THE CHILDREN – The Dungeon Review!

A looming shot of the woods is shown, beautifully illustrating the isolation of the location and the impending doom to come. A family rolls into the driveway of their relatives whom they are visiting during the holiday season. The visiting family is a couple with two small children and a teenage daughter conceived by the mother when she was a teenager herself. The home they are visiting belongs to her sister and her husband who also have two small children. Like all kids they are psyched for the holidays and to see their cousins so a little “acting up” is to be expected. The kids themselves realize there is some heavy shit going down among them long before the parents even have an inkling. As each kid gets sick the next one is convincingly terrified, knowing they will be next. The intensity they manage to build is impressive. I was literally on the edge of my seat with anticipation! The adults in the film are definitely flawed and refuse to see that there is anything wrong with their children. The only character who gets it is the bitter, sulky teenage daughter. There are some spectacular moments of suspense and a few genuine shocks. The acting and film quality was excellent. There were a few aspects of the film that didn’t work for me which is why I had to give it less than a perfect score. They get a little fancy with the techniques at times. There is one Fight Club-esque shot of microbes busily swimming about in some gack coughed up by one of the little girls. It just seemed out of place. My main issue is with the ending. I am still not sure how I feel about that ending. One of the great aspects of this film was it offered little explanation for the occurrences. It left a lot to your own imagination. That final ending, although creepy was an unnecessary twist that should have been left on the cutting room floor. I’m sure less cynical viewers will probably find no issue with the ending at all. The film is great and I highly recommend it. Some hardcore thrills and chills topped with some nasty violence and a dash of gore.

Dungeon Review: 4/5

Directed By: Tom Shankland

Starring: Rachel Shelley, Stephen Campbell Moore, Jeremy Sheffield, Eva Birthistle, Hannah Tointon, Eva Sayer, Raffiella Brooks, Jake Hathaway and William Howes