Rating: 
Summary: "Hast thou eyes of flesh?"
Review: ". . . Seeist thou as man sees?"These questions are asked in the Book of Proverbs and in John Carpenter's Village of the Damned, a remake of director Wolf Rilla's 1960 version, both adapted from John Wyndham's novel The Midwich Cuckoos. Village of the Damned is the story of the simultaneous births of telepathic children to every woman of child-bearing age in the coastal village of Midwich, California. Carpenter's version is more bloody than the version set in Midwich, England, starring George Sanders (but, like many of Carpenter's movies, not as bloody as people think). Carpenter's remake is more hopeful. Maybe the filmmakers wanted to leave the story open for a sequel, or maybe the survival of one of the children without his extraterrestrial mate is meant to show the possibility of union between the two inimical species. ("Are we to pity you?" asks Mara, daughter of the town doctor and leader of the alien children, as she explains the facts of cosmic evolution to her father.) The woman quoting Proverbs is the wife of the minister killed by the children before he can shoot their leader. The minister's wife leads torch-bearing villagers who might have come from a forties Universal horror film. Though put to the children, the question (Are you human?) is also directed at the other villagers and at us. This Village of the Damned begins with the same deliberate pacing of the original film, a mark of British horror. Something passes over Midwich and everyone blacks out for six hours. Not everyone wakes up. If there's a theme it's what duty parents owe their children. Children often seem like alien monsters even when they weren't conceived in a blackout by an interstellar cloud. Children demand food and education about the world and ultimately they demand that their parents step aside - - die - - for them to inherit it. Here there are good reasons for parents to feel uneasy about their soon-to-be-born offspring - - some women are virgins or have been separated from their husbands so the children couldn't have been conceived normally. But none of the parents reject the children for that reason. The mothers have no choice. After the mass conceptions they all have dreams of carrying their babies to term - - the first telepathic action of the childrens' group mind. The men accept the children, too. The angriest husband, who's been away for months, at first leaves his wife, but then joins her in the huge delivery room where all the children are born on the same night. After the children are born the adults, even their parents, aren't safe. The childrens' urge to survive and the knowledge that one species or the other will dominate causes them to play on the emotional bond that exists for the parents, especially the mothers, without being hampered by it themselves. This isn't much different than the biological adaptation normal infants have acquired to ensure their survival. David is the exception, the one whose ties to the group mind are weakest. One of the children was stillborn and taken away by a government scientist (or was it?). She was to be David's partner. Mara tells David that his lack of a mate does make him less valuable to the group. As the children realize they have to escape the town and their parents' control - - grow up - - the town doctor, Mara's father, has the opportunity (and therefore the responsiblility) to try to save humanity. David, too, makes a choice. Parents, especially ones with green-eyed children, might have some disturbing thoughts after watching this movie.
Rating:
Summary: "Hast thou eyes of flesh?"
Review: ". . . Seeist thou as man sees?" These questions are asked in the Book of Proverbs and in John Carpenter's Village of the Damned, a remake of director Wolf Rilla's 1960 version, both adapted from John Wyndham's novel The Midwich Cuckoos. Village of the Damned is the story of the simultaneous births of telepathic children to every woman of child-bearing age in the coastal village of Midwich, California. Carpenter's version is more bloody than the version set in Midwich, England, starring George Sanders (but, like many of Carpenter's movies, not as bloody as people think). Carpenter's remake is more hopeful. Maybe the filmmakers wanted to leave the story open for a sequel, or maybe the survival of one of the children without his extraterrestrial mate is meant to show the possibility of union between the two inimical species. ("Are we to pity you?" asks Mara, daughter of the town doctor and leader of the alien children, as she explains the facts of cosmic evolution to her father.) The woman quoting Proverbs is the wife of the minister killed by the children before he can shoot their leader. The minister's wife leads torch-bearing villagers who might have come from a forties Universal horror film. Though put to the children, the question (Are you human?) is also directed at the other villagers and at us. This Village of the Damned begins with the same deliberate pacing of the original film, a mark of British horror. Something passes over Midwich and everyone blacks out for six hours. Not everyone wakes up. If there's a theme it's what duty parents owe their children. Children often seem like alien monsters even when they weren't conceived in a blackout by an interstellar cloud. Children demand food and education about the world and ultimately they demand that their parents step aside - - die - - for them to inherit it. Here there are good reasons for parents to feel uneasy about their soon-to-be-born offspring - - some women are virgins or have been separated from their husbands so the children couldn't have been conceived normally. But none of the parents reject the children for that reason. The mothers have no choice. After the mass conceptions they all have dreams of carrying their babies to term - - the first telepathic action of the childrens' group mind. The men accept the children, too. The angriest husband, who's been away for months, at first leaves his wife, but then joins her in the huge delivery room where all the children are born on the same night. After the children are born the adults, even their parents, aren't safe. The childrens' urge to survive and the knowledge that one species or the other will dominate causes them to play on the emotional bond that exists for the parents, especially the mothers, without being hampered by it themselves. This isn't much different than the biological adaptation normal infants have acquired to ensure their survival. David is the exception, the one whose ties to the group mind are weakest. One of the children was stillborn and taken away by a government scientist (or was it?). She was to be David's partner. Mara tells David that his lack of a mate does make him less valuable to the group. As the children realize they have to escape the town and their parents' control - - grow up - - the town doctor, Mara's father, has the opportunity (and therefore the responsiblility) to try to save humanity. David, too, makes a choice. Parents, especially ones with green-eyed children, might have some disturbing thoughts after watching this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable enough!
Review: Being that I am not familiar with the story behind Village Of The Damned, or the John Wyndham novel (The Midwich Cuckoos) upon which it is based, I will try to keep my overview of the plot brief.
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.
Rating: 
Summary: Not scary and only slightly interesting.
Review: Director John Carpenter has steeped to beyond the lowest level with this film, which barely emanates any scares at all. I found this film to be not only overly violent, but disappointing in several areas. Carpenter's remake of the 1960 original is bland, yet for some reason, I felt compelled to watch the film. Some scenes are very disturbing (the scene where Alley must perform an autopsy on herself while still alive is the most disturbing suicide/death I've seen in a while) and they are everywhere throughout the film. We get to see a woman put her arm in a boiling pan, a man get impaled with a broomstick, a man burn to death on the grill, and of course, a self-autopsy (yuck!). It seems as if somebody dies every 2 minutes. After about the first 2000 (it seems like) deaths, I felt completely dehumanized - that is, until the dreaded scene with Kirstie Alley. Even Carpenter fans should be warned about the disappointing quality of this film. The children radiate an aura of eerie quality however, which tends to give you the creeps on maybe... 2 occasions. Avoid this, unless you are specifically looking for a bland, predictable, and violent B-movie. Grade: D
Rating:
Summary: The Village People
Review: Horror master John Carpenter's 1995 remake of the 1960 film, of the same name, takes the original premise and adds a modern spin. The first time I saw the film, I have to say that, I thought it was just OK. When I looked at the movie again recently, I found myself gaining new respect for the film. It may not be tops among Carpenter films, but Village Of The Damned, isn't a total wash either. In the California coastal town of Midwich, a strange unseen force causes the entire town to be rendered unconscience. When the populace reawakens, it is discovered the pregnancy rate has increased. The locals are at a loss to explain the cause. Soon, ten strange children are born, at the same time. All of them possessing platinum blone hair, piercing green eyes and supernatural powers. The intelligent, quiet children are instantly disliked by the townspeople. When residents begin to die under strange curcumstances, the first suspects are the "special" children. It's up to Dr. Alan Chaffee (Christopher Reeve, before his tragic horse riding accident) and Dr. Susan Verner (Kirstie Alley) to discover the truth and stop the children from destroying the town. Carpenter infuses the film with plenty of his usual touches. The performances from Reeve and Alley are solid and the effects pretty good. The "kids" are genuinely creepy, all of this makes the film better than I remember. The movie script does have a number of problems that are troublesome and its finale seems a bit contrived. The extras on the DVD are pretty slim at best. Production notes and the theatrical trailer are all you get. While more substantial bonus material, would have been nice, given the final product--I can almost see why things ended up the way they did. Recomended as a rental or for rabid fans of Carpenter's work
Rating: 
Summary: VERY creepie
Review: I can remeber very little of this movie because i saw it when i was about 8 and i am now 14. All I remember was this mist coming over the vilage and putting every one to sleep making the wemon pregnat and them having demonic children that can make you do freaky things. For instants that scene where that one mother gave her child that hot soup and the child made the mother stick her hand in the boiling pot of water (ouch)Then that one scene where the children are at the eye doctor and the lead child comes in and makes the doctor put the eye drops in her eyes (ouch!) Then the last scene where Reeve's is in the barn and the dinomite blows them up. Thats all i remember. A must own!
Rating:
Summary: One of Carpenter's Most Underrated Films
Review: I found the plot of this movie to be very interesting. I felt that it held that interest the entire way through. I also believe that Carpenter films get better with age. I admit, I only like a few. But this one, along with In the Mouth of Madness is highly underrated. People hate it and I can understand why. It is rather cheesy at times. But I dont think the ending was that predictable. Again, give it a try for yourself. This movie was entertaining and I don't regret seeing it.
Rating:
Summary: it was kinda so-so. I recommend RENTING it first!
Review: I found this movie kinda creepy but not that scary. It was predictable and the ending seemed like one of those cheap ones where the company is running out of money so they throw something together real fast. I was disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: My review of Village of The Damned.
Review: I have seen the movie Village of the damned & I rate it 4 stars! It's almost the best movie that was ever thought up! The town of Midwich undergoes an errie twist after a black out occurs & ten women mysteriously find themselves pregnet! When the children are born one dies. One time at lunch Maara's cobolt eyes go into effect causing her mother to put her arm into a boiling pan of water! Later Barbra (mother) dies as a result of Maara! In the end all but one die thanks to Alan chaefea (locol doctor & Maara's father)! One survived, David, most likly because of his devolopment of emotions. I rate this 4 stars! Ausome movie!
Rating:
Summary: This movie ROCKS!!!
Review: I have to say, that this has to be the best (scary) movie in my book. I remember seeing a commercial on TV that they were going to air it. And I was just terrified of glowing eyes, and because of that, I just had to watch it!! I went about 2 or 3 or maybe even 4 years without seeing it again. I didnt even know the title! But one day in the video rental place, I saw that cover, and I saw those 3 children, and knew that was it!!! So I got it, and loved it just as much as before! Now I wouldent get the video of it, get the DVD!!! Because the video is missing 50% of the picture!!! I got so used to the VHS, that when I got the DVD, everything was 10 times better, because I was seeing things that I never saw before! Widescreen is the way to go! Buy or rent this movie today! Dont listen to the people who dis the movie, see for yourself! You wont regret it!
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