Rating: 4/5
Oh My Horror 2025 | 37/52 | Black & White Horror
In the rural village of Midwich, Professor Gordon Zellaby makes a call to his brother-in-law, Major Alan Bernard, stationed a ways away. Mid-call, Gordon collapses on the ground. Alan makes repeated attempts to reconnect, but no one in town is answering. As we look around, we find that the farmer tilling the soil has also passed out. In fact, everyone in the village is incapacitated, including the animals. The clock strikes 11 o’clock.
Alan is already taking leave for the weekend, so he tells the higher-ups that he will investigate the cause. Upon arriving, he meets a police officer looking for a bus, which they locate together, crashed over the side of the road. As the officer approaches the bus, he suddenly collapses. Alan smartly turns tail and drives away, where he reports his findings.
The military arrives and cordon off the town, disguising it as a military training exercise. The soldiers take a canary and dip its cage across the line, where it immediately passes out. Once they pull it back, it comes right to. Dr. Willers arrives to see them repeat the exercise on a soldier in a gas mask. Overhead, they send a plane that can barely make out that no one is moving. Alan asks him over the radio to slowly descend, being sure to pull up the moment he feels anything. The pilot is too eager and dips at a point where he passes out, causing the plane to crash.
Suddenly, they see a cow in the pasture come to. Then, the folks in the bus pour out, woozy but conscious. Alan crosses the line to assist the officer who is awakening. What happened to them during these past couple of hours?
The movie unfolds in that steady, old British horror kind of way — each moment given enough time to convey what it can without rushing to get to any part. I love that, but I know some folks will find it slow-going, especially if you already know the story (either through the Carpenter remake or the Simpsons episode).
We also get that 50s-grade misogyny, as all the women are emotional and the men are rational. No surprise, given the times, but it’s noticeable. George Sanders’ tone makes every line out of his mouth sound like mansplaining. Slap a woman to break her out of her hysterics and whatnot. And, despite being about a small village, it still manages to throw in some racism against indigenous folks.
The kid actors are fantastic. Those eyes are still nightmarish 60-some years later. There’s
Of the John Wyndham adaptations I’ve seen, this one is by far the best. And 77-minute runtime? Be still, my beating heart.
** Stray Thoughts / Spoilers **
- To think, Russ Tamblyn almost became the star!
- A “Beware of Children” sign is visible in the background when the military continues its investigation!
- I’m Miss Ogle — nosey, airheaded, and easily manipulated.
- I love that they recruit the priest to convince people that the women didn’t get pregnant through infidelity.
- If your baby freaks out a dog, then you haven’t got a normal baby, guy.
- Hell yeah, puzzle boxes
- Thomas Heathcote has such a striking face.
- I like that the psychic powers are slow-moving — a, more dramatic, but b, it makes it clear that they’re not just speaking words into his brain but manipulating brain functioning itself.
- — Why would he ask YOU to take care of me? — I don’t know, manner of speech, I suppose.
- THE EYES!