Christmas time, no mistletoe or wine, just lots of murdering grossness in The Children
It's difficult to describe this film without giving anything away, so I'll do the best I can. Basically, four adults
and all their children meet up to spend the festive season together. Elaine (Eva Birthistle, from BBC1's excellent
drama
The Last Enemy) is partnered with Jonah (Stephen
Campbell Moore from Ashes To Ashes Series 1), while Robbie (Jeremy Sheffield from Holby City)
and Chloe (Rachel Shelley) are together. Took me a while to work out whose kids were whose, but Casey
(Hannah Tointon, right - in a scene from the film, and below-right - in a picture that's not) is known early on to be Elaine's daughter from a previous marriage. She also takes the role of
grumpy teenager because she's had to ditch a great party to be there, so takes some time out to become a teen temptress
to her uncle Robbie, by attracting his intention with some slightly-revealing, and inappapropriate, outfits.
For reasons I won't reveal, a virus causes the problem - in fact, all the kids have got coughs and colds of some kind.
At least this is pre-dating swine flu so that can't be blamed.
What you need to know is that one of the kids is causing the adults to be bumped off one-by-one, but who? It's not
obvious early on - and they're all quite freaky looking, so that's this film's USP. And it's good that it has one
because it does make a difference, and while it does use a few of the old favourite slasher situations, albeit in a
different location, even though it's totally daft, The Children is still worth a watch, especially for Hannah
Tointon (she's 21 in real life, thankyou very much!)
Some clever editing keeps you guessing until very late in the proceedings. I can certainly see elements of some great
tension moments popping up her which were used in his previous movie,
WAZ
And I won't say who dies first, but let's say it's not just Natalie Imbruglia that was 'torn'!
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