rilla. Superb performances, particularly from the legendary George Sanders and child actor Martin Stephens as the leader of the creepy kids. It's such an effective, eerie film; a true classic. They sadly don't make them like this anymore, as you can see by the inferior 90's remake. I recommend this to anyone with a brain.
"Your not thinking of atomic energy your thinking of a brick wall." Decent sci-fi/horror.
poolandrews31 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Village of the Damned is set in the small English village of Midwich where professor Gordon Zelaby (George Sanders) is on the phone to his Brother-in-law Major Alan Bernard (Michael Gwynn) when he suddenly collapses, on the other end of the phone Alan becomes worried & sets off for Midwich when he can't raise anyone there. As he approaches the village he meets the local police man (Peter Vaughan) who also says he can't contact anyone in the village, as the copper rides off ahead of Alan he suddenly collapses as if he suddenly fainted. Upon witnessing this Alan calls in his army mates to seal off the area, they send people in but they too just collapse for no apparent reason. Then just as suddenly as they collapsed everyone in Midwich wakes up without any recollection of what happened, no one has any clue what went on but everyone seemed fine. Then, a few months later Dr. Willers (Laurence Naismith) reports that every woman in Midwich capable of child birth is pregnant. If that wasn't strange enough when the children are born they don't seem human...
This British American co-production was co-written & directed by Wolf Rilla & is a fairly effective little chiller from the 60's although I'm not as keen on it as some of the glowing comments on the IMDb would suggest other's are. The script by Rilla, Stirling Sillipahnt & Ronald Kinnoch was based on the novel 'The Midwich Cuckoos' by John Wyndham (which I have not read so I cannot compare the film to it) & starts off brilliantly, the opening sequence where the entire village of Midwich suddenly collapses is fantastic & hooked me straight away, I was eagerly awaiting an explanation which never came unfortunately. I was hoping the film would give me some cool & clever reasoning behind the events in Midwich & the subsequent birth of some strange children but beyond some vague theories by Government officials it never did & that's my biggest problem with Village of the Damned, when it had finished I felt sort of cheated, I felt like the filmmakers had this fantastic concept & idea but didn't know how to explain it. At just over 70 minutes the film moves along at nice pace & is never boring, the character's are OK & the film also tries to raise various moral issues surrounding the children & what the authorities plan to do with them. It's a good film, a very watchable & entertaining film but I felt there were far too many unanswered questions, which to be fair some people may like but personally I didn't.
Director Rilla does a good job, there's a nice close knit English community feel to it & the film has a pretty eerie atmosphere to it. Now, the children themselves, personally I thought they looked pretty comical with they're obviously bad fitting blonde wigs. They might have been scary 40 odd years ago but times & the world has moved on, these days in Britian we have 16 year olds stealing cars, going for a joyride & ending up killing a baby only to get a couple of years in jail because of the way British law is at the moment, now the fact we have real life scum like that walking our streets is scarier than anything in Village of the Damned. Maybe that was a bad analogy but my point remains valid, in today's society a few children with badly fitting wigs & dubbed British upper class accents are just not scary at all.
With a supposed budget of about $200,000 Village of the Damned is a well made film with nice production values. The acting was alright.
Village of the Damned is a good film of that I agree but there were just too many gaps in the plot for me to be totally satisfied with it as the end credits rolled. A good sci-fi/horror film but in my opinion not as good as many like to make out. Children of the Damned (1963) was a loose sequel while John Carpenter directed a remake Village of the Damned (1995).
This British American co-production was co-written & directed by Wolf Rilla & is a fairly effective little chiller from the 60's although I'm not as keen on it as some of the glowing comments on the IMDb would suggest other's are. The script by Rilla, Stirling Sillipahnt & Ronald Kinnoch was based on the novel 'The Midwich Cuckoos' by John Wyndham (which I have not read so I cannot compare the film to it) & starts off brilliantly, the opening sequence where the entire village of Midwich suddenly collapses is fantastic & hooked me straight away, I was eagerly awaiting an explanation which never came unfortunately. I was hoping the film would give me some cool & clever reasoning behind the events in Midwich & the subsequent birth of some strange children but beyond some vague theories by Government officials it never did & that's my biggest problem with Village of the Damned, when it had finished I felt sort of cheated, I felt like the filmmakers had this fantastic concept & idea but didn't know how to explain it. At just over 70 minutes the film moves along at nice pace & is never boring, the character's are OK & the film also tries to raise various moral issues surrounding the children & what the authorities plan to do with them. It's a good film, a very watchable & entertaining film but I felt there were far too many unanswered questions, which to be fair some people may like but personally I didn't.
Director Rilla does a good job, there's a nice close knit English community feel to it & the film has a pretty eerie atmosphere to it. Now, the children themselves, personally I thought they looked pretty comical with they're obviously bad fitting blonde wigs. They might have been scary 40 odd years ago but times & the world has moved on, these days in Britian we have 16 year olds stealing cars, going for a joyride & ending up killing a baby only to get a couple of years in jail because of the way British law is at the moment, now the fact we have real life scum like that walking our streets is scarier than anything in Village of the Damned. Maybe that was a bad analogy but my point remains valid, in today's society a few children with badly fitting wigs & dubbed British upper class accents are just not scary at all.
With a supposed budget of about $200,000 Village of the Damned is a well made film with nice production values. The acting was alright.
Village of the Damned is a good film of that I agree but there were just too many gaps in the plot for me to be totally satisfied with it as the end credits rolled. A good sci-fi/horror film but in my opinion not as good as many like to make out. Children of the Damned (1963) was a loose sequel while John Carpenter directed a remake Village of the Damned (1995).
A superbly eerie, intelligent and ambiguous 60's British sci-fi/horror gem
Woodyanders24 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Quite simply one of the all-time great spooky and atmospheric British sci-fi/horror winners from the 60's, this supremely chilling and engrossing knockout still packs a potent, lingering punch even today. All the young women in the quiet remote English hamlet of Midwich mysteriously become pregnant after the whole populace goes into a bizarre and abrupt 24-hour trance. The ladies give birth to a bunch of odd, emotionless, tow-headed kids with extraordinary kinetic and telepathic abilities. They also have glowing bright eyes, unusual fingernails, and acute advanced intellects. Moreover, the murderous moppets casually kill anyone they perceive as a threat in strange and startling "accidents." Some of the frightened townspeople stand up to the freaky tykes to no avail. It's ultimately up to brave and perceptive military scientist George Sanders (who gives a truly outstanding performance) to put a stop to 'em before it's too late.
Tautly directed with commendable understatement by Wolf Rilla, with a smart and compact script co-written by future Oscar-winning screenwriter Stirling Stilliphant, gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, a nicely spare and shivery score, an eerily ambiguous tone, a pleasingly concise 78 minute running time, uniformly aces acting from a top-drawer cast (the child thespians are extremely unsettling while Hammer horror queen Barbara Shelley makes for a very charming and pretty damsel in distress), and a genuinely nerve-wracking conclusion, "Village of the Damned" never falters for a minute. The film's smashing success derives partly from Rilla's wisely stark and straightforward execution, partly from the sheer vague creepiness of the intriguing plot (no explanation is ever given for how or why the children were born in the first place), and primarily from downplaying needless flashy special effects razzle-dazzle to emphasize instead the strong and absorbing adults vs. children conflict at the heart of the narrative (this movie could be read as a weird and imaginative fantastic allegory on the generation gap that was a key hallmark of the 60's). A terrific terror tale that's wholly deserving of its substantial classic status.
Tautly directed with commendable understatement by Wolf Rilla, with a smart and compact script co-written by future Oscar-winning screenwriter Stirling Stilliphant, gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, a nicely spare and shivery score, an eerily ambiguous tone, a pleasingly concise 78 minute running time, uniformly aces acting from a top-drawer cast (the child thespians are extremely unsettling while Hammer horror queen Barbara Shelley makes for a very charming and pretty damsel in distress), and a genuinely nerve-wracking conclusion, "Village of the Damned" never falters for a minute. The film's smashing success derives partly from Rilla's wisely stark and straightforward execution, partly from the sheer vague creepiness of the intriguing plot (no explanation is ever given for how or why the children were born in the first place), and primarily from downplaying needless flashy special effects razzle-dazzle to emphasize instead the strong and absorbing adults vs. children conflict at the heart of the narrative (this movie could be read as a weird and imaginative fantastic allegory on the generation gap that was a key hallmark of the 60's). A terrific terror tale that's wholly deserving of its substantial classic status.
A Classic of Horror and Science Fiction
gavin694215 October 2015
In the English village of Midwich, the blond-haired, glowing-eyed children of uncertain paternity prove to have frightening powers.
This film is the sort of thing that would have been an episode of "Twilight Zone". I did not check, but it would not surprise me in the least if there was some person who worked on both. (Of course, it may just be a coincidence that they share a similar tone.) I also like the implied divide of emotions versus logic. This is a theme that would come up again in "Star Trek" and then "Star Trek: The Next Generation". Do emotions inhibit the way we reason, or do they add something that pure logic cannot see? This film does not get into that too deeply, but it makes for an interesting difference between the children and everyone else.
This film is the sort of thing that would have been an episode of "Twilight Zone". I did not check, but it would not surprise me in the least if there was some person who worked on both. (Of course, it may just be a coincidence that they share a similar tone.) I also like the implied divide of emotions versus logic. This is a theme that would come up again in "Star Trek" and then "Star Trek: The Next Generation". Do emotions inhibit the way we reason, or do they add something that pure logic cannot see? This film does not get into that too deeply, but it makes for an interesting difference between the children and everyone else.
George Sanders Made this a Classic Film!
whpratt14 October 2004
This is a great Classic film mainly because of the great movie star George Sanders(Gordon Zellaby),"Hangover Square",'45, who unfortunately took his own life. In this film Sanders plays a professor and has the great pleasure of raising a child with Barbara Shelley(Antnea Zellaby), who turns out to become a child with glaring eyes and a very bad temper! It seems the children in this film seem to grow at a very rapid pace and have great hidden abilities to do just about everything they want in controlling the minds of all ADULTS! In 1960, this was a great Horror film and captivated the movie goers. This is truly a great Classic Film to enjoy!
Smart Children.
AaronCapenBanner16 November 2013
Wolf Rilla directed this adaptation of the John Wyndham novel set in the small English town of Midwich, which one day underwent a bizarre occurrence when the entire town went to sleep for several hours, without explanation. Several months later, scientist Gordon Zellaby(played by George Sanders) links the blackouts to the oddity of all women of child-bearing age being pregnant at the same time. The children born all oddly look alike with blond hair and expressionless faces, though with a high intelligence, which includes his wife Anthea(played by Barbara Shelley) and his "son" David(played most effectively by Martin Stephens). Are these children of alien origin, and what is their purpose? Nicely done sci-fi with thoughtful script and good direction. The children are not evil, just different, and how society treats them is as much a reflection on it as it is on them. A bit dry perhaps, but most worthwhile.
Good cinematography, but otherwise horribly stilted and aged
derekmccumber21 June 2017
I can appreciate classic horror cinema, but this one has been completely neutered with time. Everything about this movie is horribly dated - from the stilted action to the corny effects. Instead of atmosphere, we get countless scenes of old white men sitting around talking about what is going on. The finale is so rushed as to be completely ineffectual - it's over before we get a real chance to feel any tension. Even in 1960 this was old-school horror. The infinitely superior Psycho came out the same here.
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