Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Children of the Damned Blu-ray Movie Review

Kids telepathically manipulate the darndest things.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 5, 2021

Regarded as a "thematic sequel" -- in spirit, not plot -- to the 1960 low-budget British sci-fi film Village of the Damned (remade in 1995 by John Carpenter), Anton M. Leader's Children of the Damned isn't always as contentious as its title suggests. Despite an admittedly intriguing first act and a few bright spots later on, it mostly smooths over the rough edges of its predecessor with safer sentiments, creating what's probably a more accessible film while simultaneously missing some of what makes the original work so well. Maybe call this one The Day the Kids Stood Still?

The first act mostly follows British psychologist Tom Lewellin (Ian Hendry) and geneticist David Neville (Alan Badel) after their testing of an incredibly gifted boy named Paul (Clive Powell) who solves a complex puzzle in 34 1⁄2 seconds; this is not only much faster than his adult contemporaries, but it's the exact same time as five other children recently identified around the globe. One by one, we meet them: Mi Ling (Yoke-Moon Lee) of China, Rashid (Mahdu Mathen) of India, Nina (Roberta Rex) of Russia, Mark (Frank Summerscale) of America, and Aga (Gerald Delsol) of Nigeria... and there are striking similarities between the five aside from their mental abilities. All are unusually quiet, blank-faced, and raised by single mothers... but what's more, those women shy away from questions about the respective dads, who are often dismissed without even a name given. Do they have the same father, or perhaps none at all?

There's also the whole mind-control thing, too: Paul's mother Diana (Sheila Allen), clearly fearful of her son after Tom and David leave, is an early victim of Paul's telepathy. During a visit by Diana's sister Susan (Barbara Ferris) in her... uh, absence, the children break out of their embassies and finally unite with one another. (Imagine the Planeteers, but a few years younger and chaotic evil.) Occasionally taking control of Susan's mind, they eventually set up shop in an abandoned London church, working together to build a defensive weapon and keep authority figures at bay. But with more than a few injuries and deaths on their hands already, what was once a simple series of tests is now a tense standoff involving doctors, the military, and the kids, who may or may not in fact be human in origin.

Similarities from the previous films are clearly present: sci-fi intrigue, mysterious telepaths and, of course, the moral no-no of single motherhood resulting from mysterious pregnancies. But the key difference here is actually a third-act twist, which obviously won't be spoiled for new viewers but hinges on a more pacifist message that stands in direct contrast to Village of the Damned. Even so, its finale is more of a "gotcha" moment than a peaceful resolution -- one that actually happens by accident and, while hardly a crowd-pleaser, at least makes an impression. But as a whole, Children of the Damned doesn't quite earn this dramatic coda, seeming more like a thinly-veiled re-tread of previous territory that, while shocking in some ways, still feels smoothed over and sanitized while simultaneously trying too hard to pull at our emotions. Still, it's well worth a once-over for the cinematography and performances alone, which range from good to great, and die-hard fans of the original may have a nostalgic soft-spot for this follow-up.

Warner Archive's Blu-ray (which should have been a double-feature like the 2004 DVD set) nonetheless provides ample support including another outstanding restoration and two extras ported over from that older collection.

Children of the Damned Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

No surprise here: Warner Archive has delivered another stunning 1080p transfer that keeps the pace with their steady output of top-tier efforts. As with most of their catalog titles, Children of the Damned is sourced from a recent high-resolution scan of original film elements; in this case, likely the camera negative. Fine detail and textures are uniformly outstanding; close, mid-range, and wide shots burst with clarity, especially the disarming first-person conversations (above) and scenes shot in the abandoned London church where most of the film's second half takes place (below). Most of these interior scenes are simply lit by nothing more than exterior sources and lamps, albeit arranged in a way to maximize visual interest through strong contrast and interesting shadows -- it's very similar to a classic noir film in its base-level appearance, which gives Children of the Damned a familiar style that, while tied to the earlier Village, nonetheless leaves its own stamp on the franchise. Rare special effects, such as the children's glowing eyes, hold up and even blend in surprisingly well despite the format's higher resolution. As usual, this is a very clean picture thanks to Warner Archive's usual round of careful manual cleanup which has removed virtually all traces of dirt, debris, and damage while preserving the film's original grain structure and density. It's top-notch work indeed.

Children of the Damned Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Likewise, the DTS-HD 2.0 (Mono) Master Audio resulting from this new restoration makes Children of the Damned sound several decades younger than it actually is. Although I'm not 100% sure of the source elements used for this restoration, dialogue is particularly robust with absolutely no hiss, pops, crackles, or other notable defects. Even the high ends fare well with no apparent clipping, and the same goes for its original score by prolific British composer Ron Goodwin (returning from Village of the Damned with a few recycled elements). Overall, this is one of the better mono tracks I've heard in recent memory and easily outpaces the lossy track from Warner Bros.' earlier DVD.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles have been included during the main feature only.

Children of the Damned Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with appropriately creepy cover artwork and no inserts of any kind. Both bonus features are carried over from the previous 2004 double-feature DVD release.

• Audio Commentary - This 2004 audio commentary with original screenwriter John Briley is nice to hear again; not only because it offers a first-hard account of the film's construction, but it's more meaningful due to Briley's death only two years ago. Topics of interest include developing the story, the earlier Village of the Damned and its source novel (John Wyndham's The Midwich Cuckoos), Hollywood's blacklist, and much more. Obviously it leans much more heavily on themes and story elements than traditional behind-the-scenes fare like casting and technical details, but within those boundaries this track is definitely worth a once-over.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:24) - This bombastically awful promotional piece can also be seen here.

Children of the Damned Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Anton M. Leader's Children of the Damned is a fitfully impressive but less satisfying experience than its spiritual predecessor, the highly influential Village of the Damned, as it simply retro-fits familiar sci-fi elements onto a younger template with mixed results. Even so, it's got a certain era-specific charm and I'd imagine that fans of the original will at least find this quasi-sequel to be worth a look, whether or not they have a nostalgic attachment. Warner Archive's Blu-ray will certainly win over the undecided, probably more so for its sterling A/V restoration than the pair of recycled DVD-era bonus features. Recommended to fans, but newcomers may want to try before they buy.