A Estirpe dos Malditos

The inexplicable appearance of a group of children, advanced 1 million years beyond Mankind's genetic development, causes fear among the governments of the world. When the authorities try to contain them, the children respond with deadly telepathic force.

This is a rare instance of a sequel being better than the original. The 1960 adaptation of John Wyndham's Midwich Cuckoos, filmed as Village Of The Damned, was a highly memorable and influential movie in its own right. However, it was also a product of post-war British film making complete with cozy, somewhat gentrified attitudes to class, sex and an illusory rural idyll. This was exemplified by George Sanders' typically suave performance as the smoking-jacket clad, martini sipping hero. Children Of The Damned is a much tougher affair. This time the action takes place in the dark, grim, urban backstreets of early sixties London - not so much swinging as downright gothic.

Rather than the aliens invaders of the first film, the children here are a human super-species, socially and intellectually incompatible with the rest of humanity. They don't seem to mean any harm, but their eerily cold and quiet presence provokes the authorities into a fearful contemplation of what they might do. John Briley's adult and intelligent script takes an insightful look at how our inherently insecure systems of authority might hunt and destroy that which merely suggests a challenge to their control.

The cast is excellent. Ian Hendry and Alan Badel as the two conscientious scientists trying to fathom the children's secret, are terrific. They bounce Briley's sometimes caustically witty lines between them with a delightful, naturalistic touch. The rest of the cast play it for keeps too, imparting a sense of urgency and, as with Alfred Burke's government man, icy menace.

The children themselves are surprisingly well played. No brattish over-acting here. Instead, the group of young, multi-racial actors exude a perfect sense of other-worldly calm, and, when necessary, chilling ruthlessness.

The film's technical credits are excellent. Cinematographer Davis Boulton's vivid black and white images ensure that Children of the Damned is one of the best photographed British films of the era. The special effects are simple (glowing eyes) but startlingly effective. The late, great Ron Goodwin was a composer best known for comedies and war films, but here he provided a subtler kind of score which suggests both the child-like and the ethereal. It was one of his best.

The main plaudits must go to director Anton M. Leader. His handling of actors, the imaginative staging and his pictorial compositions, particularly towards the climax, are outstanding. For example, the scene depicting a group of gunmen trying, somewhat disastrously, to capture (or kill) the children in a derelict church is a tour de force of tension and horror. Yes, horror. This movie may have children in it, but it isn't a children's film.

In all, this is much more than a quick cash-in sequel. It deserves credit for making an early stab at confronting the ethics of genetics, and for being, along with the Quatermass movies, that rare thing; a thought provoking, grown-up science fiction film.

Although it is often referred to as a sequel to "Village of the Damned", the plot differs in enough ways to make the claim seriously questionable. No mention is made of the events in the first film. The only real similarity is that the story concerns six children who are perceived as a threat to mankind because they possess strange telepathic and mind-control powers.

Unlike the first film, however, the children are of different nationalities (not identical blonds, as the children in the first film) and they do not mature at an accelerated rate.

It's as if the basic premise (six superintelligent kids who are a threat to mankind) was reworked into a new story. The children are explained as being "quantum leaps in evolution" (not alien offspring, as in the first film). And yet the story never clarifies why they were all born at approximately the same time in different parts of the world (coincidence?). When one sympathetic government agent asks the children, "Why are you here?", the children reply "We don't know."

A line of dialogue by a major character, stating that the children are here to help mankind, was later edited from the film. Too bad.

Mankind, rather than the kids, are portrayed as the bad guys. Despite some confusion over these basic plot elements, director Anton M. Leader does deliver a clear message concerning the hate, fear, and intolerance which society feels towards anyone who doesn't "fit in", as well as the greed for power which nations feel in their efforts to gain dominance over each other.

Children of the Damned is not so much a sequel to Village of the Damned as a supplement to it. This time it's children in the heart of London who are displaying terrifying powers. Instead of personalising the story as in the first film, this time screenwriter John Briley enlarges the scope to encompass some philosophical questions: what right does man have to interfere with evolution? Who's more scared, the adults or the children?

And of course, nature vs. nurture? Highly recommended, Children of the Damned is a fine example of British science fiction filmmaking, as good as Five Million Years to Earth.

Children of the Damned has generally been considered grossly inferior to Village of the Damned. I beg to differ as the point of both movies is quite different. In Village of the Damned the children were the result of alien insemination (presumably) and were simply evil. In Children of the Damned they are the result of a jump in evolution and they, themselves, are unsure of who they are and why they are here. The mystery is cleared up however when Paul makes a very eloquent speech near the end of the movie where he states that they have realized that they are here to help mankind. This speech no longer exists on the video version. It apparently was edited out at some point. However without it the ending makes no sense. The dropped screwdriver is played as a tragedy in the movie which contradicts the impression that the children are evil. In fact what the movie is about is a religious theme about how mankind kills its saviors.

Five super-intelligent, emotionless children are discovered around the world. They also have the power to control peoples minds (their eyes glow when they do this). They're all taken to London to be studied but they escape and barricade themselves in an old, abandoned church. But what do they want?

Not as good as the original "Village..." but this sequel showed real promise. It's effectively filmed in moody black & white and has some very talented British actors giving good performances. Also the kids themselves are extremely spooky--especially when their eyes are glowing. It also shows how various countries want to use the children for their own gain. It also leads up to a (sadly) violent climax leaving most of the questions unanswered. Basically, it's a cop out and that's too bad. If you're going to set up a situation like this at least give it an ending...don't just end with violence (although that may be the point). Some people think this is better than the original but I disagree. Still, I was never bored and admired the direction and photography. Worth seeing, if you can handle the lousy ending.