Tom Shankland, who made an intelligent if flawed torture-movie in last year’s WAZ, does a terrific job with this startlingly effective Christmas-set horror – a microcosm of apocalypse revolving around an unforeseen, mysterious threat and a small scale siege scenario a la NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE BIRDS, et al. Its influences run the gamut from VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED through to the trowel murder in NIGHT (echoed here in scenes of infected kids attacking / killing their parents), the tacky name-sake THE CHILDREN (1980) and, most significantly, the peerless WHO COULD KILL A CHILD? As in the latter 70’s masterpiece, here the (unsympathetic) adults prove easy prey to the juvenile menace because of both an inability to comprehend what’s going on and a degree of tortured reluctance when it comes to fighting back.
The simple scenario riffs on elements from all of the above, as gorgeous but downbeat Goth teen Hannah Tointon arrives for Christmas at her horny uncle’s country abode with her middle class parents and her irksome younger sibling. It soon becomes apparent that a mystery virus – initially represented by flu-like symptoms and vomiting – is spreading in the area and turning the kids into violent, aggressive, calculating murderers. Tointon becomes aware sooner than her distracted elders, though no one can stop all the kids from becoming infected.
Although horror movies with teenage protagonists are the norm, it was a good idea here to have our heroine be a cynical teen who grimly refers to herself as “the abortion that got away” and is the only one focused enough to accept the full horror of what’s happening : the adults remain in denial even when they’ve seen undisputed proof of the unfolding nightmare. In a movie full of deliberately unsympathetic characters, Tointon is a strong and believably awkward, angst-ridden presence in the lead and her controlled performance is superior to a couple of overwrought portrayals in the supporting cast. Crucially, Shankland nabs some really creepy shots of the children themselves and pulls off the threat : unlike some in this sub-genre, thanks to careful editing and direction, these kids are scary.
Though there are some dynamic jump scares, the movie avoids genre clichés and opts for a very effective slow burn. Shankland makes outstanding use of the wintry backdrop, staging all his horror in broad daylight and finding considerable eerie menace as he holds on Christmas card-like images of winter that afford the movie atmosphere to spare. The recurring motif of pooling blood on snow is simple but unnerving.
Unlike WAZ, THE CHILDREN avoids overt sadism and exploits the power of suggested / off-screen nastiness. The violence is often shocking – an eye stabbing, a couple of unpleasant “accidents” contrived by the manipulative kids, an especially grim death for one kid – but all the more so for not being dwelled upon. Its subject matter alone would have likely got it banned in the UK 1993, when (our equivalent of the MPAA) the BBFC had problems with the much milder THE GOOD SON.
Shankland isn’t afraid of making the audience uncomfortable with his juvenile onslaught and the brutal response to it, and he also makes creepily unpleasant use of dolls and other kiddie toys to add to the uneasiness. Superb sound design and a relentlessly suspenseful second half are key to the film’s impact.
The fabulously sinister wrap-up includes a chilling reveal and an ambiguous protracted LONG GOOD FRIDAY-style final shot that suggests doom awaits everyone except the growing flanks of kids.
– Steven West
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
