Ep 79 - VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960): ENTER IF YOU DARE!!

VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960) d. Wolf Rilla (UK) CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED (1964) d. Anton Leader (UK) VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1995) d. John Carpenter (USA) THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS (2022) d. David Farr (UK) Get ready for a spine-chilling journey into Midwich, England, aka the VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960) as we break down this brilliant sci-fi/horror classic's eerie legacy. Based on John Wyndham's 1957 source novel, The Midwich Cuckoos, and directed by stalwart Wolf Rilla who shared credit for the screenplay with Stirling Silliphant, future Oscar-winner for In the Heat of the Night (1967) and the TV series Route 66. The haunting premise, aided by sharp dialogue, documentary-style storytelling, and standout performances by George Sanders (All About Eve, Hangover Square), Barbara Shelley (Dracula Prince of Darkness, Quatermass and the Pit), Michael Gwynn (The Revenge of Frankenstein), and young Martin Stephens (The Innocents) created a landmark feature that still resonates with horror audiences today. The film inspired both a 1964 sequel, Children of the Damned (which inspired the Iron Maiden song), as well as John Carpenter's 1995 remake and the 2022 miniseries. Join AC and his awesome panel of guests (Joe B., Michelle Courvais, Lin Morris, Brett Neveu) as we uncover the secrets behind the iconic children with glowing eyes! --------------------------------------- JOE B. is a dad, a social media luddite, a mediocre bass player, and a devoted consumer of burritos. He teaches high school English as his day job, and he loves talkin' books and movies. MICHELLE COURVAIS is a health coach, empowerment self-defense instructor, student of herbalism (code for WITCH) and sometimes a Chicago actor. LIN MORRIS is a writer who makes his living doing something else entirely. His novels Spot the Not and The Marriage Wars are both available on Amazon. The first movie he recalls seeing is Two on a Guillotine at the Super 99 Drive-In at much too young an age, and he's been a horror fan ever since. Despite the strenuous efforts of his parents, he remains stubbornly left handed. BRETT NEVEU is a professor at Northwestern University where he teaches writing for the screen and stage. His film/TV screenplays include Eric LaRue (dir. Michael Shannon) and Night's End (dir. Jennifer Reeder) with Shudder/AMC. Past theatre productions include Revolution with A Red Orchid Theatre, Verböten with House Theatre and Red Bud with The Royal Court Theatre. Brett is also a recipient of a Steinberg/ATCA New Play Citation, The Marquee Award from Chicago Dramatists, The Ofner Prize for New Work and the Emerging Artist Award from The League of Chicago Theatres. --------------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!