Review of Village of the Damned (1995) by Dillon L — 28 Oct 2015

You ever watched an entire film, desperately searching for something really good, but never quite finding it? That feeling sums up John Carpenter's remake of Village Of The Damned, a total missed opportunity.

When a bizarre event occurs in the sunny town of Widwich, the women of the town fall simultantiously pregnant, baffled by the towns situation a group of scientists invade the town, in hopes of a new discovery, only what they find is a force that cant be stopped.

For all the star power and building blocks that Carpenter has in place here, the film never really takes off at all. The cast are all brilliant, Chris Reeves, Kirstie Alley, Mark Hamill and Linda Kozlowski all do admirable jobs with the material they have and the script isnt exactly terrible either, the dialogue flows well, the plot makes sense and the structure works, its just that Carpenter doesnt seem to know what to do with all his tools.

Village Of The Damned feels lost, without a purpose and desperately in need of an identity. On a basic level the film is fine, its a decent length, it holds your attention and it has some nice moments littered throughout, but it doesnt get your blood pumping like it should, the concept never upsets and with the subject matter we should be quivering in our seats.

It's not the first time that Carpenter has remade a cult classic and you'd be forgiven for thinking that the huge upheaval that was done on The Thing, would at least act as a basic staple for how to approach another cult classic, but for all the inventiveness The Thing boasts, Village just feels lazy and unloved.

The film does have some fine moments, most memorable would be the finale, but these moments only shine due to the mundane sequences that surround it. Village lacks Carpenters invigorating touch, while not a complete travesty, Village never gets your heart racing, a missed opportunity.