THE CHILDREN

Killer Kid movies are extremely hit or miss. When they work, they work tremendously well, like WHO COULD KILL A CHILD?. When they miss, you end up with BEWARE! CHILDREN AT PLAY!. So I was a bit anxious about popping in THE CHILDREN. All that anxiousness vanished pretty quickly. It was obvious from the first 15 minutes on that THE CHILDREN was going to take itself very seriously. This wasn't going to be THE DEVIL TIMES FIVE or BLOODY BIRTHDAY. This was going to be something more, something better. By the time the credits began to roll, I was completely drained. This is one hell of a great movie, a vicious, mature shocker with suspense and shock to spare.


The Children

The problem with films of this sort is simple: how do you make kids scary? It's the same problem I have with killer doll movies. It's simply hard for me to believe that anyone could be killed by a child. You're much bigger than they are. Just kick the little shit across the room. Maybe it has something to do my dislike for small children - sorry, ladies, I don't like the little bastards - but I don't imagine I'd have a hard time gunning down or immolating some little kid that's trying to cut me to shreds. The moral dilemma of "could you kill a child?" is lost on me. I'd have a harder time killing Cujo, a dog, than any of the kids on display in this film. But I understand why some people would hesitate or simply not even bother trying. It's ingrained in us - well, YOU, not me - to protect children. When they're your own children - surprise! I don't have kids - it's all the more prevalent.


The Children

So it's awfully hard for me to get involved in films of this sort. Like films about ghosts, I'm immediately detached from the subject matter. THE CHILDREN, however, didn't let me off the hook. This is an extremely well-written piece of film and the slow unfolding of the plot allowed for me to bond with several of the characters. My attachment eased my discomfort and assured me of my involvement in the story. By the time the kids turn evil, I was already too involved to turn back on my suspension of disbelief. It's a testament to the skill of director Tom Shankland that I found myself actually creeped out by the tiny villains of the piece. Shankland does more with a single static shot of a child staring blankly at a wall than most horror directors do with a full 90 minutes.


The Children

There's another problem with films like this and it has to do with violence. Most films will shy away from showing the children commit murders and the vast majority never allow the violence to fully boomerang. Those people expecting a bloodbath will likely be disappointed with THE CHILDREN - though there's several nasty moments scattered throughout - but this isn't that kind of film anyway. The violence in this movie isn't shocking because it's gruesome, though it is, or because it is committed by and against children. It's shocking because of how plainly it is filmed. As shockingly blunt as the ending of WHO COULD KILL A CHILD? is, that film pales in comparison to THE CHILDREN. The violence on display here eschews the slickly edited, prettied up violence found in most horror movies. The deaths that occur in the film are painful, traumatic moments. A broken leg has never felt so painful and a flap of scalp has never been so disgusting.


The Children

This is a film of unquestionable power. It is one of the best recent horror films I've seen and will be a film I return to on a yearly basis. Whether or not it holds up on repeat viewing has yet to be seen but I was immediately tempted to replay the DVD once it was finished. It's not complicated nor is it overly enthusiastic but it is directed with immense skill and is remarkably well-acted - especially by Stephen Campbell Moore, Eva Birthisle and the uber-hot Hannah Tointon - with one of the creepiest scores I've heard in a long time by Stephen Hilton. Everything about it just works. THE CHILDREN is one of those rare films where I wouldn't have changed a single thing about it - not a single frame, not a single bit of casting or pacing - and that alone is enough for me to declare it one of the best horror films I've seen in an awfully long time.


Essential viewing.