Amazon.com video review:
The original 1960 version of Village of the Damned is
regarded as a classic of science-fiction and horror, and it remains
one of the creepiest movies of its kind. Directed with occasional
flair by John Carpenter, this 1995 remake trades subtlety for more
explicit chills and violence, but the basic premise remains
effectively eerie. In the tiny, idyllic town of Midwich, a strange
mist causes the entire population to fall asleep, and when everyone
awakes the town physician (Christopher Reeve) discovers that 10
women--including his wife and a local teenaged virgin--have
mysteriously become pregnant. Their children are all born on the same
day, with matching white hair and strange, glowing eyes, growing at an
accelerated rate and raising Reeve's suspicion that they're not of
Earthly origin. These demonic brats can control minds and wreak havoc
with the power of their thoughts--so of course, they must be
destroyed! Only Reeve knows how to get the job done, and his
performance (the actor's last big-screen role before his paralyzing
accident in 1995) grounds this otherwise superfluous remake with
enough credibility to hold the viewer's attention. But for the real
chills, definitely check out the original
version--it's 20 minutes shorter but twice as spooky. --Jeff
Shannon
