[6]
Here’s a weird offering from Britain’s Hammer Films that’s so surprising and bewildering, you might overlook its shortcomings. In England, an American tourist (Macdonald Carey) is picked up by a young woman (Shirley Anne Field) who lures him into a trap laid by her brother (Oliver Reed) and his motorcycle gang. They rob the tourist and beat him up. But the next day, the tourist flirts with the woman again — and again gets into a chase with the brother and the motorcycle gang. When the brother catches up with them, this film — thus far seemingly about rebellious youth and unhealthy sexual attraction — takes a wild turn into sci-fi territory as the three main characters stumble into a military compound with a group of nine mysterious young children.
Spoilers Ahead: Because this movie’s too damned odd not to spoil… The children turn out to be radioactive government experiments who’ve never seen the world outside their underground bunker. They plead for Carey, Field, and Reed to help them escape, but as they attempt to do so, the military recaptures every last child — and our three protagonists all die from radiation. The film ends with the voices of the deadly children pleading for the audience to help set them free. And on one hand, of course we want to. I mean, they’re kids for goodness sake. But on the other: these kids kill everyone they come into contact with, which makes These Are the Damned an uncommonly nihilistic affair. (The title ain’t kiddin’.)
I have to admire Hammer for such a bleak concept and dreary ending. The film also takes advantage of a lot of scenic locations and gives in-house composer James Bernard a chance to stretch his wings beyond the usual gothic horror fare. As weird and beguiling as the film is, particularly in its last third, the screenplay feels a lot like two different movies jammed haphazardly together. There’s a lot of early character development that doesn’t lead anywhere. There’s even a whole supporting role, an artist who lives near the military compound (Creepshow‘s Viveca Lindfors), that feels superfluous. Director Joseph Losey also struggles with pacing and narrative momentum. But for all my quibbles, this movie is just too damned odd and against-the-grain to dismiss.
With Alexander Knox and Walter Gotell (The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker).