Village of the Damned

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Village of the Damned

1960

1h 18m

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

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42 Reviews

78%

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5,000+ Ratings

One day the peaceful village of Midwich is cast into a mysterious sleep for several hours, but with no obvious consequences, until soon all the women of child-bearing age turn out to be pregnant. Their children are all born at the same time, and grow quickly into very spooky young people, with strange white-blonde hair and eerie eyes.

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Critics Consensus

Chilling performances and a restrained, eerie atmosphere make this British horror both an unnerving parable of its era and a timeless classic.

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Times (UK) Staff

The Times (UK)

09/28/2022

Fantasy is tricky material to handle, on the screen even more so than in print, and Village of the Damned... is to be congratulated on making a creditable shot at a difficult job.

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Patrick Gibbs

Daily Telegraph (UK)

09/28/2022

[Provides] a good deal of harmless excitement before the invention finally runs down... Here the fantasy always seems more credible than the reality, with the result that we are more amused than chilled.

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Guardian Staff

Guardian

09/28/2022

The story is most ingenious and is told by Wolf Rilla with just the right laconic touch.

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Kevin Carr

Fat Guys at the Movies

11/18/2023

4/4

A chilling story of passive alien invasion and paranoia.

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C.A. Lejeune

Observer (UK)

09/28/2022

Written and handled with a considerable amount of delicacy, it may possibly appeal more to the adults than the adolescents, and the further you have moved away from the fantasy the more you will understand its chill.

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Keith Brace

Birmingham Post

09/28/2022

The thoughtful, serio-comic book has become a much watered-down, rather mild horror film, as thick with clichés as the Midwich hedges with sukebind.

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Peter G

@Petermovielover Jan 10

Such an original idea (taken from a novel) & a real gem that grabbed me right from the beginning. Despite the fact that the actual alien impregnating procedure is left somewhat unexplained this great little 77 minute thriller is a classic of its kind, IMO. Imagine George Sanders in a sympathetic role & he handles it very well indeed. However, he & the entire cast must bow to creepy little Martin Stephens as the ostensible leader of the alien children who threaten the sanity & future of the village after they are born & develop their unique & dangerous intellectual powers. Also catch Stephens as a memorable Miles following this in THE INNOCENTS, for me the best film adaptation from Henry James THE TIRN OF THE SCREW. Reviewed by Peter Graham

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Noel L

Oct 30

I got a bit of a Children of the Corn vibe with a twist of another film that I can't put my finger on. Overall a very good movie

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Isaiah Y

@zayman2 Oct 24

Great plot makes this a horror classic

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Sep 15

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas de terror são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom, e o filme tem um suspense bacaninha, e o final é bom.

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Lau S

@LaurainSilentill Jul 29

I love this horror movie! Damn great!

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Michael C

@Michael71 Jun 23

I was going to give "Village of the Damned" a three-star rating, but I added a half star more mainly because I was impressed by how well the cast did in their respective roles. While I did not love "Village of the Damned", I did like it. The movie has a very well written script, as stated previously, the cast is very good and I was never bored. The best performance is given by the late George Sanders. The Academy Award winning actor is terrific as Gordon Zellaby. A school professor who is both fascinated and terrified by the children born with strange and dangerous abilities. Martin Stephens does a good job as Gordon's "son" David. Seeing how Gordon teach the children and at the same time discovers a way he can ultimately defeat them is a treat as well. "Village of the damned" is a well-made and entertaining movie that is worth seeing at least once. Just remember before you see it, start thinking of a brick wall.

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Wolf Rilla

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Synopsis

One day the peaceful village of Midwich is cast into a mysterious sleep for several hours, but with no obvious consequences, until soon all the women of child-bearing age turn out to be pregnant. Their children are all born at the same time, and grow quickly into very spooky young people, with strange white-blonde hair and eerie eyes.

Director: Wolf Rilla
Producer: Ronald Kinnoch
Screenwriter: Stirling Silliphant, Wolf Rilla, Ronald Kinnoch, John Wyndham
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 7, 1960, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2009
Runtime: 1h 18m

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