Children of the Damned (1964)
(On Cable TV, September 2020) I’m not sure that the original Village of the Damned needed a follow-up, and after watching Children of the Damned I’m even more convinced of that idea. To be fair, it does not pick up where the explosive finale of the first classic film ended: it takes the idea of hyperintelligent children with no morals and runs with it in a slightly different direction, except without the intriguing buildup of the first film or its likable protagonist. The result is not terrible—it plays with moral ambiguity, has some chilling set-pieces, and ends on a suitably bittersweet note—but it’s not all that interesting either. It’s a remix that does more to evoke memories of the original than to do its own thing, and as such can’t get away from the shadow cast by its predecessor. There are plenty of ways the film could have been made better, especially through a reworked ending. Even for fans of the first film, Children of the Damned is not essential: at best it’s a surprise for those who have seen and enjoyed the first, albeit coming in with low expectations.