| The Children | |
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 |
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| Directed by | Tom Shankland |
| Produced by | Allan Niblo |
| Written by | Paul Andrew Williams Tom Shankland |
| Starring | Eva Birthistle |
| Music by | James Richardson |
| Cinematography | Nanu Segal |
| Editing by | Tim Murrell |
| Distributed by | Vertigo Films |
| 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 holiday degenerates into a fight for survival when the children start turning on their parents. At first the children begin demonstrating some irritability or 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, although it may simply be a matter of time[4].
The film opened to generally positive reviews from UK critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 73% 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.
  | Official site - The Children - DVD OUT MARCH 30 2009 |
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