90s Sci-Fi Alien Invasion From Master Of Horror Will Creep You Out
Alien invasion films tend to go one of two ways: they either show a massive alien fleet like Independence Day or Edge of Tomorrow, or they tell a small-scale, intimate story like Signs. One of the best, most intense, and downright creepiest alien invasion movies ever made is Village of the Damned, the 1995 remake helmed by John Carpenter that updated the 1960 original for a modern audience. What makes the film so unsettling is that the invaders, this time, are children.
Children Are Creepy
Village of the Damned starts with the entire town of Midwitch blacking out for six hours, complete with one unfortunate man that fell forward onto his grill while blacked out. Strangely, ten women are now pregnant, and all of them give birth on the same night, at the same time, and all of them, five boys and four girls, look the exact same with stark white hair, pale skin, and haunting eyes, except for one that was stillborn, hauled away by Dr. Verner (Kirstie Alley) before anyone can get a look at her.
There’s something off about the children, who appear to have a type of hivemind and soon display psychic powers, demonstrated in a truly disturbing sequence as one girl, Mara, gets angry when her mother accidentally serves her soup that’s too hot, forcing her mother to put her hand in the boiling pot.
A Historic Christopher Reeve Performance
Christopher Reeve, the best Superman ever, gives his final performance before he was left paralyzed, playing Dr. Alan Chaffee. Dr. Chaffee is Mara’s “father,” and when his wife is compelled to jump off a cliff, he starts to take action against the children, who, by now, have taken to walking around town in pairs. The local priest, played by Mark Hamill, also tries to solve the problem, convinced that the children are spawn of the devil, but well, he has mixed results.
Less Gore, More Existential Dread
I first watched Village of the Damned years after its release, and after The Simpsons did a parody of it for a Treehouse of Horror, so watching the movie was a series of “hey, that’s where that one scene came from” moments for me. The film is also a different type of horror than what John Carpenter, the man behind Halloween and The Thing, is known for, as there’s almost no gore, and it is mostly filled with creepy, suspenseful moments. Instead, the true horror comes from the characters’ realizing they are under the control of the children and forced to act against their own will.
A Failure On Multiple Levels With Some Redeeming Qualities
Village of the Damned was a dismal failure at the box office, bringing in under $10 million, and most critics brutally took it down. Even today, on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s rotten, with a 30 percent critical rating and a 28 percent audience rating. I argue it’s not the greatest movie ever made, but even a half-interested John Carpenter is able to get across a pervasive feeling of dread and unease, which makes the film crawl under your skin for years.
We’re Due For Another Remake
REVIEW SCORE
If nothing else, Village of the Damned has a historical Christopher Reeve performance and a final moment that will leave you wondering about the true, insidious nature of the invaders. You can stream it today on Tubi and Peacock. We’re also about due for another remake, so imagine how a new version directed by Jordan Peele, James Wan, or Jennifer Kent would go.
