Children of the Damned (1964)

The premise is an excellent one. Mysterious children are about from different areas of the globe all with super-unknown power potential that just want to be left alone. While one would expect this to be a sequel to the Village of the Dammed it is not but in a way another point of view on the story-line. One reviewer commented that they didn't take the premise into enough detail or potential and I would agree. But they did give us some crumbs to digest. A scientist who is introduced to these kids is flabbergasted after seeing some type of proof of their extra-ordinariness and is dumbfounded only to come back later and state that these kids who are under-developed and still developing might be what man is like in the future. So, what do we do? Do we reason with them? Support them? Use them? Destroy them? The movie gives you much to munch on and that is why I gave it a ten. It fed and then triggered our imaginations to soar. Nicely acted out all parts with a steady tension and pace which helps to make it enjoyable while you are held captive from scene to scene. Good movie to snack with and have a tasty drink. Watch with someone else so you can chew some of the storyline and be fully satisfied with discussion potential. This idea had legs and should have been more developed

The children in this movie don't exactly give off an air of evil and otherworldly deception the way the children in Village of the Damned do. This is more sci-fi than horror, and it's still just as excellent. Six children, each from different countries around the world, have extremely high intelligence and scientists want to study them, but the children want to be together, not lab rats (I don't blame em'). Nina, Paul, Mi Ling, Rashid, Mark and I can't remember the name of the last child, these children aren't evil but still very eerie, with telepathy and intelligence beyond normal human measure. The soundtrack was great, the acting was excellent, all in all a very entertaining movie.

A sequel to the creepy Village of the Damned (1960), Children of the Damned fumbles some key points and what works is just rehashed from the original. Of course, George Sanders is not back. The eerie children are back, this time from several different countries, but they're missing the trademark light hair. The sequel tries to provide more of an explanation of what the children are- not alien hybrids, it turns out, but humans from a million years in the future. That was something I didn't really want to hear- it contradicts the original, which kept the children's origins unknown but with strong hints of extraterrestrial influence.Minus the more conclusive explanation of the children, this movie is not all that different from the original. Once again, we have the children killing would-be attackers with their mind powers; once again, we have the humans debating whether the children should be killed, with one suggesting they can be of use to the human race and should be spared. In the end, troops seem to explode the church the children are staying at- but the original had established troops are no threat to these children. The children in this movie seem to want to be destroyed, but why? Because the makers of the film couldn't think of another way to end it? In the end, this movie is unsatisfying and pointless.

'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.