The Children - dir. by Tom Shankland (2008)

Here's a recommendation for some enjoyable viewing this Halloween season: a creepy, occasionally graphic British horror film called The Children. As far as scary-kid movies go, this one's leagues beyond junk like Children of the Corn (1984) and rivals The Bad Seed (1956). I'm not going to say it's better than The Omen (1976), but hey, what the hell do you want, right?

Director Tom Shankland's been working in TV and film for the last ten years, but his name was unfamiliar to me--in fact, I hadn't even heard of this film until I stumbled across it in this article from last Halloween: http://open.salon.com/blog/scott_mendelson/2009/10/22/the_10_best_modern_direct-to-dvd_horror_films). Very glad I came across it, as this is a high-quality film that seems to have been widely overlooked, which is a shame.

The basic premise is somewhat similar to that of Night of the Living Dead (1968), except that instead of all the undead suddenly rising up and turning on the living, we see the children (in an unspecified area) all suddenly turn on the adults. There's even less explanation than in NOTLD, and that's fine, because it isn't necessary. I won't go further into the film's plot because, (1) as usual, the less you know, the better; and (2) there isn't much of one.

Spooky, possibly murderous kids? Check.

Casual inspiration from Night of the Living Dead? Check.

You're either interested in this type of thing or you're not. Anyone who's a fan of this sub-genre of horror film can tell you, however--there aren't an awful lot of good evil-kid movies out there. The Children is certainly one of the best.

The film's final moments work remarkably well. The finish of a horror film can be a tricky thing to get right--this one nails the ending. If a scary movie can end with a truly frightening image that stays with you, it's more than done its job. After I got done watching The Children, I considered whether to give it a three- or four-star rating on my Netflix account. I walked outside to smoke a cigarette, and found myself getting somewhat spooked just being outside, alone, at night, thinking about those final shots in the film. Went back in and rated the film four stars. Gotta figure any movie that can creep me out like that deserves at least four.