The original VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960) was one of the most brilliant, spooky and "best bang for the buck" movies ever made. With a tiny budget, it managed to do so much. So, why remake this wonderful classic? Other than to make a fast buck without spending much effort, I can't see why. And, unfortunately, this does appear to be the reason why the film was made. Gone are the thrills and suspense. Instead of an eerie build-up, we have more gore and a movie that is a "dumbed down" version for people who insist on hi-tech films. In its place is a flat, pale imitation of the original. I don't know about you, but I find that in at least 80% of the cases, the original is better.

So why does the film STILL get a 6? Well, with such a great plot it is almost impossible for the film to still be very watchable.

Save your time and watch the original--it's often on Turner Classic Movies and it's available on DVD and video.

An insipid, uninspired retread of the 1960 original. This film is typical of what happens when America churns out yet another remake of a classic film. The result is shallow, glossy, and totally dull. John Carpenter, who has made such brilliant films as HALLOWEEN and THE THING, obviously took the money and ran in this case, as the film contains none of his typical atmosphere or style. Instead it has a bland, TV movie like atmosphere. The chills in the first film from the spooky children are replaced instead by clumsy over-emphasis. Gone are the sinister kids, instead we have aliens (what else? Post X-FILES, no film can be complete without an alien in a jar) with glowing multicoloured eyes. Unfortunately, the special effects are rubbish, and look far too computer generated to be anything but realistic. The 'horror' in the film comes from the series of murders that the children commit.

In 1960, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED achieved fame from a chilling atmosphere of the unknown. In 1995, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED achieves nothing with a handful of boring murders, which aren't even particularly gory. The most gruesome demise is that of Kirstie Alley, but it has to be said that we were pretty thankful it took place; Alley sleepwalks through her role here and comes off as totally unlikeable. The same can be said of Christopher Reeve, who gives such a bland, expressionless performance that you can't help but smile at the end. His riding accident which left him crippled took place right after the completion of this film; it's disappointing that he had the misfortune to end his able-bodied career on this note. The only actor of interest in the film is Mark Hamill as a shotgun wielding vicar who gives an over the top performance bordering on psychotic. He's fun.

The children are annoying bad/cute child actors and actresses, who try very hard to look sinister but fail miserably. The only moments worth watching in this film are the comic scene where a man is burnt on a barbecue, or the ending where policemen and soldiers all suddenly start shooting each other for no reason. There is also some tension in the explosive finale, but it comes far too late to lift this film from being anything other than a middling, stupid affair.

A mysterious shadow passes over the small coastal town of Midwich, California which makes everybody unconscious when they are inside the perimeter. Dr. Alan Chaffee (Christopher Reeve) was out of town during the incident. Dr. Susan Verner (Kirstie Alley) is with the feds National Science Foundation. Frank (Michael Paré) is killed during the incident leaving his school principal wife Jill McGowan (Linda Kozlowski) a widow. Mark Hamill plays Reverend George. Then they discover that every woman got pregnant and just as surprisingly, every one of them wants to keep their babies. Single girl Melanie Roberts (Meredith Salenger) has a still born. The children grow up smart superior beings with telepathic powers. Mara Chaffee (Lindsey Haun) is the leader of the children. David McGowan (Thomas Dekker) is the runt who lost his mate when Melanie Roberts lost her child.

This is a movie that could use a '5 years later' insert. Once nobody is willing to abort their babies, the movie can jump ahead. There is nothing absolutely necessary other than the alien baby and that may have been better as a reveal much later in the movie. The movie needs to jump to the creepy kids because that's the best part. Lindsey Haun is terrific as the cold-hearted leader and Thomas Dekker is adorable. They are the only cool thing about the movie.