Village of the Damned

A group of alien children born with hypnotic powers share a collective conscience and terrorize a small English village.

With a running time of only 77 minutes, Village of the Damned is a textbook example of efficient storytelling. Every scene has a purpose, rather it be fleshing out the story, advancing the plot, or developing a character, and while the movie does rely on exposition for some of it’s trickier plot points, the movie is primarily visual.

The cast is terrific. George Sanders seems effortlessly charismatic as the believably flawed scientist lead. The child actors, possibly the most important part of the film, are excellent, particularly Martin Stephens, who’s performance is the perfect blend of both child and monster.

Village of the Damned’s only flaw is that, while we know the children are dangerous, we’re never really afraid of them. One or two scenes to reinforce this aspect of the film would have made it perfect.