Beware the children -John Carpenter’s 1995 remake ofVillage of the Damnedis coming to 4K Blu-ray for the first time. Scream Factory’s two-disc set is loaded with horrific special features. It will be released on September 24. The set will include an all-new 4K transfer of the film from its original 35mm camera negative. It will also feature an all-new audio commentary track by filmmakersJackson Stewart(Beyond the Gates) andFrancis Galluppi(The Last Stop in Yuma County).
Featurettes include all-new interviews with screenwriterDavid Himmelstein(Bad Company), and film music historianDaniel Schweiger, who will discuss Carpenter’s score for the film. It will also include a number of archival featurettes from previous releases of the film, including a making-of feature, a look at the movie’s filming locations, and an interview with actorPeter Jason(Deadwood), a frequent Carpenter collaborator. The set will retail for $35.99 USD, and can be pre-ordered now onShoutFactory.com.
What Is ‘Village of the Damned’ About?
A remake of the1960 British horror film of the same name, which was itself an adaptation ofJohn Wyndham’s 1957 novelThe Midwich Cuckoos,Village of the Damnedmoves the action from the UK to Northern California. From there, however, the main story beats are the same; the people of a small town simultaneously fall asleep, and when they awake, ten of the village’s women are mysteriously pregnant. Nine of them give birth to babies who quickly develop white hair, glowing eyes, and eerie psychic powers. One baby is stillborn, which leaves one of the children, David (Thomas Dekker), without a “mate”, and thus something of an outcast in town. Various people try to do something about the children’s growing power, including local clergyman Reverend George (Mark Hamill), government scientist Susan Verner (Kirstie Alley), and town doctor Alan Chaffee (Christopher Reeve, in his final film role before the accident that paralyzed him). However, there may be nothing they can do before the children become unstoppable…
The originalVillage of the Damnedis considered a classic of mid-century horror; the remake, however, was rejected by critics and audiences, making $9 million on a $22 million budget. It was one of a number of 1990s stumbles that harmed Carpenter’s directing career; unlikeIn the Mouth of Madness, which was released the previous year, it has not been reappraised as one of Carpenter’s superior works.
Scream Factory’sVillage of the DamnedBlu-ray set will bereleased on June 16, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
