| The Children | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Tom Shankland |
| Produced by | Allan Niblo James Richardson |
| Written by | Tom Shankland (screenplay) Paul Andrew Williams (story) |
| Starring | Eva Birthistle |
| Music by | Stephen Hilton |
| Cinematography | Nanu Segal |
| Editing by | Tim Murrell |
| Studio | Screen West Midlands BBC Films Aramid Entertainment Barnsnape Films |
| Distributed by | Vertigo Films (UK) Icon Productions (Australia) |
| Release date(s) | 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]
Contents |
A Christmas and 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 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.
The film opened to generally positive reviews from UK critics. 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]
As of February 2011[update], review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 79% approval rating based on 14 reviews.[6]
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.