The Children (2008)

Continuing on my 'horror films I haven't seen yet' marathon. Today I went with one I picked up a week or two ago, The Children. It got good Rotten Tomatoes ratings so I figured why not.

The story is about a family, with several kids between them, who are in a rural house for a family gathering. Almost immediately, one of the children get sick which is brushed off as car sickness from the drive there. More children start getting sick over the course of the film and it is clear something is 'off'. There are deaths.

I think one of the things I felt this was going for was the very similar Swedish film that I love, Let the Right One In. There were somewhat similar vibes as they didn't slam the horror right in your face but left a lot to the imagination. That was also a little bit of a detriment in this film as they didn't quite give enough, at points. It sometimes felt like they wanted to be artsy but, in the process, it went too much in that direction.

I don't want to sound like a flip flopper here, but the uncertainty of what is really happening also worked. The ambiguity of some of the things that happen is an interesting approach. Is it a zombie movie? Sure. Is it a virus movie? Sure. Is it a Children of the Corn film? Sure. It's almost whatever you want it to be. Even the ending leaves you questioning.

There are some things going for this film but I am on the fence as if to this was a really good film, or an average one I will forget tomorrow. I can see why it gets good reviews but I also felt more confused at the end than I should. I am guessing it might have been trying to open itself up for a sequel.

Yes, I'll recommend it as it is unique. I'll recommend it even more if you are a parent. HA!

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