Disc Reviews

Village Of The Damned Blu-ray Review

• 21st Apr 2015

The small town of Midwich is overcome by a strange force that sees everyone simultaneously pass out for a short period. Once they have woken – several of the towns women have found themselves pregnant. 9 months later they all give birth to the children who start to evolve into pale skinned, white haired, emotionless intellectuals with psychic abilities.

The effect the children have on the townsfolk soon starts to turn deadly as often the adu7ults find themselves prisoners to their own children. Then in comes government officials (lead by Kirstie Alley) and the heat starts to get turned up as we discover more about who the children are and their purpose here.

John Carpenter’s is back in remake territory with this film adaptation from the mid-90s.

Christopher Reeve, Kirstie Alley, Michael Paré and Linda Kozlowski are not names commonly found as the leading cast of any movie these days – but in fact, even when this film came out in 1995, all of the cast on board had already passed their prime in the 80s.

Michael Paré is almost pointless casting as he barely has any time in the movie to give any impact for anything as he is exits the picture in the opening scenes.

Kirstie Alley is perhaps the film’s biggest sore spot as she “baggy overcoats” her body and entire time on screen with a very lazy performance. As a character that is meant to provoke fear and especially paranoia she never delivers. Even her exit from the picture is very lacklustre. Perhaps if Carpenter has rehired his old They Live actress Meg Foster he would have at least got an actress who looks sinister.

Thank the heavens above then for Christopher Reeve. The former man of steel delivers a convincing performance and shows that he at least was willing to show up for work even when others in their prime were not.

The Blu-ray release actually has done the film some merit. The widescreen scope helps what is an otherwise televisual movie.

There are no extras sadly, but picture quality is actually looking pretty good – which will stand in good stead with carpenter fans.

Village of the Damned may have been misconceived, largely miscast and just missed on all cylinders upon its release, but time has in some way been kind to it. It’s by no means a good film, but it isn’t the disaster zone that we may have once thought it was when it came out.

Steven Hurst