Children of the Damned Movie Review

In the fall of 1963, Anton Leader tried to duplicate the success of the original Village of the Damned with Children of the Damned. Ian Hendry and Alan Badel (both wearing obvious rugs) run around town trying to figure out what an international batch of alien-spawned children have in mind. Barbara Ferris is on hand to translate because NONE of those whiz kiddies can act. To make a story like this work, you really have to go for the audience's visceral connection with the material. Long military strategy sequences and endless philosophizing just don't cut it. The lack of a deeply impassioned protagonist (which, yeah, even snide George Sanders could be when he halfway tried, as he did in Village) ultimately scuttled whatever dreams the producers may have had for 10 more damned children sequels.

1963 90m/B GB Ian Hendry, Alan Badel, Barbara Ferris, Alfred Burke, Sheila Allen, Clive Powell, Frank Summerscales, Mahdu Mathen, Gerald Delsol, Roberta Rex, Franchesca Lee, Harold Goldblatt, Ralph Michael, Martin Miller, Lee Yoke-Moon; D: Anton Leader; W: John Briley; C: David Boulton. VHS, LV