Come Out and Play

We knew that already didn't we? Seriously though: The movie tries to not pull any punches but does fall back on some horror movie clichés where the viewer will not be able to stop shaking his head. Now I haven't seen the original movie, but the concept itself is not completely original anymore anyway.

You don't have a big cast (if you don't count the many kids that are in this) so therefor it is very important to stay/stick with the few you have on board (no pun intended). But unfortunately they never really strike you or have you root for them. It's unfortunate because the journey they take and the allegories they try to play out never really fulfill their goal

I really wanted to like this remake of Spanish cult classic, Who Could Kill a Child (1975) AKA Island of the Damned. However the movie is so flat it becomes hard to sit thru since I knew the outcome from the very beginning. As for the acting? There was a reason the female lead of the original, Prunella Ransome, won the Best Actress award from the Sitges International Horror Film festival. Oh well, if you never saw the original, you might like this thriller. Keep in mind, it's not as fast paced as most recent horror thrillers. You might enjoy the build-up. Better yet, look for the original on The Dark Sky DVD label. Then you will see true fear.

'Come Out to Play' is about a nice young couple who take a romantic holiday to an island. On docking their boat, they find only children, but think nothing of it and proceed into town. However, although all shops are open, not one has an employee working. But they think nothing of it and start helping themselves to food from a café. They go for a walk round the town, but can't find anyone. But they think nothing of it and go to their hotel. However, upon arriving at their hotel, they don't find anyone there. But they think nothing of it and just carry on.

This must have something to do with Darwin's 'survival of the fittest' theory as these people are clearly too dumb to deserve to live.

Obviously, things finally start to go wrong at just over half way through the film when they finally realise that something is amiss. Then horrific stuff starts to happen, but, by this time, do we really care enough for these people? If you think you might, then give it a go. I, on the other hand, really couldn't see how they wouldn't have twigged sooner that this was not a place to take your holiday.

When I saw that "Who Can Kill a Child?" was re filmed, I was optimistic. Despite its flaws, the 1976 movie was a chilling tale full of opportunity for a well made remake in the hands of a good director. Well, Makinov instead of trying to add something new, repeat the movie almost frame by frame. While he seems to be a good director, the kids in this movie are way less spooky than the older one, and the violence is way more edited, you barely see something. While the lead actor does a good job, the end is less meaningful because the kids are not that cool and the kills are way too boring. You don't see a damn thing. A great opportunity to do something new was wasted, but I hope that Makinov (a creepy guy with a red mask) does better movies in the future. He does have good hand, he just need risk a little more.

A very moderate film for all intents and purposes. A pregnant woman and her husband take a little trip to an isolated city... only to find no-one is about. This should be their cue to get the fudge outta there, but nope... they help themselves to some free groceries, drinks and hotel rooms. Then, the children arrive. A whole pack of them. And tear an old man limb by limb, right in front of the disturbed couple.

It's they who're responsive for the deaths of all the adults in town... because they just woke up that way. Hmph. And the grown-ups didn't fight back because... they're kids. Double Hmph. Regardless, our central pair must find a way out of this creche from hell, but they face even more danger from a being they could never have guessed...

And there I must stop, as that scene constitutes the only real shock moment. It's kinda demented in retrospect, but I'll take what I can. It's not a chore to sit through... who could possibly not find hordes of little 'uns, running amok with hammers and knives at least a bit diverting? But the turgid way it's directed and plotted sap a lot of life out of the can't-miss scenario, making it passable at best.

And if the ending is anything to go by, maybe it's time we beefed up our borders against asylum seekers even more... 5/10