Who Can Kill A Child? (1976)

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Watched Who Can Kill A Child? last night and was pleasantly surprised at how disturbing it is.Highly recommended.It's easy to see (not so much the story maybe) but where the film Children of the Corn got it's visual influence from.
Feel free to discuss.......

[Philleh]

Very good movie, let down by the opening though - way to protracted and overly graphic!

Once that's over though, it's one hell of a movie.

[mark meakin]

Originally Posted by Philleh

Very good movie, let down by the opening though - way to protracted and overly graphic!

Once that's over though, it's one hell of a movie.

The precert I saw from Hokushi (I think) had the opening severely cut so I can't comment.However I thought it was pretty good & I'll certainly pick up the Dark Sky dvd eventually.

[Philleh]

The Dark Sky DVD is a great release and worth the price they ask for on Amazon.co.uk

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Yeah Phill,the opening is horrendous-a bit too far,but once the movie has started......I can't remember the last time I watched a film with so much tension....the sense of dread,you just KNOW it ain't gonna end happily.....

[Wes]

I agree with all the comments here about the opening - very heavy stuff. I think my wife would like this one, but when I show it to her I might discreetly move to the opening-proper of the film... Question - before the Dark Sky disc came out I always knew this film as Would You Kill A Child ?, which I think is a better worded title. Thing is, I'm wondering now if I mis-read the title, and I can't seem to russle up the old Hokushin sleeve. So was it in fact titled Would You Kill A Child ? at some point ?

[nekromantik]

I watched this few weeks ago.
Was a pretty cool flick, the kids were kinda creepy

It oozed atmosphere and was well filmed so gotta add it to my good spanish horror list even though its in english.

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Nasty little buggers.
Like to see how Jo Frost would deal with that lot.....

[Steel76]

Hmmm...I better order the DVD as soon as possible

[robertzombie]

My review of the Dark Sky release:

I screened this film at my University's Cult Film Society and it received a great, yet split reaction from the audience.

The film does question you on a number of levels, and also is one of the only films that truly emphasises the classical meaning of horror - that of loss. In this case a loss of innocence and self control.

The film is definitely worth buying if you're interested in exploring the question of the title, essentially it asks the viewer: could YOU kill a child if the situation depended on it? In our case many decided that they would kill the children in order to save themselves and their family!

We watched the Spanish language version with the English subs because the film was initially released in Spain and we wanted to experience it in its original form. However, the two leading characters' lines were recorded in English and then dubbed into Spanish, therefore the majority of the film was originally filmed in English. So you're probably better off watching it in English (the Dark Sky release has both audio tracks + subs). I suppose it depends on your own preference. I recommend watching both the Spanish and English dubs in order to get a more rounded feel for the movie.

A number of reviews have criticised the slow pace of the film. Essentially the interview with the film's cameraman (one of the disc's special features) says it all; they weren't trying to make a horror film but a psychological thriller, and they certainly succeeded.
I've seen a few reviews criticise the film for being boring. In my opinion the film is not boring, however it does take a good 30 minutes or so to get going, but if anything this heightens the shock-value of the final 2/3 of the film.

The extra features on the disc are fairly interesting though not particularly vast. It would have been nice to see a documentary or perhaps an analysis of the film by a critic, comparing it to other films of its time, but what with Who Can Kill A Child being a fairly obscure film I doubt anyone of any notoriety would be interested, despite its interesting subject matter and being an all around good film. To be honest, I was surprised that Dark Sky managed to interview two of the films key creators, so good on them for the effort!

The Dark Sky release is a definite one to buy, but don't expect 90mins of brain busting child maniacs. Do however expect, at times, a very intelligent and challenging piece.