It is hard not to be suspicious about where Stephen King might have got his "inspiration" for "Children of the Corn" when you witness the striking plot similarities between his novel/movie and the little-known but notable spanish movie "Quien puede matar a un nino?", which was also based on a novel. The subject of children who become a menace has been treated several times in horror cinema(e.g. Village Of The Damned, The Exorcist) because the idea of seemingly-innocent beings hiding dark and murderous forces within them is especially mind-bending and terrifying. Director Ibanez-Serrador (who later became more famous in Spain for directing TV game shows (!)) tries to make the most of this concept, and, although the final result suffers a bit from poor acting and lack of budget, he is altogether quite successful; He intelligently uses a sunny and placid holiday setup which gives us no clue about the horrors we're about to see, and builds up suspense so the film becomes more and more scary as it advances, reaching really sick heights of dementia towards the end. This is definitely a movie to discover for all Horror-cinema-lovers.
77 Reviews
Unpleasant but not to be missed
rundbauchdodo5 August 2001
Everyone who thinks that the "Children of the Corn"-films or boring stuff like "The Children of Ravensback" are cool horror movies about kids killing adults hasn't seen this movie.
It starts off quite harmless, an American couple on vacation in Spain leaves the mainland to escape the other tourists. They go on a little island. What they (and the viewer) don't know is that the children there have started to kill all adults on the island for no apparent motive.
The story may sound strange and hardly making any sense. Obviously, the German distributors of this gem didn't understand it at all: the German video version got the title "Tödliche Befehle aus dem All", "Deadly orders from space", which is absolute nonsense because there is no science fiction in it! But the motive of the children is only secondary here. The film is a subversion of the thinking standards of people all around the world: Children are always innocent and adults destroy the world. And all this is made with an uncanny and creepy atmosphere that makes this film thoroughly unique. The only other "killer kids" film that is - positively - comparable with "Quien Puede Matar a un Niño" is the fourth and last segment of Jeff Burrs very good anthology horror film "The Offspring" (aka "From a Whisper to a Scream").
Just as Serrador's earlier masterly horror film "La Residencia" (see also my comment on that), this undoubtedly unpleasant film was ahead of its time and will forever stay a unique and unusual horror film.
It starts off quite harmless, an American couple on vacation in Spain leaves the mainland to escape the other tourists. They go on a little island. What they (and the viewer) don't know is that the children there have started to kill all adults on the island for no apparent motive.
The story may sound strange and hardly making any sense. Obviously, the German distributors of this gem didn't understand it at all: the German video version got the title "Tödliche Befehle aus dem All", "Deadly orders from space", which is absolute nonsense because there is no science fiction in it! But the motive of the children is only secondary here. The film is a subversion of the thinking standards of people all around the world: Children are always innocent and adults destroy the world. And all this is made with an uncanny and creepy atmosphere that makes this film thoroughly unique. The only other "killer kids" film that is - positively - comparable with "Quien Puede Matar a un Niño" is the fourth and last segment of Jeff Burrs very good anthology horror film "The Offspring" (aka "From a Whisper to a Scream").
Just as Serrador's earlier masterly horror film "La Residencia" (see also my comment on that), this undoubtedly unpleasant film was ahead of its time and will forever stay a unique and unusual horror film.
Classic Spanish horror with tension , chills and grisly killings
ma-cortes6 December 2009
The amazing story deals with a young couple (Lewis Fiander, Prunella Ransome) on Holiday at Mediterranean Spanish coast . They decide go to island of Almanzora . At the beginning the place is abandoned but then some kids spontaneously appear . Later on , there happens several astonishing murders with bloody and gruesome executions . Various suspect children are implicated at creepy killings . Meantime , the couple is besieged and escaping of the wayward children who are originating a frightening massacre .
This is an unrelenting shock-feast laced with touches of denounce especially in its prologue . Chicho Ibañez Serrador's first great success is compelling directed with startling visual content , skill use of images-shock and some zooms . Several sequences are homages to Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), for example, the image of all the children in the island's village square ready to attack Tom and Evelyn, and the final escape from the island . However , most of the movie was filmed far from the sea as Ciruelos (Toledo) . This frightening movie is plenty of thrills , chills , high body-count and glimmer color in lurid image with phenomenal results . This is a classic horror movie where intrigue , tension , suspense appear threatening and lurking in every room , corridors , interior and exterior from the deserted island . This film along with ¨La Residencia¨ and ¨Sleeping corpses lie¨ result to be the tree essential movies of the Spanish terror cinema . This genuinely mysterious story is well photographed by Jose Luis Alcaine on location of Sitges , Menorca and Ciruelos , Toledo . Creepie and eerie musical score by Waldo De Los Rios .
The film was released simultaneously as "Would You Kill a Child?" and "Death is Child's Play" in the UK. Similarly, American International Pictures released the film as "Trapped!" and "Island of the Damned" simultaneously in the USA . The motion picture was well directed by Chicho Ibañez Serrador and he originally wanted Anthony Hopkins to play Tom . Chicho directed another classic as ¨La Residencia¨ also titled ¨The Boarding School¨ and for TV , ¨Historias para no Dormir¨, being his last film an episode titled ¨Blame¨(2006). Rating : Good, this is one more imaginative terror pictures in which the camera stalks in sinister style and still packs a punch for those who like to be terrorize . It manages to be both eerie and skillfully made , furthermore holds deservedly its cult status . At the time considered the plus ultra of disturbing movie is less disagreeable by nowadays's standards, yet its fundamental power to thrill remains undiminished .
This is an unrelenting shock-feast laced with touches of denounce especially in its prologue . Chicho Ibañez Serrador's first great success is compelling directed with startling visual content , skill use of images-shock and some zooms . Several sequences are homages to Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), for example, the image of all the children in the island's village square ready to attack Tom and Evelyn, and the final escape from the island . However , most of the movie was filmed far from the sea as Ciruelos (Toledo) . This frightening movie is plenty of thrills , chills , high body-count and glimmer color in lurid image with phenomenal results . This is a classic horror movie where intrigue , tension , suspense appear threatening and lurking in every room , corridors , interior and exterior from the deserted island . This film along with ¨La Residencia¨ and ¨Sleeping corpses lie¨ result to be the tree essential movies of the Spanish terror cinema . This genuinely mysterious story is well photographed by Jose Luis Alcaine on location of Sitges , Menorca and Ciruelos , Toledo . Creepie and eerie musical score by Waldo De Los Rios .
The film was released simultaneously as "Would You Kill a Child?" and "Death is Child's Play" in the UK. Similarly, American International Pictures released the film as "Trapped!" and "Island of the Damned" simultaneously in the USA . The motion picture was well directed by Chicho Ibañez Serrador and he originally wanted Anthony Hopkins to play Tom . Chicho directed another classic as ¨La Residencia¨ also titled ¨The Boarding School¨ and for TV , ¨Historias para no Dormir¨, being his last film an episode titled ¨Blame¨(2006). Rating : Good, this is one more imaginative terror pictures in which the camera stalks in sinister style and still packs a punch for those who like to be terrorize . It manages to be both eerie and skillfully made , furthermore holds deservedly its cult status . At the time considered the plus ultra of disturbing movie is less disagreeable by nowadays's standards, yet its fundamental power to thrill remains undiminished .
Children of the damned
Cujo10826 July 2010
While on vacation, a man and his pregnant wife visit an island that the former knows from his past. They arrive to find that the place is not how he remembered. In fact, it appears to be quite deserted aside from several children. It isn't too long before they come across an adult. Pity the kids get to him first, killing him and stringing his body up for use as a human piñata. You see, adults are no longer welcome on this island. At least not if they're still among the living.
For my money, "Who Can Kill a Child?" is a masterpiece of the genre. It makes other killer kid films look like jokes in comparison. Originally seeing it via the "Island of the Damned" cut, it's a very tense and unsettling film with some interesting socio-political subtext as relates to child violence. The likable main characters really struggle here, both physically and morally, in a picture as bleak as they come. It has such an impeccable mood and atmosphere to it. The closest comparison I can make is to that of Werner Herzog's short documentary, "La Soufrière". The isolated, disquieted feel of the island is very predominant.
It's unfortunate that director Serrador faded into the land of television after this film. He clearly had a lot to offer the genre.
For my money, "Who Can Kill a Child?" is a masterpiece of the genre. It makes other killer kid films look like jokes in comparison. Originally seeing it via the "Island of the Damned" cut, it's a very tense and unsettling film with some interesting socio-political subtext as relates to child violence. The likable main characters really struggle here, both physically and morally, in a picture as bleak as they come. It has such an impeccable mood and atmosphere to it. The closest comparison I can make is to that of Werner Herzog's short documentary, "La Soufrière". The isolated, disquieted feel of the island is very predominant.
It's unfortunate that director Serrador faded into the land of television after this film. He clearly had a lot to offer the genre.
A husband and his pregnant wife go on holiday on a secluded island along the coast of Spain to strangely find no one but children there.
Countorloc16 March 2012
I rather liked Who Can Kill a Child. It relies a great deal on mood, suspense and strong, strangely frightening images. It is not a typical horror film, having a Picnic at Hanging Rock-vibe to its eery, daylight desertion. For especially the images are what makes the film with the excellent photography of surreal horror. That being said the mood is really what drives the film as little quality in the field of writing or acting shines through for the most part. Especially the writing suffers. The dialogue just doesn't flow naturally possibly because the scriptwriters were Spanish. Especially the wife character is given some truly cringe worthy lines besides not having to do much so as to advance the story. The husband, the protagonist for by far the most part, often acts eerily illogically. This occasionally results in unintentionally humorous moments because of both the writers' and actors' shortcomings. However this is mostly during the first half were the couple's banter is in focus. The other, being much more action oriented works much better and the couple is much more appealing leading to some truly distressing scenes. Perhaps this occurs because there is a better translation of themes (as fear is a universal feeling, whereas it is difficult to characterize the ordinary, but specific). As such it is a film the qualities of which surpass the anachronisms and general writing and acting problems. It is a very imperfect great film.
obscure, relevant, good
KuRt-3311 February 2004
"Quién Puede Matar A Un Niño?" (I know there should be an inverted question mark at the beginning of the title, but try telling that to my keyboard) is an obscure Spanish cult movie from the Seventies. I say 'obscure' because the movie hasn't been seen or released that much, even though it has a good reputation. The biggest culprit here may be the film's subject: murdering children. The movie starts with several minutes of news footage, showing us how badly children have been treated, contrary to common belief that noone wants to harm children. There aren't many films that'll start with footage of WWII's concentration camps, wounded children in Vietnam and African infants starving to death. The accompanying soundtrack of children chanting seems awkward, almost perverse. After seven minutes of hard-hitting history lessons the movie starts with kids enjoying themselves at a beach. Up to the moment waves carry a woman's corpse to the shore. "Quién Puede Matar A Un Niño?" has started: enjoy yourselves.
Like so many other European films from the Seventies, "Quién Puede Matar A Un Niño?" (released in 1975) has more titles than anyone can remember: so far I've come across 'Who Could Harm A Child?', 'Who Can Kill A Child?', 'Could You Kill A Child?', 'Trapped', 'Island of the Damned', 'Island of the Dead', 'Scream' (I kid you not), 'Todliche Befehle aus dem All', 'Les Revoltés de l'An 2000', 'Killer's Playground' and 'Death is Child's Play'. One title better than the other, still Quién? doesn't manage to beat possibly the best movie title ever, "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things" (Bob Clark's zombie movie made in 1972). Quién's director is Chicho Ibáñez-Serrador, the son of two actors who made two movies for the big screen and two for tv. Ever since, Ibáñez-Serrador has made his living directing tv shows. The other movie he made was "La Residencia" (1969), a sleazy thriller best known as "The House That Screamed".
Quién's protagonists are Lewis Fiander (Tom) and Prunella Ransome (Evelyn), a happily married couple enjoying their holidays. Ransome is best known for being in "Alfred The Great" and John Schlesinger's "Far From The Madding Crowd". Lewis Fiander has the best cult credentials from being in Hammer's underrated film "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde" and the Phibes sequel, "Dr. Phibes Rises Again".
Back to our film. Tom decides to visit a nearby island he remembers visiting when he was very young. This is the biggest mistake they could've made. They take the boat to a little village that seems to be deserted. The ice cream is runny and there's noone in the pub. The couple can only spot a handful of kids. So what has happened? Where is everyone? You don't need too many clues to figure out that the children have started killing adults and there aren't that many left. Some people are killed onscreen and this is quite upsetting: to the children, murdering someone almost seems like a game. And perhaps it is.
I can't tell you more without revealing too much of the plot, but there are still a few things to be said. "Quién Puede Matar A Un Niño?" is a horror movie, but don't expect it to be gory or you'll be disappointed. I'd describe it as psychological horror, which is why the few gory bits are all the more unsettling. The movie has been compared with "Children of the Corn", based on a Stephen King novel and many think King must have seen the Spanish movie before writing his book. This could have happened, but one shouldn't forget there have been more movies and books where children end up taking over the world from adults (some of John Wyndham's books spring to mind, especially "The Midwich Cuckoos" - made into two movies as "Village of the Damned"). "Quién Puede Matar A Un Niño?" is a far better film than "Children of the Corn", so it's a damn shame the movie is only released on DVD by a Spanish label who couldn't see the use of adding subtitled to please the rest of the world. If you're lucky, you might find a French dubbed version of Quien? under the title of "Les Revoltés de l'An 2000", but you'll probably hear of the movie while reading a specialized cult movie magazine. Maybe that's part of the charm of the movie: that I myself own it twice, but only as a lame VHS copy of a copy dubbed in French and as a Spanish DVD without subtitles. I've seen the movie twice now and it isn't always easy to understand what it's about, but here we have a movie so clear in image language that it doesn't really matter you won't understand most of the dialogues (and to be honest, many scenes don't have dialogues as the couple find the only inhabitants of the village, the children, are far from talkative).
"Quién Puede Matar A Un Niño?" does not need dialogue to be good. The film succeeds in being both entertaining (in the way psychological horror movies entertain) and asking an interesting question: what would happen if children stopped being innocent victims? So obscure, relevant and good: movies don't need much more to end up being cult.
Like so many other European films from the Seventies, "Quién Puede Matar A Un Niño?" (released in 1975) has more titles than anyone can remember: so far I've come across 'Who Could Harm A Child?', 'Who Can Kill A Child?', 'Could You Kill A Child?', 'Trapped', 'Island of the Damned', 'Island of the Dead', 'Scream' (I kid you not), 'Todliche Befehle aus dem All', 'Les Revoltés de l'An 2000', 'Killer's Playground' and 'Death is Child's Play'. One title better than the other, still Quién? doesn't manage to beat possibly the best movie title ever, "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things" (Bob Clark's zombie movie made in 1972). Quién's director is Chicho Ibáñez-Serrador, the son of two actors who made two movies for the big screen and two for tv. Ever since, Ibáñez-Serrador has made his living directing tv shows. The other movie he made was "La Residencia" (1969), a sleazy thriller best known as "The House That Screamed".
Quién's protagonists are Lewis Fiander (Tom) and Prunella Ransome (Evelyn), a happily married couple enjoying their holidays. Ransome is best known for being in "Alfred The Great" and John Schlesinger's "Far From The Madding Crowd". Lewis Fiander has the best cult credentials from being in Hammer's underrated film "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde" and the Phibes sequel, "Dr. Phibes Rises Again".
Back to our film. Tom decides to visit a nearby island he remembers visiting when he was very young. This is the biggest mistake they could've made. They take the boat to a little village that seems to be deserted. The ice cream is runny and there's noone in the pub. The couple can only spot a handful of kids. So what has happened? Where is everyone? You don't need too many clues to figure out that the children have started killing adults and there aren't that many left. Some people are killed onscreen and this is quite upsetting: to the children, murdering someone almost seems like a game. And perhaps it is.
I can't tell you more without revealing too much of the plot, but there are still a few things to be said. "Quién Puede Matar A Un Niño?" is a horror movie, but don't expect it to be gory or you'll be disappointed. I'd describe it as psychological horror, which is why the few gory bits are all the more unsettling. The movie has been compared with "Children of the Corn", based on a Stephen King novel and many think King must have seen the Spanish movie before writing his book. This could have happened, but one shouldn't forget there have been more movies and books where children end up taking over the world from adults (some of John Wyndham's books spring to mind, especially "The Midwich Cuckoos" - made into two movies as "Village of the Damned"). "Quién Puede Matar A Un Niño?" is a far better film than "Children of the Corn", so it's a damn shame the movie is only released on DVD by a Spanish label who couldn't see the use of adding subtitled to please the rest of the world. If you're lucky, you might find a French dubbed version of Quien? under the title of "Les Revoltés de l'An 2000", but you'll probably hear of the movie while reading a specialized cult movie magazine. Maybe that's part of the charm of the movie: that I myself own it twice, but only as a lame VHS copy of a copy dubbed in French and as a Spanish DVD without subtitles. I've seen the movie twice now and it isn't always easy to understand what it's about, but here we have a movie so clear in image language that it doesn't really matter you won't understand most of the dialogues (and to be honest, many scenes don't have dialogues as the couple find the only inhabitants of the village, the children, are far from talkative).
"Quién Puede Matar A Un Niño?" does not need dialogue to be good. The film succeeds in being both entertaining (in the way psychological horror movies entertain) and asking an interesting question: what would happen if children stopped being innocent victims? So obscure, relevant and good: movies don't need much more to end up being cult.
Well Done Gory take on a Taboo Subject
ThreeGuysOneMovie22 September 2011
English tourists Tom and Evelyn are traveling in Spain. The town they want to stay in is overcrowded so they decided to go to an island that Tom knows of about 4 hours off the coast. When they get to the island they discover that there are no adults on the island, only children. They soon realize that they are trapped on the island and that the children have killed all the adults. Now they must fight and kill the angry mob of children before they are killed themselves.
OK, so I was watching a video on youtube with Eli Roth where he talks about his five favorite films. He mentioned this film on his list and I was intrigued. I had never heard of it before so I started doing a little research. The film was made in 1976 and for a long time was almost impossible to find anywhere. Then in 2007 it was released on DVD by Dark Sky Films.
The movie is extremely well done for its time and budget. It was a very risqué film at the time since it dealt with a taboo subject matter, killing children. This is 8 years before Children of the Corn and while I have no proof of it I have a hard time believing Stephen King didn't use this movie as inspiration. Unlike, COTC however, this movie doesn't have any religious undertones.
I was pretty blown away by this film. It's truly creepy without being overly gory and it definitely sticks with you for a while afterwards. This is not a film for everyone. There are some scenes in the beginning of film that show documentary footage of children in concentration camps, starving in India, etc. This was done by the director to supposedly explain why the children decided to rise up against the adults but I found it a bit gratuitous and unnecessary.
If you are horror fan, or someone who just looking for something different to watch, then I recommend checking this one out.
On a side note I saw that they had planned on doing a remake of this film back in 2008. It was going to be called In the Playground and had a Director (David Alcade) and star (Diego Luna) all lined up. I even found a poster for the film. It doesn't look like this film was ever made though, and I can't find any record of it on IMDb.
OK, so I was watching a video on youtube with Eli Roth where he talks about his five favorite films. He mentioned this film on his list and I was intrigued. I had never heard of it before so I started doing a little research. The film was made in 1976 and for a long time was almost impossible to find anywhere. Then in 2007 it was released on DVD by Dark Sky Films.
The movie is extremely well done for its time and budget. It was a very risqué film at the time since it dealt with a taboo subject matter, killing children. This is 8 years before Children of the Corn and while I have no proof of it I have a hard time believing Stephen King didn't use this movie as inspiration. Unlike, COTC however, this movie doesn't have any religious undertones.
I was pretty blown away by this film. It's truly creepy without being overly gory and it definitely sticks with you for a while afterwards. This is not a film for everyone. There are some scenes in the beginning of film that show documentary footage of children in concentration camps, starving in India, etc. This was done by the director to supposedly explain why the children decided to rise up against the adults but I found it a bit gratuitous and unnecessary.
If you are horror fan, or someone who just looking for something different to watch, then I recommend checking this one out.
On a side note I saw that they had planned on doing a remake of this film back in 2008. It was going to be called In the Playground and had a Director (David Alcade) and star (Diego Luna) all lined up. I even found a poster for the film. It doesn't look like this film was ever made though, and I can't find any record of it on IMDb.
Finally this obscure horror gem is available. Creepy, atmospheric n very very disturbing.
Fella_shibby12 December 2018
God bless the fellas at Mondo Macabro for releasing this n most of the obscure films on blurays.
Had seen it in the late 80s n was searching for a dvd copy of this film for a very long time. This film was virtually unavailable officially for a very very long time. Finally saw this hidden gem.
The scene wher one of the surviving parent narrates the story to the couple n the other scene wher the husband follows a child n sees a group of children hitting on the Piñata n the shocking twist.. these scenes were the only vague memories i had.
This film falls into the evil kids category like Village of the Damned (one of the first films to feature evil kids), Children of the Damned, etc. Who Can Kill a Child aka Island of the Damned is not an easy watch considering the violence it shows towards kids. I myself cannot watch any scene showing harm towards kids. Imagine the innocent kids who all suffer due to wars. The image of the three-year-old Syrian refugee, Alan Kurdi lying dead on the beach gave me sleepless nights. In fact, this film starts with an eight-minute documentary prologue showing the effects of World War, Nazi atrocities, drought, famine, ethnic violence, global apathy , partition of countries, civil wars, etc. on kids. After the 8 min documentary style prologue, the film shows an English couple Tom and Evelyn heading to an island for a vacation before Evelyn gives birth to their third child. The moment they land on the island, they see children behaving strangely n all the adults missing. The locations n the music added to the creepiness. There was something hypnotic bah the music. The acting of the couple n the kids were spot on, the direction was superb. The director must have really irked many fellas as he didn't hesitate to show certain scenes n the ending was shocking for it's time.
This film falls into the evil kids category like Village of the Damned (one of the first films to feature evil kids), Children of the Damned, etc. Who Can Kill a Child aka Island of the Damned is not an easy watch considering the violence it shows towards kids. I myself cannot watch any scene showing harm towards kids. Imagine the innocent kids who all suffer due to wars. The image of the three-year-old Syrian refugee, Alan Kurdi lying dead on the beach gave me sleepless nights. In fact, this film starts with an eight-minute documentary prologue showing the effects of World War, Nazi atrocities, drought, famine, ethnic violence, global apathy , partition of countries, civil wars, etc. on kids. After the 8 min documentary style prologue, the film shows an English couple Tom and Evelyn heading to an island for a vacation before Evelyn gives birth to their third child. The moment they land on the island, they see children behaving strangely n all the adults missing. The locations n the music added to the creepiness. There was something hypnotic bah the music. The acting of the couple n the kids were spot on, the direction was superb. The director must have really irked many fellas as he didn't hesitate to show certain scenes n the ending was shocking for it's time.
Obscure Spanish Film Well Worth Tracking Down
gavin694222 February 2009
A young English couple are vacationing on a Spanish island. Normally, this might be romantic, but in this film, the island is affected by an unexplained curse where the children have all turned murderous, even against their own parents. And there's no stopping them, because as the title asks, who can kill a child? I've run across numerous films of this era taking place on islands with not-so-pleasant happenings. Typically, the islands happen to be Greek ("Antropophagus" or "Island of Death", for example). So, this is a nice variation on a theme. There aren't many inhabitants beyond the children, but there's really no need for them in this story. The children are quite creepy, and were cast well. I am not personally scared of children (pedophobic?) but if I was, this one would give me the willies.
I've heard people say this film anticipates such later successes as "Child's Play", with the idea of child killers and how unnerving it is to have innocence turned against well-intentioned people. I don't see the connection. Far more obvious to me is the link between this and "Village of the Damned", as both clearly focus on children who share similar murderous mindsets and one man who is able to stop them (hopefully). If you liked "Village", you'll like this one.
While probably tame today, there are some scenes that come across as pushing the limits. Can you kill a child on screen? Can you kill several? What about a fetus that has turned evil and wishes to kill its mother, even if it means sacrificing itself? There's something really disturbing about that thought. (For those who are strongly pro-life, would you support abortion if the fetus was maliciously trying to kill the mother?) If I had one complaint, it would be the relatively slow pace of the film, at least at first. For about thirty minutes, I had some difficulty getting into the film. Maybe I'm too accustomed to today's fast-paced slaughter films. But regardless, after that half hour, I was in. And the excitement only escalates. There's no climax and then another twenty minutes of drag, my friend... it builds and builds until the movie ends. You'll be left wanting more, or at least wanting to see it again. This is a winner. (Thank you, Dark Sky Films.)
I've heard people say this film anticipates such later successes as "Child's Play", with the idea of child killers and how unnerving it is to have innocence turned against well-intentioned people. I don't see the connection. Far more obvious to me is the link between this and "Village of the Damned", as both clearly focus on children who share similar murderous mindsets and one man who is able to stop them (hopefully). If you liked "Village", you'll like this one.
While probably tame today, there are some scenes that come across as pushing the limits. Can you kill a child on screen? Can you kill several? What about a fetus that has turned evil and wishes to kill its mother, even if it means sacrificing itself? There's something really disturbing about that thought. (For those who are strongly pro-life, would you support abortion if the fetus was maliciously trying to kill the mother?) If I had one complaint, it would be the relatively slow pace of the film, at least at first. For about thirty minutes, I had some difficulty getting into the film. Maybe I'm too accustomed to today's fast-paced slaughter films. But regardless, after that half hour, I was in. And the excitement only escalates. There's no climax and then another twenty minutes of drag, my friend... it builds and builds until the movie ends. You'll be left wanting more, or at least wanting to see it again. This is a winner. (Thank you, Dark Sky Films.)
Very Decent Obscure Film
EVOL66617 October 2005
SPOILER: WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? is a relatively unknown but great little film. It contains some pretty heavy subject matter and is genuinely creepy. The film revolves around a man and his wife who go to a small island on vacation. The man had been there when he was young and wanted to experience the place with his wife. The island is a few hours from the mainland and is pretty isolated. The man and his wife get to the island to find it deserted. Eventually they begin running into a few children who all act very strange. Soon they realize that the children have flipped out and are murdering the adult townspeople. The couple is now torn between their disgust at the thought of committing violence against small children, and their own will to survive.
WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? really is a well done film. The acting is good, and the action is tense. The other thing I really liked was the downbeat ending. Altogether a very good film. Definitely Recommended 8.5/10
WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? really is a well done film. The acting is good, and the action is tense. The other thing I really liked was the downbeat ending. Altogether a very good film. Definitely Recommended 8.5/10
Quite chilling, in its most effective moments.
Hey_Sweden22 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Indeed, what adult would be capable of taking the life of a young human being, even if their life depended on it? And would you be able to believe that a child could casually murder an adult in the name of "play"? Those are questions that this Spanish entry into the "killer kids" genre poses. It's likely to remind viewers of the more famous "Children of the Corn", although this film predates CotC (the movie, anyway) by eight years. The acting is generally sound, with the youthful co-stars giving very enthusiastic performances. The atmosphere and sense of isolation that the setting generates are palpable, and the filmmakers, led by screenplay writer / director Narciso Ibanez Serrador, are never afraid to be as grim and gory as possible. In fact, once this is all over, one may feel as if they've been punched in the gut. The story does fall prey to clichés (the couple fails to get out while the getting is good, and one of them doesn't disclose the dire nature of the situation to the other right away), but overall this is good stuff.
Amiable British married couple Tom (played by Australian Lewis Fiander, "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde") and Evelyn (Prunella Ransome, "Far from the Madding Crowd") are in Spain on vacation away from the rest of their family. Tom gets the idea to visit the nearby island of Almanzora, which he has been to before. However, an eerie scenario greets them upon their arrival: the place seems to be deserted except for the children. Where are the adults? Well, it's not hard to guess as these kids seem to have caught some sort of madness that's inspired them to develop a sadistic sense of "play". Although their response is too slow, Tom and Evelyn do eventually realize that they have to get the Hell out of Dodge.
There's a potent level of gore in the unrated version of this twisted tale. The audience should be aware that the filmmakers do not consider the children off limits and show that one of their characters will be capable of fighting back. Technically, this is well made; it starts out like a travelogue, and gets appropriately intense once it segues into the story proper. Serrador is *very* deliberate with the pacing and less than patient viewers may wish that the storytelling was tighter. Still, there's something to be said for the way that Serrador eases you into this and then drops the horror elements on you with great force. Much like many other 1970s offerings, the film is notable for its willingness to be downbeat.
If you're a fan of killer kiddies cinema, give this overlooked little film a look. It's worth the effort.
Seven out of 10.
Amiable British married couple Tom (played by Australian Lewis Fiander, "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde") and Evelyn (Prunella Ransome, "Far from the Madding Crowd") are in Spain on vacation away from the rest of their family. Tom gets the idea to visit the nearby island of Almanzora, which he has been to before. However, an eerie scenario greets them upon their arrival: the place seems to be deserted except for the children. Where are the adults? Well, it's not hard to guess as these kids seem to have caught some sort of madness that's inspired them to develop a sadistic sense of "play". Although their response is too slow, Tom and Evelyn do eventually realize that they have to get the Hell out of Dodge.
There's a potent level of gore in the unrated version of this twisted tale. The audience should be aware that the filmmakers do not consider the children off limits and show that one of their characters will be capable of fighting back. Technically, this is well made; it starts out like a travelogue, and gets appropriately intense once it segues into the story proper. Serrador is *very* deliberate with the pacing and less than patient viewers may wish that the storytelling was tighter. Still, there's something to be said for the way that Serrador eases you into this and then drops the horror elements on you with great force. Much like many other 1970s offerings, the film is notable for its willingness to be downbeat.
If you're a fan of killer kiddies cinema, give this overlooked little film a look. It's worth the effort.
Seven out of 10.
A masterpiece of Spanish horror.
HumanoidOfFlesh14 February 2005
A man and his pregnant wife arrive on the isolated island of Almanzora to find it almost entirely deserted the only visible population seems to be composed of children.When they finally spy an adult,they watch in horror as a little girl beats the man to death with his own walking stick."Who Can Kill a Child?" mixes socio-political themes with extremely eerie atmosphere of isolation and hopelessness.The tension builds slowly until it reaches incredibly horrifying climax.A sequence in which Lewis Fiander and Prunella Ransome walk through the village,gingerly stepping past the children who have gathered to watch them is extremely creepy.The children also do a terrific job-they are truly threatening and chilling.The photography by Jose Luis Alcane is wonderful and the soundtrack by Waldo De Los Rios is fantastic.Still the film is really unsettling,so if you are easily disturbed don't watch it.10 out of 10.
Original but underdeveloped
OnePlusOne23 April 2005
Many have already commented and it seems that people either love it or hate it, well, my own opinion lands somewhere in between so here goes
"Who Can Kill a Child" is certainly worth a look. It's undeniably original and draws inspiration from a number of fine films, Lord of the Flies (1963 version) obviously, but also The Birds, Don't Look Now and possibly The House With The Laughing Windows. Just like in his first feature ("The House That Screamed") director Ibáñez-Serrador got sort of an oppression/revolution theme going. This time children suddenly fight back for all injustice that they have been made to suffer through the ages. The theme is treated without any subtlety, in the first eight minutes of the film we get brief but a run-down of cruelty children has suffered through time. This comes as a newsreel with real life footage from concentration camps, wars and famines. It's hard stuff to watch and the clumsy handling of the material makes it come across rather dubious. It smells of sensationalism and exploitation. However after that we get a fairly well handled thriller where a tourist couple arrives to a Spanish island only to find out that the children have taken over and killed off all the adults. The general atmosphere of the film is quite unnerving and the cinematography captures a certain dreamlike, or indeed nightmare-ish, quality. Sadly the editing leaves something to be desired which renders some of the dramatic set ups and pay offs a rather clumsy hue. Also many of the changes in pace works really badly and thus in parts the film seems slower than it really is. The ending comes as no real surprise but somewhat hard to interpret. Actually the substantial change in tone in the very final scene makes little or no sense vis-à-vis the dramatic construction of the story and the set up for the audience's sympathy. All in all "Who Can Kill a Child" stands as a memorable film, with a few too many questions left unanswered and possibly a tad pretentious.
There's a reason this film is obscure.
gaeanprayer12 October 2007
That reason is that it is just not worth watching.
Put aside the shock value of the mock-documentary beginning and set aside the disturbing idea of children killing people with big innocent smiles on their face. What have you left, unfortunately, is nothing of substance.
The background of the movie is easily summed up as follows: a couple travels to an island the husband knew to be peaceful and beautiful, only to find it's currently having...issues. It all goes downhill from there.
Despite the murderous intent, the dead bodies piling up, and all the many things one would be disturbed by at this point, the husband insists on leaving his pregnant wife alone, in the open, for long periods of time. He, on the other hand, takes the time to do some exploring, but only after stopping to lie to his wife in effort to justify staying, and also to grab a quick drink. Feh...
Unrealistic and unbelievable garbàge masquerading as a 'cult classic' when all it really bothers to be is classically corny.
There are better movies to watch, I recommend you stick to them.
Put aside the shock value of the mock-documentary beginning and set aside the disturbing idea of children killing people with big innocent smiles on their face. What have you left, unfortunately, is nothing of substance.
The background of the movie is easily summed up as follows: a couple travels to an island the husband knew to be peaceful and beautiful, only to find it's currently having...issues. It all goes downhill from there.
Despite the murderous intent, the dead bodies piling up, and all the many things one would be disturbed by at this point, the husband insists on leaving his pregnant wife alone, in the open, for long periods of time. He, on the other hand, takes the time to do some exploring, but only after stopping to lie to his wife in effort to justify staying, and also to grab a quick drink. Feh...
Unrealistic and unbelievable garbàge masquerading as a 'cult classic' when all it really bothers to be is classically corny.
There are better movies to watch, I recommend you stick to them.
Worth looking for for many reasons!
pmsusana31 January 2001
This remarkable and unusual horror film contains many powerful sequences, but one in particular stands out in my memory: The young husband, who's just beginning to realize that something about this island is very wrong, is attracted to a doorway by the sound of children's delighted laughter. He peeks through a crack in the door and observes a number of happy youngsters, all looking upward and swinging sticks, pinata-fashion, at something suspended from the ceiling. Then his gaze drifts upward, and we in the audience share his profound shock as he sees what the kids are swinging at.
This film hasn't received nearly the public or critical attention it deserves in the U.S. and isn't an easy film to find, except from off-the-beaten-path video companies. It is, however, well worth the patience of any true horror fan. Look for it!
This film hasn't received nearly the public or critical attention it deserves in the U.S. and isn't an easy film to find, except from off-the-beaten-path video companies. It is, however, well worth the patience of any true horror fan. Look for it!
Now that was twisted yeah
muckrules19 November 2009
Now this film is twisted. Two young tourists who are madly inlove and expecting a child go to a island to relax only to find that the town is adult free and over run by savage kids. Children who have murdered everyone of their elders and have overthrown athority. Leaving these tourists to fend for their forsaken lives.... The cinematography in this disturbing movie is amazing. Apearently this film is a favourite of Eli Roth's. This film is a great companion peace to The Children Of The Corn (2009). I found this film to be quite interesting and it does bring up a good question if you had to defend yourself in a life or death situation could you kill a child?
Subtle masterpiece of Spanish terror
fertilecelluloid27 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Narciso Ibáñez Serrador's "Who Could Kill A Child?" is an exceptional horror pic that has finally been released uncut; I was quietly blown away by Dark Sky Films' DVD of this Spanish classic.
The opening prologue, excised from most non-theatrical versions, features montages of children in concentration camps and third world hellholes, and establishes a very grim tone. Two travelers, Tom and the pregnant Evelyn (Lewis Fiander and Prunella Ransome) head to an island where they plan to spend two weeks relaxing. They encounter dozens of strange children and feel increasingly uneasy about the absence of adults. When a young girl beats an old man to death with a stick, the murderous intent of the children is revealed. Because nobody is keen to kill a child, the children have been able to wipe out most of the adults on the island. When Tom shoots a young boy who is threatening Evelyn (one of the film's most chilling scenes), the playing field is re-set.
For mine, this is a perfect horror film. It betrays expectations and finds terror in stark sunlight. Serrador's direction builds dread and suspense with both suggestion and graphic presentation. Although this is not a fast-paced film, its pacing allows the horror to grow and fester. Many of the children are highly unusual in appearance, and some are threateningly angelic, but never does Serrador resort to sentimentalizing the moppets or focusing on anything "cute". The violence towards children and by children is surprisingly explicit. A story thread involving Evelyn's unborn child is gruesomely developed.
"Who Could Kill A Child?", which was photographed by the great José Luis Alcaine ("Volver", "Tie Me Up Tie Me Down!") in a style that does not telegraph the terror, is old school horror that possesses a dash of magic realism and a hint of "Night of the Living Dead", It is a masterpiece of creeping terror and surely inspired Stephen King's "Children of the Corn" short story (from "Nightshift") and a rash of similar-themed works.
The opening prologue, excised from most non-theatrical versions, features montages of children in concentration camps and third world hellholes, and establishes a very grim tone. Two travelers, Tom and the pregnant Evelyn (Lewis Fiander and Prunella Ransome) head to an island where they plan to spend two weeks relaxing. They encounter dozens of strange children and feel increasingly uneasy about the absence of adults. When a young girl beats an old man to death with a stick, the murderous intent of the children is revealed. Because nobody is keen to kill a child, the children have been able to wipe out most of the adults on the island. When Tom shoots a young boy who is threatening Evelyn (one of the film's most chilling scenes), the playing field is re-set.
For mine, this is a perfect horror film. It betrays expectations and finds terror in stark sunlight. Serrador's direction builds dread and suspense with both suggestion and graphic presentation. Although this is not a fast-paced film, its pacing allows the horror to grow and fester. Many of the children are highly unusual in appearance, and some are threateningly angelic, but never does Serrador resort to sentimentalizing the moppets or focusing on anything "cute". The violence towards children and by children is surprisingly explicit. A story thread involving Evelyn's unborn child is gruesomely developed.
"Who Could Kill A Child?", which was photographed by the great José Luis Alcaine ("Volver", "Tie Me Up Tie Me Down!") in a style that does not telegraph the terror, is old school horror that possesses a dash of magic realism and a hint of "Night of the Living Dead", It is a masterpiece of creeping terror and surely inspired Stephen King's "Children of the Corn" short story (from "Nightshift") and a rash of similar-themed works.
Very Intense
lornastone14 September 2021
Two English tourists wind up on a deserted island where the adults are nowhere to be found, but the children are ready to pounce with bloodlust.
Who Can Kill A Child is a taut and intense horror film that's not afraid to dwell in some very uncomfortable places. It's a nice precursor to films such as Children of the Corn and The Children.
Who Can Kill A Child is a taut and intense horror film that's not afraid to dwell in some very uncomfortable places. It's a nice precursor to films such as Children of the Corn and The Children.
Wow...rough!
BandSAboutMovies1 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
You know, I thought I was made of some harder stuff, but the credits to this movie absolutely decimated me, setting up a mood of pure dread I haven't seen in many movies, juxtaposing real photos of dead bodies in mass graves with children at play.
Based on the Juan José Plans novel El juego de los niños (The Children's Game) and adapted by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador under his pseudonym Luis Peñafiel, this escapes what feels like the way a mondo can punch you in the face and make you feel badly for being entertained and drops us - and Tom and Evelyn (Lewis Fiander and Prunella Ransome) - on an island where they had hoped for a vacation yet have found no other adults. Only children. Grim, unsmiling children.
How dark is this movie? So dark that Evelyn is murdered by her unborn child from the inside out and then Tom is forced to gun down a whole bunch of little tikes before the military kills him, thinking that he's the Duane Jones of this movie. They pay for this mistake in seconds and then the kids are heading off to Spain, sneaking in one or two at a time and getting ready to teach the young folks that they'll meet a whole new way to play with mom and dad.
Serrador also made The House That Screamed and the TV series Historias para no dormir (Tales to Keep You Awake) that has recently been released by Severin.
This movie has many names - Island of Death, Island of the Damned, Death is Child's Play, Trapped!, The Hex Massacre and The Hex - and while it didn't come out in the U. S. until 1978 and Children of the Corn was published in 1977, it had to have some collective consciousness influence.
I'm also fascinated by the remake of this movie, Come Out and Play, which was supposedly directed by a masked Russian named Makinov who I am completely convinced was a certain director who keeps remaking 70s movies.
Based on the Juan José Plans novel El juego de los niños (The Children's Game) and adapted by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador under his pseudonym Luis Peñafiel, this escapes what feels like the way a mondo can punch you in the face and make you feel badly for being entertained and drops us - and Tom and Evelyn (Lewis Fiander and Prunella Ransome) - on an island where they had hoped for a vacation yet have found no other adults. Only children. Grim, unsmiling children.
How dark is this movie? So dark that Evelyn is murdered by her unborn child from the inside out and then Tom is forced to gun down a whole bunch of little tikes before the military kills him, thinking that he's the Duane Jones of this movie. They pay for this mistake in seconds and then the kids are heading off to Spain, sneaking in one or two at a time and getting ready to teach the young folks that they'll meet a whole new way to play with mom and dad.
Serrador also made The House That Screamed and the TV series Historias para no dormir (Tales to Keep You Awake) that has recently been released by Severin.
This movie has many names - Island of Death, Island of the Damned, Death is Child's Play, Trapped!, The Hex Massacre and The Hex - and while it didn't come out in the U. S. until 1978 and Children of the Corn was published in 1977, it had to have some collective consciousness influence.
I'm also fascinated by the remake of this movie, Come Out and Play, which was supposedly directed by a masked Russian named Makinov who I am completely convinced was a certain director who keeps remaking 70s movies.
Who Can Kill a Child?
Scarecrow-8819 December 2007
Warning: Spoilers
A biology teacher, Tom(Lewis Fiander)and his pregnant wife Evelyn(Prunella Ransome)are on vacation when they make the mistake of boating to the island of Almanzora where the children have turned homicidal slaughtering the entire adult populace..some form of insane hysteria has turned then into soulless monsters who seem calm and gentle only to storm their prey like a pack of wolves. Surrounded in the desolate village, the couple must figure out a way to get off the island, but how can they when there are children all over the place? In this film, there's a significant importance in Evelyn's pregnancy..
Despite not liking the opening historical montage of the effects of children from past war, poverty & starvation thanks to adults(this kind of anti-war propaganda you can save for street corner protest marches..I'm pretty sure the director was patting himself on the back quite proud of himself), this is quite an intense, unsettling shocker where kids who look so innocent and sweet will turn on a dime with their weaponry, all smiles as they swarm in packs ready to destroy. I liked the idea of shooting during the brightness of day..gloom and doom bathed in the hot sun as our couple sweats it out both physically and mentally. A word of warning..the film has horrifying displays of child violence and some scenes, artistically and stylishly presented, are incredibly unpleasant which could disturb those who have a problem with that sort of thing. I like what the cinematographer mentioned in an interview I watched..he pointed out that they looked at the film as a cross between "The Birds" and "Night of the Living Dead", for the exception that these are not birds or the undead..they are children. That moral conflict of the title is the central power of this horror film, I believe. The idea of killing a child in order to survive..it's quite unthinkable, in a sense;yet, that's the driving force of this twisted premise. The film builds the eventual showdown between Tom and those damn evil kids, allowing our couple a temporary reprieve as we wait out when the attack will commence. The ending has a strong sense of irony..evil spreads and it's hard for others to not be impacted.
Despite not liking the opening historical montage of the effects of children from past war, poverty & starvation thanks to adults(this kind of anti-war propaganda you can save for street corner protest marches..I'm pretty sure the director was patting himself on the back quite proud of himself), this is quite an intense, unsettling shocker where kids who look so innocent and sweet will turn on a dime with their weaponry, all smiles as they swarm in packs ready to destroy. I liked the idea of shooting during the brightness of day..gloom and doom bathed in the hot sun as our couple sweats it out both physically and mentally. A word of warning..the film has horrifying displays of child violence and some scenes, artistically and stylishly presented, are incredibly unpleasant which could disturb those who have a problem with that sort of thing. I like what the cinematographer mentioned in an interview I watched..he pointed out that they looked at the film as a cross between "The Birds" and "Night of the Living Dead", for the exception that these are not birds or the undead..they are children. That moral conflict of the title is the central power of this horror film, I believe. The idea of killing a child in order to survive..it's quite unthinkable, in a sense;yet, that's the driving force of this twisted premise. The film builds the eventual showdown between Tom and those damn evil kids, allowing our couple a temporary reprieve as we wait out when the attack will commence. The ending has a strong sense of irony..evil spreads and it's hard for others to not be impacted.
If You Hate Children ...
radiobirdma15 August 2008
In one of the featurettes on the Dark Sky DVD, director Serrador claims that he should have put the footage about atrocities done to children -- more than seven hard-to-watch opening minutes about concentration camps, children in Vietnam, Korea, Biafra, starved, burned, tortured -- at the end of the movie. Of course he's wrong: It would have spoiled the whole movie, especially after the very last sentence that spins the film in a direction known from a lot of cheap zombie flicks: The script robs itself of its mystery, though it's a minor letdown in an otherwise perfectly crafted, well-shot (by Jose Luis Alecaine, who also worked with Saura, Luna, Faenza, Almodovar, you name it) and relentlessly gripping story that never lets go, until the ultimately bleak and depressing ending -- the only possible conclusion to this unjustly forgotten gem of Spanish 70s genre cinema. If you hate children, this is the film for you; and if you hate adults, too.
A mixed bag.
dopefishie5 April 2022
A mixed bag.
First, the intro with actual footage of real atrocities is completely tasteless. It was an awful way to start the film.
The script is pretty average. There are some Village of the Damned/Children of the Corn vibes here. The film itself is well-made and has a couple surprises.
The highlight of the movie is the 2 leads - Lewis Fiander and Prunella Ransome. Captivating and tense performances. They really lifted up this project.
First, the intro with actual footage of real atrocities is completely tasteless. It was an awful way to start the film.
The script is pretty average. There are some Village of the Damned/Children of the Corn vibes here. The film itself is well-made and has a couple surprises.
The highlight of the movie is the 2 leads - Lewis Fiander and Prunella Ransome. Captivating and tense performances. They really lifted up this project.
Unnerving tale of horror from Spain is one to watch with the lights on.
dbborroughs14 June 2006
This is the story of an English married couple on vacation in the Mediterranean. While enjoying the sights on the coast they decide to rent a boat and go over to a near by island. It quickly transpires that all is not well on the island and the reason there doesn't seem to be any adults is that the kids have come up with a murderous new game that has removed them.
An excellent, but damn near impossible film to see, this is one of those movies thats been unjustly lost to the ages. Its a slowly building well modulated horror film that sneaks up on you even when you know whats going on. Its not really a gory or bloody film, instead this is a film of ideas, where the notion of being alone and out numbered against a terrible enemy is made all the worse by the fact that we humans are almost programmed not to harm our young, even when they do truly evil things. Could you really kill a child- especially one that looks so completely harmless? Originally filmed as a sort of horrific allegory about children and the nature of war the film, played in the severely cut version I saw(by about 20 minutes), as a frightening film where the monster is one you can't bring yourself to kill even when you know its going to devour you. I'm sure that one can read into it a subtext about how we treat law breaking children, but I would prefer just to see it as a scary movie...
Definitely a movie you'll want to keep an eye out for or search out (under one of its many titles). A semi-recent DVD release seems to have come and gone with out making a blip on the radar so you'll want to remain sharp eyed.(I'd go for any version I can find since I saw a 90 minute version and it played fine-even though the full version is some 20 minutes longer)
An excellent, but damn near impossible film to see, this is one of those movies thats been unjustly lost to the ages. Its a slowly building well modulated horror film that sneaks up on you even when you know whats going on. Its not really a gory or bloody film, instead this is a film of ideas, where the notion of being alone and out numbered against a terrible enemy is made all the worse by the fact that we humans are almost programmed not to harm our young, even when they do truly evil things. Could you really kill a child- especially one that looks so completely harmless? Originally filmed as a sort of horrific allegory about children and the nature of war the film, played in the severely cut version I saw(by about 20 minutes), as a frightening film where the monster is one you can't bring yourself to kill even when you know its going to devour you. I'm sure that one can read into it a subtext about how we treat law breaking children, but I would prefer just to see it as a scary movie...
Definitely a movie you'll want to keep an eye out for or search out (under one of its many titles). A semi-recent DVD release seems to have come and gone with out making a blip on the radar so you'll want to remain sharp eyed.(I'd go for any version I can find since I saw a 90 minute version and it played fine-even though the full version is some 20 minutes longer)
Film Review - Who Can Kill a Child? (1976) 7.0/10
lasttimeisaw17 November 2020
"What follows is the unthinkable violence exacted upon any adults who are still breathing, at the hands of the villages' children. Without divulging any explication of the children's abrupt, unnatural cruelty, the film dutifully if unremarkably grinds out threadbare set pieces counter to common sense (for instance, Tom, albeit witnessing horror in first hand, under the pretext of her gravid state, uncharacteristically keeps a lid on the 411 from Evelyn, who cannot understand a word of Spanish, so that they just stay put in lieu of scarpering on the spot), both also dreams up a sort of telepathic contagion that is chilling enough to jolt any woman who has a bun in the oven out of her philoprogenitive inclination. Ransome gives an excellence impression in the standard terrified mode, whereas Fiander's Tom has to become a child murderer to ward off elements of children inching en masse."
It will make you scream, but out of annoyance, not out of fear
Gloede_The_Saint7 December 2010
This film made be consider breaking through the 4th wall and kill these morons myself. I know some people like it. I don't get it. I'm sorry, but his is one of the dumbest films I have ever seen. It's just plain F-ing stupid. I suppose people like having their braincells get massacred.
Children turns into evil killers, OK. We have seen that in Children of the Damned. Evil "zombie" children can work. But here we have a idiot tourist couple who sees loads of people murdered/dead and act like nothing is going on. That idiot leading man just walks around and leaves his wife defenseless time and time again though he knows that the children are killers. And even worse! They have a problem with killing these children? Why? It's not a moral dilemma if they are trying to F-ing KILL YOU! It's just ridiculous. And the opening? What? Yes children die all around the world, so what? A horrid attempt to play smart. Ah so the point is that the children are fighting back, how brilliant. First of all the way they are all just hypnotized and turns into monsters on the spot is just dumb, at least in a movie that tries to be about "reality" and suffering. If it had been some supernatural fairytale or if we knew the origins it could have worked somewhat better, but lets just drop that. No matter what this is just ridiculous and horrible.
It was nicely framed though. That and the fact that it actually makes you want to rip out the lungs of these children, which I suppose was what they wanted is the reason why it does not get a 1.
Children turns into evil killers, OK. We have seen that in Children of the Damned. Evil "zombie" children can work. But here we have a idiot tourist couple who sees loads of people murdered/dead and act like nothing is going on. That idiot leading man just walks around and leaves his wife defenseless time and time again though he knows that the children are killers. And even worse! They have a problem with killing these children? Why? It's not a moral dilemma if they are trying to F-ing KILL YOU! It's just ridiculous. And the opening? What? Yes children die all around the world, so what? A horrid attempt to play smart. Ah so the point is that the children are fighting back, how brilliant. First of all the way they are all just hypnotized and turns into monsters on the spot is just dumb, at least in a movie that tries to be about "reality" and suffering. If it had been some supernatural fairytale or if we knew the origins it could have worked somewhat better, but lets just drop that. No matter what this is just ridiculous and horrible.
It was nicely framed though. That and the fact that it actually makes you want to rip out the lungs of these children, which I suppose was what they wanted is the reason why it does not get a 1.
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