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1980 produced a variety of horror films (as this week’s amazing pieces are demonstrating); from the dead serious to the utter ridiculous. The Children stands out from the others in the way that it bridges these two extremes. It has some silly moments and some moments that strike some batshit chords, but it comes from a very legitimate fear that was unique to this timeframe. The fear of nuclear energy and the resulting toxic waste was very real towards the end of the Cold War, and The Children is a film that is very of this moment. It is also insanely fun.

As Max Kalmanowicz’s film opens, we see a couple of workmen investigating a possible leak at the Ravensback nuclear power plant. It’s an investigation in name only, as they decide that finding a leak isn’t really worth their effort and knock off early for a beer instead.

Forget Caltiki and forget The Blob: 'The Stuff' doesn't eat you, you eat it! Larry Cohen takes a page from Professor Quatermass for this satirical slap at blind consumerism and unregulated commerce, in a thriller packed with ooky glob-monsters and people hollowed out like Halloween pumpkins. It's the smart side of '80s sci-fi: Cohen knows how to make the genre sustain his anti-establishment themes. The Stuff Blu-ray Arrow Video (Us) 1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 87 min. / Street Date April 19, 2016 / Available from Amazon / 39.95 Starring Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris, Paul Sorvino, Scott Bloom, Danny Aiello, Patrick O'Neal, Alexander Scourby, Harry Bellaver, Rutanya Alda, Brooke Adams, Laurene Landon, Tammy Grimes, Abe Vigoda, Clara Peller, Patrick Dempsey, Mira Sorvino, Eric Bogosian. Cinematography Paul Glickman Makeup Effects Ed French, Michael Maddi, Steve Neill, Kim Robinson, Rick Stratton, Craig Lyman Editor Armond Lebowitz Original Music Anthony Guefen Produced by Paul Kurta Written and...

The Children deals with the disintegration of the family unit, and the decay of modern society. Just kidding! The Children is about radioactive kids who like to give hugs and burn people up real good. Some horror films do have subtext, with layers peeled back to reveal inner truths about ourselves and the world. And some horror films are content to just show children having their hands cut off with a samurai sword.

Released in June of 1980, The Children was actually quite a success for a low budget film – according to Producer Carlton J. Albright (Luther The Geek) it earned $8 million dollars within its first year, playing to theaters and drive-ins alike. Not too shabby for a truly bizarre, high concept scare fest.

Okay, here we go: Two workers at a nuclear plant get a reading that there’s a malfunction. After a quick glance around the facility, and spent...