Village Of The Damned

John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors. I've enjoyed just about all of his films. He's even someone who can put a fresh spin on a remake and make it all his own. Case in point, his 1982 remake of The Thing. But another remake of his failed to find an audience, 1995's Village Of The Damned.

A strange, six hour blackout hits a small coastal town knocking everyone unconscious. When they awaken, all of the town's women are pregnant. Nine months later, they all give birth to these strange, white haired children with psychic abilities. When they get older, they kids are bent on taking over the town, and eventually the world. A school teacher, Christopher Reeve, tries to figure out a way to put a stop to their reign of terror.

Although it's not as creepy as the original, it's still a pretty solid remake. The grownup cast, that also includes Kirstie Alley, Linda Kozlowski, Michael Pare, Meredith Salenger, and Mark Hamill, all do a great job, but it's those creepy kids that steal the show, especially Lindsey Haun as the leader of the group.

Carpenter has said that he was contractually obligated to do this movie and wasn't really that passionate about it. That might be the case, but I still think he did a good job with it.

This was Reeve's last film before a horse riding accident would leave him paralyzed.

Maybe it's not as scary as the original, and it's definitely not Carpenter's best, but Village Of The Damned is still an effective horror film.

It's available on dvd.