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Don't listen to the negative reviews

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Best movie ever!

This movie "The Children" is a very good, scary early 1980s movie about innocent kids who get exposed to yellowish smoke from a nuclear power plant and they end up as black finger-nailed zombies who burn people to death when they hug them. It really isn't the fault of the kids what happened! Two nuclear power workers who make Homer Simpson look like a Mensa member release the fumes into the air and it changes these kids into bloodless monsters. The parents seem strangely indifferent about the disappearance of the children. The worst offender is 9-year-old Janet Shore's mother, Dee-Dee who is smoking pot, topless by her swimming pool. Her muscle-bound boyfriend seems as indifferent as Dee-Dee is. Dee-Dee seems excited by her daughter's apparent abduction and never acts like a frantic mother. The young officer who is searching for the children is no better. He wants to make out with young, missing Paul's sister, Susie rather than looking for Paul! Jenny's parents were more sympathetic, though. The stress of having a killer, zombie preteen daughter is getting to them and Cathy, the mother who is very pregnant smokes a cigarette when her nerves are on edge. She is reluctant to kill her daughter and the other children even though she knows her husband and the other, older police officer know they have to do that to defend themselves! This movie has very little blood, but the microwaving of human flesh and screams from the parents are quite jarring!

A bus full of school kids drives through a cloud of something from an atomic energy plant and (somehow) come out pale and with black fingernails. Also they're suddenly murderous and anyone they hug "melts" and dies.SPOILERS! Pretty obviously a no-budget piece of garbage. Aside from the plot being wildly stupid it's also quite offensive. Kids being killers is no big deal BUT when it's revealed you have to cut their hands off to kill them it's revolting! That aside the acting is terrible and the "special" effects are pretty bad. From what I recall this played only in drive-ins back in 1980. Nowadays it would go direct to DVD and die a quick death. As it is most people have rightfully forgotten this thing. Unless you're a big fan of lousy drive-in movies there's no reason to see it.

A nuclear-plant leak turns a bus-load of children into murderous atomic zombies with black fingernails.The trouble begins when a school bus filled with kids passes through a giant radiation cloud.The kids vanish without a trace and return soon as smiling,black-fingernailed zombies.Their hugs becomes deadly to some unfortunate adults,who are fried.The town sheriff and one of the fathers are starting to fight with radioactive killers.Silly and amusing zombie romp with a competent Harry Manfredini score.The scenes of children murdering their parents are fairly creepy and the climax is surprisingly unsettling and tense.Admittedly the plot is ridiculous,but if you are a fan of early 80's slasher and zombie flicks you can't miss "The Children".8 out of 10.

I thought the movie started out very promisingly. It had a sinister, understated beginning. But as the film progressed, it didn't follow through. The characters weren't interesting, the movie gets tedious and it didn't have any momentum. That seems to be the problem with a lot of horror films, and it's too bad on this one, because it could've been great. I'd love to see this movie re-made and have it follow through on the creepiness of the beginning. I think I'll buy it on VHS anyway. This was made around the time of all those delightful 80's horror films. Plus, the theater I saw it in had a weird flower smell that somehow fit the movie, and made it more scary.