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For those of you unfamiliar with the basic plot of both films, here's a quick summary. In the middle of a seemingly average day, all of the residents of a small village mysteriously fall unconscious, and anyone attempting to go into the slumbering village also passes out. When the folks finally awaken, most everything seems to be perfectly normal. Normal, that is, with the exception that all of the women of the village capable of bearing children are pregnant. The mystery children are all birthed nine months later, and as they grow, it is very apparent that all of them have eerily similar physical characteristics. Also, they mature and learn much faster than the average child, which is creepy enough. But the real terror begins when they start exercising their preternatural psychic powers.
In the original 1960 film, it was always tacitly implied that the strange children were fathered by extraterrestrials, but nothing occurs in the film to blatantly prove such. This actually adds to the mystery of the origin of the children, which in turn heightens the suspense and terror...and the fun for the audience. Unfortunately, Carpenter's 1995 remake loses most of this fear-of-the-unknown suspense when it is revealed that one of the children had miscarried, and the aborted fetus, which has been preserved in the office of the village doctor, looks like the stereotypical sci-fi alien, complete with bug-eyes and an almond-shaped head.
The original film stars British actor George Sanders as the astute "father" of one of the mystery tots who eventually infers the evil nature of the village offspring and ultimately saves the world. Sanders was an accomplished veteran of both the British and U.S. cinema, and his talent and experience add a great deal of credibility to the film's fantastic plot. But for some reason, John Carpenter chose to cast Christopher Reeve as the lead in his remake. Though Reeve is an adequate actor who did a fine job as Clark Kent and his titular alter ego in SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978), he just simply does not have the range or depth of Sanders and is therefore unable to pull off a convincing average-Joe hero. Add to this the tepid performance of supporting actress Kirstie Alley (TV's CHEERS)--here grossly miscast as a government scientist--and it becomes impossible for the audience to suspend its disbelief and surrender to the fantasy of this film.
Carpenter's remake of VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED is not without its moments, however. Gore hounds and fans of slasher films like Carpenter's HALLOWEEN will enjoy the scene where a man lies roasting on a barbeque grill. And though they are not as genuinely eerie as the children in the original film, the evil kiddos in Carpenter's remake can often be creepy little brats, and some of their scenes are quite scary.
Overall, the 1995 remake of VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED is a disappointment, and true horror fans should avoid it and instead push harder for the original 1960 film to get the DVD treatment. In the mean time, fans who want to spend an evening with John Carpenter will probably get more satisfaction from viewing one of his other films like THE FOG (1980) or THEY LIVE (1988).
The story begins with a strange mist floating over a coastal town in the USA, and ten women suddenly find themselves pregnant with children that turn out to be alien creatures in humanoid form with immense powers of mind control. One specific fault I found with the plot is that, for supposedly "emotionless" creatures, these children sure get upset pretty easily. From what I could ascertain, much of the original idea of the story was to raise questions about mankind's inability to accept the unknown, and Reverend George (Mark Hamill) keeps the film consistent with this idea. The heroes, such as they are, consist of Allen Chaffee (Christopher Reeve), Jill McGowan (Linda Kozlowski), Frank McGowan (Michael Paré), and Doctor Susan Verner (Kirstie Alley). The last of these characters is a modern addition to the story that holds little rhyme nor reason except to modernize the script a touch, much like the more explicit violence and speech of this 1995 production. The bad guys are a group of white-haired children who sit around doing nothing a lot on a farmhouse for years until someone finally decides that there's something not quite normal about them and that they Must Be Stopped.
Not having seen the original 1960 production of this film, I cannot really comment on whether this is the best version of the film that one can lay out their thirty dollars for. However, if there is one thing that director John Carpenter does well, it is to take old horror stories and bring them into the modern age, albeit with variable results. Much of this film is unintentionally funny, and much of it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, but the whole sense of this on-screen town being doomed is carried well enough to make for an entertaining film. It is also worth noting that this is the last film Christopher Reeve appeared in before he was paralysed from the neck down in a horse-riding accident, a truly sad situation given his commanding presence as an actor. I personally liked Village Of The Damned according to John Carpenter. Many others don't, but I found it enjoyable enough to warrant repeated viewings.
Is it just me or did this movie leave you entertained enough to be mad at it, just me? Read more
