‘Beware the stare that will paralyze the will of the world’
Village of the Damned is a 1960 British science fiction horror film by German director Wolf Rilla. The film is adapted from the novel The Midwich Cuckoos (1957) by John Wyndham (Web).
A sequel, Children of the Damned (1963), followed, as did a remake by John Carpenter, also titled Village of the Damned (1995).
The film was originally a 1957 American project, to be filmed at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in Culver City, California. Ronald Colman was contracted for the leading role, but MGM shelved the project, bowing to pressure from religious groups that objected to the apparently sinister depiction of virgin birth.
Ronald Colman died in May 1958—by coincidence, his widow, actress Benita Hume, married actor George Sanders in 1959, and the latter was cast in the role that Colman was originally due to play. The film was transferred to the MGM British Studios.
The blonde wigs that the children wore were padded to give the impression that they had abnormally large heads. The children were lit in such a way as to cause the irises and pupils of their eyes to merge into a large black disc against the whites of their eyes, to give them an eerie look. The American release includes shots where the children’s eyes actually glow.
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Main cast:
George Sanders (Psychomania; The Lodger), Barbara Shelley, (The Gorgon; Blood of the Vampire; Cat Girl) Martin Stephens, Michael Gwynn (Scars of Dracula; What a Carve Up), Laurence Naismith, Richard Warner.
Opening plot:
The inhabitants of the British village of Midwich suddenly fall unconscious, as does anyone entering the village. The military establishes a cordon around Midwich and sends in a man wearing a gas mask, but he, too, falls unconscious and is pulled back with rope. The man awakens and reports experiencing a cold sensation just before passing out. The pilot of a military reconnaissance plane is contacted and asked to investigate. When he flies below 5,000 feet, he loses consciousness and the plane crashes. A five-mile exclusion zone around the village is established for all aircraft. The villagers regain consciousness and apparently are unaffected.
Two months later, all women and girls of childbearing age in the affected area are discovered to be pregnant, sparking many accusations of infidelity and extramarital sex. The accusations fade as the extraordinary nature of the pregnancies is discovered, with seven-month fetuses appearing after only five months.
All the women give birth on the same day. Their children have an unusual appearance, including “arresting” eyes, odd scalp hair construction and colour (platinum blond), and unusually narrow fingernails. As they grow and develop at a rapid rate, it becomes clear they also have a powerful telepathic bond with one another. They can communicate with each other over great distances, and as one learns something, so do the others…
Contemporary reviews:
“As a horror film with a difference it’ll give you the creeps for 77 minutes.” Dilys Powell, The Sunday Times, 20 June 1960
” …as a quietly civilized exercise in the fear and power of the unknown this picture is one of the trimmest, most original and serenely unnerving little chillers in a long time” Howard Thompson, New York Times, 8 Dec 1960
Other reviews:
“This is a horror milestone, not just for its unique concept, but also for the director’s willingness to push the standards of the day at the conclusion of film, which was (and remains) anything but formulaic … Any true horror fan must take a trip back through time once in awhile to remind himself/herself how the genre progressed through the ages and appreciate the particulars of a bygone era.” John Strand, Horror Freak News
“With a chilling performance from Martin Stephens as David, the outspoken leader of the children, Village of the Damned is an incredibly effective thriller. It helps that the film is focused on a group of mind controlling children, always a great choice to sends shivers up someone’s spine” The Film Reel
“Besides a strong cast, who play their parts without a hint of campiness, Village of the Damned also possesses powerful direction from Wolf Rilla. The scenes are crisp and subtle. There is very little onscreen violence, but suspense and suggestion are used competently. Even without a lot of action, we never lose interest in the story.” Exclamation Mark
“The film is remarkably faithful to the novel, but Rilla’s direction is surprisingly pedestrian, failing to make enough of the enigmatic world Wyndham creates.” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction
Cast and characters:
- George Sanders as Gordon Zellaby
- Barbara Shelley as Anthea Zellaby
- Martin Stephens as David Zellaby
- Michael Gwynn as Alan Bernard
- Laurence Naismith as Doctor Willers
- Richard Warner as Harrington
- Jenny Laird as Mrs. Harrington
- Sarah Long as Evelyn Harrington
- Thomas Heathcote as James Pawle
- Charlotte Mitchell as Janet Pawle
- Pamela Buck as Milly Hughes
- Rosamund Greenwood as Miss Ogle
- Susan Richards as Mrs. Plumpton
- Bernard Archard as Vicar
- Peter Vaughan as P.C. Gobby
- John Phillips as General Leighton
- Richard Vernon as Sir Edgar Hargraves
- John Stuart as Professor Smith
- Keith Pyott as Dr. Carlisle
Filming locations:
The village of Letchmore Heath, near Watford. Local buildings, such as The Three Horseshoes Pub and Aldenham School, were used during filming.
Influence:
- The climactic scene in which the children break down Zellaby’s mental brick wall is #92 on the Bravo miniseries 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
- The film is parodied in “Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken,” the eleventh episode of the tenth season of American animated series The Simpsons, as a horror movie titled The Bloodening.
Wikipedia | IMDb | Image credits: Wrong Side of the Art!
