Well I liked the concept of kids turning into some kind of zombies by some mysterious cloud. But that happens without any build-up and they go on to kill the annoying adults. And yes since all performers in the movie go without character development I couldn't really be bothered if they lived or died in the end. I'm trying to think if this movie has any redeeming qualities. Well yeah the kids were threatening and instead of actually biting their victims like zombies do, they burn them by touching them. It would have been nice there was some actual cure for it, rather than going for the easy way by chopping their limbs of. It was an original idea but the execution was done in such a cheap way hoping to cash in quickly on the zombie craze.

Lame rip-off of "Village of the Damned". Acting was lame, special effects were lame, and the obvious "twist" ending was lame. " I can't believe, I watched the whole thing!" A bit of 70's silliness and nudity livened it up a little, for your inner adolescent. I would regard a repeat viewing, as cruel and unnatural punishment. I guess it could be alright to watch with a rowdy group, if you were all hammered. The soundtrack is quite comical. The manner in which they "dispatch" of the children is extremely lame. "The Village of the Damned" is a masterpiece compared to this pathetic drivel. I highly recommend it, as well as, the book on which it was based, "The Midwich Cuckoos", by John Wyndam.

If there was a horror film that had certain nostalgia, you could say "The Children" was one of those cult films you would hear horror fans talking about and explaining how it was a childhood favourite. For me that wasn't the case, as I just watched for the first time, but I found it to be a surprisingly effective little low-budget feature which saw some of the film crew (lead by music composer Harry Manfredini) to go on to be apart of Sean S. Cunningham's 1980 iconic "Friday the 13th". When a school bus drives through a yellow mist of nuclear waste, a group of children of a rural town go missing, unknowingly to the town's folk they find out they have been transformed into zombies that are aching for a hug. But the results are toxic for whoever encounters them. It's up to the town sheriff to these lurking menaces. Everything about it is low-grade schlock and it plays out generic, from the acting to its direction, slight story (with a "Night of the Living Dead" vibe), adds ghastly make-up FX, dreary photography and even parts of the writing. But simply put its fun; in a daft, but also deranged and kooky manner. Sometimes humorous and at times unintentional, but still there are moments of gusty exploitation (that's zombie kids being mutilated by swords and axes!), suspense (those kiddie cuddle build-ups) and a constant eeriness (the appearances of the kids). Even the narrative throws a sudden shock twist here and there. The cast do feature some names with a likable Gil Rogers, Martin Shaker in a wooden turn, the very flirtatious Joy Glaccum and an amusing Peter Maloney. The forlorn woodland locations help alienate the horror, while Manfredini's music score is overstated, but not without its moments. Crazy, offbeat, ultra-cheap, but it's hard to resist these killer kids. "They'll turn up."

i thought this was a fun little horror classic.as far as i know,it's an original concept.not the zombies themselves,but how they became zombies.and how they kill their victims.it is cheesy and the acting is hammy,but so what.the premise is pretty cool.it's genuinely creepy.i especially love the score by Harry Manfredini,although it's very similar to Friday the 13th(which he also scored)and it does become overpowering and a bit distracting at times.the makeup effects are actually pretty good for the time.and if you're paying attention throughout the movie(which i obviously wasn't)the ending won't come as a surprise to you.overall,an enjoyable 90 minutes or so.for me,The Children(1980)is an 8/10