The Children (2008 film)
| The Children | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Tom Shankland |
| Written by | Tom Shankland (screenplay) Paul Andrew Williams (story) |
| Produced by | Allan Niblo James Richardson |
| Starring | Eva Birthistle |
| Cinematography | Nanu Segal |
| Edited by | Tim Murrell |
| Music by | Stephen Hilton |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Vertigo Films (UK) Icon Productions (Australia) |
Release date | 5 December 2008 (UK) |
Running time | 85 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Children is a 2008 British horror film directed by Tom Shankland and starring Eva Birthistle[1].
Cast
- Eva Birthistle as Elaine
- Stephen Campbell Moore as Jonah
- Hannah Tointon as Casey
- Eva Sayer as Miranda
- William Howes as Paulie
- Rachel Shelley as Chloe
- Jeremy Sheffield as Robbie
- Raffiella Brooks as Leah
- Jake Hathaway as Nicky
Plot
A New Year holiday degenerates into a fight for survival when the children start turning on their parents. At first the children begin demonstrating some irritability and odd behaviour, particularly staring off into space. A small series of incidents including the disappearance of the family pet, and a tragic "accident" eventually elevates into deliberately sadistic and homicidal activity on the children's part.[2]
The privileged yuppie parents, due to the psychological trauma of the brutality of the attacks and the horror of being stalked by their own children, are seemingly rendered highly irrational and incapable of effectively defending themselves.[3]
The cause for the children's increasingly disturbed and psychotic behaviour is suggested to be the result of a non-specified sickness brought into the household by the youngest child. It does not apparently affect adults.[4]
At the end of the film, teenage daughter Casey and her mother Elaine are escaping, when lots of other infected children begin to appear from out of the woods, approaching their car. As they drive off Casey begins to stare into space, leaving the viewer wondering whether or not she has become infected as well.
Reception
The film opened to generally positive reviews from UK critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 77% of critics gave the film a positive review. The Guardian writer Phelim O'Neill said, "the violence is skilfully enough executed to make you think you see much more than you actually do and the fundamentally disturbing and creepy aspects about such random and unpredictable child-centric mayhem are always present, no matter how ludicrously intense and darkly humorous things get". He awarded the film four stars out of five.[5]
The film opened at no.10 in the UK, grossing only £98,205 at 132 cinemas. In the weeks after its release, the film dropped to no.13 and then again to no.22.
References and notes
- ^ Tom Shankland Talks The Children
- ^ Children, The (Blu-ray / DVD)
- ^ The Children
- ^ Fantastic Fest 09: Fear THE CHILDREN
- ^ O'Neill, Phelim; "Film review: The Children" Guardian.co.uk, 5 December 2008 (Retrieved: 15 July 2008)
External links
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