Village of the Damned (1960)

Director:

Wolf Rilla

Writers:

Stirling Silliphant (screenplay) &
Wolf Rilla (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 December 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

What Demonic Force Lurks Behind Those Eyes?

Plot:

In the English village of Midwich, the blond-haired, glowing-eyed children of uncertain paternity prove to have frightening powers.

Plot Keywords:

Village | Children | English | Pregnant | Pregnancy

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

George Sanders	...	Gordon Zellaby
Barbara Shelley	...	Anthea Zellaby
Martin Stephens	...	David Zellaby
Michael Gwynn	...	Alan Bernard
Laurence Naismith	...	Doctor Willers
Richard Warner	...	Harrington
Jenny Laird	...	Mrs. Harrington
Sarah Long	...	Evelyn Harrington
Thomas Heathcote	...	James Pawle
Charlotte Mitchell	...	Janet Pawle
Pamela Buck	...	Milly Hughes
Rosamund Greenwood	...	Miss Ogle
Susan Richards	...	Mrs. Plumpton
Bernard Archard	...	Vicar
Peter Vaughan	...	P.C. Gobby

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:12 (re-rating) (2005) | UK:A (original rating) | West Germany:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Letchmore Heath, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios

Trivia:

The eerie effect of the children's glowing eyes was created by matting a negative (reversed) image of their eyes over the pupils when they used their powers.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Just before the credits, there's a long crane shot which ends in the trees. It's obvious that the crane snagged a branch on its way up, because a branch suddenly snaps into the frame. They follow the shot with a brief view of other branches waving around, as though to cover the mistake...but the first branch was *not* blowing in the wind.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Prof. Gordon Zellaby: [on telephone] Good morning. Uh, would you get me Major Bernard at his Whitehall number? Thank you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Red Zone Cuba (#7.19)" (1994)

George Sanders Made this a Classic Film!

This is a great Classic film mainly because of the great movie star George Sanders(Gordon Zellaby),"Hangover Square",'45, who unfortunately took his own life. In this film Sanders plays a professor and has the great pleasure of raising a child with Barbara Shelley(Antnea Zellaby), who turns out to become a child with glaring eyes and a very bad temper! It seems the children in this film seem to grow at a very rapid pace and have great hidden abilities to do just about everything they want in controlling the minds of all ADULTS! In 1960, this was a great Horror film and captivated the movie goers. This is truly a great Classic Film to enjoy!