If the underachieving 1995 sci-fi/horror flick, Village of the Damned, is remembered for one thing, it is the final appearance in a theatrical film for its star, CHRISTOPHER REEVE. Later that year he would suffer the equestrian accident that would paralyze him and ultimately lead to his death in 2004. Otherwise, the film’s poor box office and terrible reviews has not even seen it gain cult status these three decades later.

BEWARE THE CHILDREN

With that tagline, here is a brief overview of Village of the Damned, which was directed by none other than John Carpenter. The film, by the way, is a remake of the 1960 British movie of the same name, its source material being The Midwich Cuckoos, a 1957 novel by John Wyndham.

In this version, the sleepy town of Midwich has been moved from the British countryside to coastal Marin County, north of San Francisco. As a shadow resembling the Angel of Death passes over the town one morning, all of its residents and animals are rendered unconscious at 10 a.m. and wake up simultaneously at 4 p.m. Subsequent to this “blackout,” ten women find themselves pregnant, including a virgin girl. (I’m not making this up.) All the babies are born on the same day, five boys and five girls, though the virgin’s daughter is stillborn.

Dr. Alan Chaffee (Christopher Reeve) wonders what is happening to his sleepy little town.

The babies age rather quickly, both physically and mentally. They all have white hair, pale skin, and seriously creepy eyes, and they pair off like mates, all but a boy named David, whose mate would have been the virgin’s daughter. They also possess psychic powers, which can result in violent actions when provoked. David has these same powers, but he does exhibit a degree of humanity.

The lead mini-monster is a girl named Mara, the daughter of town doctor Alan Chaffee (Reeve) and his wife, Barbara. Even as a baby, this brat compels her mother to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff. Incidents like this occur often as the kids continue to age at an alarming rate. The townsfolk would like to be rid of these little creeps with the glowing eyes, but when the local priest, Father George (Mark Hamill, for crying out loud!), tries to shoot them, he is forced to turn the gun on himself.

These mini-monsters are seriously creepy.

From there, it’s a battle for survival as Dr. Chaffee leads the adults in a desperate attempt to wipe out these freaky little mini-monsters. Lots more violence ahead. Rather perverse, ya think? Maybe that’s what turned viewers off.

Village of the Damned has a solid cast, led by Christopher Reeve, and I found it…well, interesting, hence the Guilty Pleasure designation. I have to admit, I loved Christopher Reeve, especially for his role in Somewhere in Time, a film that meant so much to my late bride and me, and it was emotional seeing him in his final theatrical role. But I understand why this movie failed.