THE CHILDREN 1980
The Children (1980) is a low-budget cult classic drive-horror film directed by Max Kalmanowicz. It features a chilling premise and some genuinely disturbing moments, including the creepiest, test-the-gag reflex – black nails – hands lopped off- that have helped it maintain a dedicated following over the years.
The film stars Martin Shakar as John Freemont, Gil Rogers as Sheriff Billy Hart, and Gale Garnett as Cathy Freemont.
Set in the fictional New England town of Ravensback, the story follows a group of five children who are transformed into zombie-like imps after their school bus passes through a toxic cloud leaked from a nearby nuclear power plant. This taps into the very real fear of nuclear energy and toxic waste that was prevalent during the Cold War era.
What makes The Children particularly unsettling is its unique take on the “evil child” subgenre: As far as the subversion of innocence, children are typically associated with innocence and purity. The monstrous children also represent primal fears: the children in director Wolf Rilla’s Village of the Damned 1960, based on John Wyndham’s novel “The Midwich Cuckoos” are often considered more terrifying than those in other horror films due to their unique combination of mental powers, collective hivemind, and lack of apparent innocence they should typically possess.
Zombie-like children embody raw, irrational fears that represent a regression to a primitive state of mind that adults find deeply unsettling as the films drop us into the uncanny valley. Deathly mindless, shambling, pint-size ghoulish children who retain their outward appearance while exhibiting unnatural, disturbing behavior create a cognitive dissonance that messes with your comfortability. That’s what draws me to this obscure horror film; the transformation of them into malevolent entities, deadly children who appear outwardly normal aside from their blackened fingernails and empty stare, creates a stark, disturbing contrast. They possess the ability to burn anyone they touch, often luring victims in with their skin-crawling calls of “Mommy, mommy.” The burned skin makeup by Craig Lyman contributes to the film’s visceral impact.
The film features a particularly grim climax. The only way to stop these child zombies is to cut off their hands, adding a gruesome element to the finale. Hacking these little angels’ hands off is yet another ‘gut-check gory’ aspect of this bizarre early ‘80s treasure.
Harry Manfredini’s eerie score enhances the movie’s atmosphere, which bears similarities to his work on Friday the 13th from the same year. The film’s low-budget constraints are offset by Barry Abhram’s creative cinematography and effective use of night scenes, creating a palpable, atmospheric sense of dread.
Despite its limited release and relative obscurity, The Children stands out for its nihilistic tone and willingness to push boundaries, particularly in its depiction of violence involving children. Both inflicted -by innocence- and – toward them. The film’s ending delivers a final, disturbing twist that cements its place in low-budget horror cinema history.