UK Edition
Feeds
Screenwriters: Tom Shankland
Starring: Hannah Tointon (interview), Stephen Campbell Moore, Jeremy Sheffield
Running Time: 84 mins
Certificate: 15
The kids are far from alright in this uneven British horror flick. Fittingly released in time to deliver some festive fear, The Children mostly squanders an intriguing premise and capable cast by simply failing to provide enough entertaining or thrilling moments on top of the narrative framework.
The story revolves around a couple of close families hooking up in a remote house over Christmas. Soon, all the children in the house start behaving in an increasingly aggressive manner and the adults have to fight for their lives. The main dilemma, which is regularly milked for drama, is whether the characters are willing to fight their own demonic offspring in order to survive.
Director Tom Shankland has a keen eye for disturbing yet non-graphic imagery, and this plays a large part in establishing the impressive foreboding atmosphere throughout the first part of the film. A snowman is depicted with a carrot stuck into his eye and there are some brooding shots of spilt coffee contaminating the pure white snow - a portent of the bloodshed to come. But when the children go on their killing spree there's a serious lack of invention. Certainly, it is nowhere near on the same level as the similarly themed Village Of The Damned and The Omen.
For obvious reasons, the filmmakers can't explicitly show the children carrying out various murderous acts. Sadly though, the messy editing often makes these implied acts visually incomprehensible and it's hard to tell exactly what is going on at times. The storytelling is similarly scattergun at times too, as the film fails to satisfyingly establish the relationship between the characters and, crucially, whose kids belong to whom. Granted, the movie admirably steers clear of some of the stale conventions of the horror genre and plays it for real, but this doesn't make for good entertainment for large chunks of the movie.
The character of Casey provides our entry point into the film's world, and it's a pity that we don't adopt her perspective for more of the film. She is admirably portrayed by former Hollyoaks vixen Hannah Tointon, who creates a thoroughly credible portrayal of a disaffected teen who'd rather neck cheap cider with mates than spend time at a family gathering.
Along with the chilling (in temperature terms), snow-strewn setting, there is the occasional standout scene that sends shivers down the spine. In particular, one dining room scene involving the children all squealing around the dinner table is very unsettling. An air of ambiguity also helps to partially salvage the film. Along with a stunning 'is she or isn't she?' style ending that leaves us wanting a sequel, the cause of the infant evil is never explained. One can only speculate.
The Children mostly opts to steer clear of the cheap shock tactics and clichés used by many modern horror films, but doesn't offer up enough treats elsewhere. It is intelligent enough to provide room for discussion afterwards, although it fails to sufficiently please on both a cerebral and visceral level during its pleasingly short running time.
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