Based on John Wyndham’s novel “The Midwich Cuckoos,” themes of fear, community invasion, isolation, and change surround Wolf Rilla’s stunning 1960 slice of British science fiction horror, Village of the Damned.
Set in the English village of Midwich, Village of the Damned quickly introduces us to an unnerving mystery as the entire town falls into a strange, deep sleep for several hours on a warm summer afternoon.
After they wake, the women of childbearing age soon discover they are pregnant and duly give birth to a host of children who all look similar. Each kid has piercing eyes, superintelligence, platinum-blonde hair, and telepathic and telekinetic powers that manipulate and control the surrounding villagers through a hive mind.
Rilla never delves into who or what these children are; instead, Village of the Damned is a science-fiction exploration of social change in the aftermath of World War II. From its twisted portrait of the perfect Aryan race to a reflection of late ’50s and early ’60s social paranoia, Village of the Damned is a masterclass in socially reflective horror.
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