Filming Locations: Cookhill Priory, Cookhill, Alcester, Warwickshire, England, UK
Opening Weekend: £98,205
(UK)
(7 December 2008)
(132 Screens)
Gross: £199,259
(UK)
(14 December 2008)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Casey's tattoo is the cover art of the album "Agaetis byrjun" of the Icelandic band Sigur Rós.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When we see Casey smashing at the bedroom door it constantly rattles and shakes madly, but when we switch scenes to the other side of the door, with Elaine leaning on it, the door is not moving at all.
Quotes: Casey:
[Annoyed]
Did you ever hear of contraception?
User Review
A Family Christmas to Remember
Rating: 7/10
One of the most effective aspects of this movie is the way the tension
builds inexorably. From the moment you see the children there is an
impending sense of doom. The children themselves are both brilliantly
cast and wonderfully realistic, by which I mean that their behaviour is
easily recognisable as the normal behaviour of manipulative and moody
kids, until it spills over to the purely demonic.
The rest of the cast who, apart from Stephen Campbell Moore, I didn't
recognise, all portrayed characters who were very believable, even if
not entirely sympathetic. After all, how can you sympathise with smug
middle class parents discussing homeschooling now that they've sold the
business? The adults were in fact wonderfully flawed, matched in spades
by Casey, who enters the movie as the least sympathetic character:
selfish, self absorbed, and distant in the way that only a sixteen year
old can be. However, Casey is arguably the real hero.
The script skillfully presents the tip of the iceberg, suggesting and
hinting at the unseen part of the characters' lives, never spelling
everything out, but crediting the audience with the wit to work some
things out for themselves. The horror cliché of characters doing stupid
or unrealistic things that annoy the audience was always avoided, as
was the use of the dark. Instead the action takes place against a white
Christmas backdrop, which sadly reminded me a little of Reny Harlin's
'snow' bound Die Hard 2, but even so the blood on snow motif was very
effective.
Tom Shankland's script, and in particular the dialogue, was very
convincing, but he is also a highly visual director. According to my
girlfriend the Miss Marple he helmed is quite beautifully photographed,
and I really liked the atmosphere and visuals in WAZ. The Children also
has the same stunning images, which along with the very powerful
soundtrack, conjure a mood of foreboding and dread. If you appreciate
horror movies with tension and beauty as well as a succession of wince-
inducing set pieces, then this is a film for you.
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