Subject: REVIEW: VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1995)

From: [email-masked] (Stephen Rafferty)
Date: Wed, 10 May 1995 15:29:57 GMT

VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1995)
		       A film review by Stephen Rafferty
			Copyright 1995 Stephen Rafferty

*- Bad, a dog.
**- Poor, not much worth seeing
***- Good, had it's good moments
****- Great, well worth seeing
*****- First rate, probably one of the years best.
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VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED  **

Directed by John Carpenter
Starring: Christover Reeve, Kirstie Alley.

     Based on the 1960 screenplay of the original of this sci-fi
horror, which is based on John Wyndham's book THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS, this
is a disappointing film for Carpenter.  Although possessing a fleetish
B-movie feel, which works partly, Carpenter does not create the mood of
a town in havoc which we so expect from him.  Carpenter (HALLOWEEN, THE
THING) has been most successful when he sticks to the aura of horror as
opposed to the physicality of it. Unfortunately he failed for the most
part here.  Reeve (SUPERMAN) plays the village Doctor in a small town
which is suddenly hit by an unexplainable blackout.  Following this
blackout, all the women of child-bearing age become pregnant (including
a virgin) and give birth to strange children who possess the same
characteristics, one of which is the ability to make humans
self-destruct.

     As you would expect, the children go on a mad killing rampage, and
Reeve tries to stop them.  One of the most disjointed parts of the film
is government Doctor Alley (LOOK WHO'S TALKING XXXVII) who one can never
determine whether she is just an evil representative of Big Brother,
being controlled by the children, or just plain mischievous and dull!  Of
course, we are set up with an ending battle between good and evil, and
guess who wins!

     There is some nifty photography and the SFX in the children's eyes
is well done, but not enough to take this  film into the enjoyable
arena.

     Carpenter needs to get his act together and start looking at his
older films, especially HALLOWEEN and THE THING to re-learn how to
direct suspenseful horror.

Stephen Rafferty
Florida State University