De si gentils petits... monstres !

This is one of those movies that is like an idiot step-child--it's totally moronic but still strangely hard to dislike. When so many horror movies are so transparently and unimaginatively exploitative, it's refreshing to see a movie so ludicrous and completely off-the-wall that god only knows WHAT it's trying to exploit. Is it trying to prey on every parent's fear that their lovable moppets will turn into radioactive zombies? Is it trying to make an environmental statement about how nuclear waste will turn children's fingernails black and make them kill every adult they touch? Is it trying to impress the gorehounds with its incredible special effects (i.e. dry ice and black fingernail polish)? Someone ought to put this movie, "The Carrier" (1987), and "The Pit" (1982)all on a single DVD compilation and call it "WHAT THE HELL?!..." or something like that. I'd definitely buy it.

I saw this when I was five years old--my parents were oddly fine with letting me watch any horror flick I wanted. This has had some long-lasting issues, to say the least.

My memory of the movie is a bit hazy. I've described it to many people over the years, searching for someone who knew the title. Alas, no one ever recognized it. Never thought to search it online (one of those things, I guess) until now. I remembered the poisonous fog, the school bus, and the burning hands of the children. Unfortunately, my memory also included purple hamburger-like patties in the palms of the children's hands--the source of their awesome burning power. Strange what you think you remember.

Back on point, awesome awful nonsensical horror film of the 80's.

This B-grade horror flick has some surprising special effects, and a completely predictable twist ending. When a school bus drives into the fog from a nuclear plant leak, the children inside are transformed into black-fingernailed zombies that incinerate anyone they touch, apparently from the inside-out. My fondness for this movie probably stems from the circumstances in which I saw it--I was 12 or 13, alone in front of the TV at my sister's house at around 2 AM,watching a "rated R movie(!)" I had been expressly forbidden to see. I'm not sure whether I was more afraid of the movie or an adult catching me, but either way, it was good fun. I'm looking forward to the day this one is finally released on DVD.

A leak at a nuclear plant releases a toxic cloud that poisons all the kids from Ravensback after their school bus drives through it. The kids end up being like zombies with black fingernails and they cause their parents to melt when they touch them. Jeez, talk about your nuclear family! It is up to Sheriff Billy Hart (Gil Rogers) and local dad John Freemont (Martin Shakar) to stop these radioactive little moppets. I saw this as a kid in the early 1980s and it freaked the hell out of me and my sister. It is such a simple premise (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD KIDS), but the filmmakers pull it off with the creepy kids saying nothing more than "Mommy! Mommy!" or "Daddy! Daddy!" with their arms extended. Also, the method of dispatching them (cutting off their hands) is done really effective and it is rare to see kids the subject of on screen carnage. It is a nice production too, with lots of great rural locations. There are also some really bizarre choices when it comes to the town folk. Harry Manfredini provides a score that sounds exactly like his F13 compositions.

I remember watching this movie with my mom and dad late one night on TBS, and I remember how scary it was for me then. That was back in the mid-80's though, today I think somewhat differently. I rented the movie again a few years ago just to jog my memory of it, because all I really remembered was was it was about some kids who can burn people with their hands. Now that I've rewatched it I can judge as an adult. The movie is a good one for people, like me, who love B horror movies. The premise is laughable, who ever heard of toxic gas creating zombie children who can fry people with their hands and be basically invincible to any weapon? There are obviously a lot of unconceivable premises in this movie, but that's what makes it so good. The children can't be destroyed unless their hands are cut off! Too funny. The weirdest part was the pregnant woman who gave birth after her 2 sons have been killed, and she and the father act as if nothing happened. Anyway, I wouldn't tell anyone to stray from this movie, it is a classic and lots of people are willing to pay big bucks for it just because they remember it as a classic horror movie they liked. The friendship I have now, who is also my best friend, came about over this movie. We were talking about horror movies at work during Halloween, and I brought up this movie and she started talking about how much she liked it when she saw it at the drive-in with her family but for years could not remember the title until shined the light on it for her. This movie has a lot of fans out there, and if you haven't seen it and you see it in the video store, rent it. It's one you won't forget!