favorite movie #76 - halloween edition: village of the damned

Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #76 - Village of the Damned (1960) - Sticking with the creepy kids theme started yesterday with The Omen, is one of my favorite sci-fi horror films, Village of the Damned. It was based on the novel by John Wyndham, The Midwich Cuckoos, about the invasion of an alien race — this time through the birth of a new generation of creepy kids, as opposed to the pod people in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. In a small village of Midwich in England one day everyone suddenly falls unconscious. When they awake a few hours later everyone seems to be fine — that is, until a few months later, when it is discovered that every woman in the village of childbearing age is pregnant. All the women give birth on the same day to extremely blond children with shining eyes, and soon, the ability to read minds. One of the children's "fathers," Professor Zellaby (George Sanders), tries to  at first study, protect, and then reason with the children. But soon it is clear that the children may not want to live with the citizens of Midwich in harmony, but rather want to control them ... but for what purpose?

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scary monsters and super creepy kids

throwback (halloween) thursday: scary monsters and super creepy kids

October is almost halfway gone, and I haven't really indulged in the Halloween spirit yet. Here's a post from last year, when I was in the middle of a Halloween movie marathon, that I hope will help jumpstart my spooky mood. Plus, I wouldn't mind seeing some of these scary movies again, either.


scary monsters and super creepy kids
(post originally posted on October 24, 2013)

After watching a bunch of scary and spooky movies in honor of this spooktacular Halloween season, especially The Awakening and The Haunting of Julia, it occurred to me that more often than not, especially in ghost movies, the chills are centered around a child, whether dead or alive. This most likely touches on all of our inner children, as that is what most reacts to the things that go bump in the night, what truly scares us. I tend to prefer such movies, which focus more on the psychological aspects of fear, as opposed to slash and gore-fests.

The kids from Village of the Damned

Some of the best horror movies are kid-centered. Here are some of my favorites:

Creepy kids from another world:

Village of the Damned (1960)

Rock-a-bye Rosemary's Baby

The Devil made them do it:

Rosemary's Baby (1968)
The Omen (1976)

Brother and sister in their haunted house with an uninvited guest

Hold that ghost:

The Uninvited (1944)
Don't Look Now (1973)
The Shining (1980)

Clowns never cease to be super-creepy: Poltergeist

Poltergeist (1982)
The Others (2001)
ParaNorman (2012)

Can you come out to play in 'Salem's Lot?

Vampires and Witches, oh my:

'Salem's Lot (1979)
Let Me In (2010)

There are plenty more, but ones that I don't really want to see again, like The Exorcist, Audrey Rose, and The Ring. Have I forgotten any of your favorite creepy spooky kids?