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The Children

The Children

Horror · Mystery · Thriller · 2008

A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.

Movie details

The Children

“You brought them into this world. Now ... They will take you out.”

2008 Horror · Mystery · Thriller 1h 24m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Children?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Believers

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The Dogs

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After fleeing his psychotic father, a young teen and his mom seek refuge in a remote farmhouse, only to face a pack of ferocious dogs and the sinister spirits that haunt the property.

Barbarian

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In town for a job interview, a young woman arrives at her Airbnb late at night only to find that it has been mistakenly double-booked and a strange man is already staying there. Against her better judgement, she decides to stay the night anyway.

Night of the Reaper

Night of the Reaper

Horror · 2025

A college student returns home for the weekend and reluctantly takes a babysitting job after a local babysitter is brutally murdered. When the town’s sheriff receives chilling evidence that the killing wasn’t an isolated incident, a deadly night unfolds as a masked killer sets the stage for another attack.

Halloween II

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Horror · 1981

After failing to kill stubborn survivor Laurie and taking a bullet or six from former psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis, Michael Myers has followed Laurie to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, where she's been admitted for Myers' attempt on her life. The institution proves to be particularly suited to serial killers, however, as Myers cuts, stabs and slashes his way through hospital staff to reach his favorite victim.

The Hills Have Eyes

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Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

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Bloodline

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Evan values family above all else, and anyone who gets between him, his wife, and newborn son learns that the hard way. But when it comes to violent tendencies, it seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Tom Shankland

Written by

Tom Shankland

Eva Birthistle

Eva Birthistle

Elaine

Hannah Tointon

Hannah Tointon

Casey

Stephen Campbell Moore

Stephen Campbell Moore

Jonah

Rachel Shelley

Rachel Shelley

Chloe

Jeremy Sheffield

Jeremy Sheffield

Robbie

Rafiella Brooks

Rafiella Brooks

Leah

J

Jake Hathaway

Nicky

Court is in session

Put The Children on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Prestige Tourist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.