User reviews

This was director Arnold’s penultimate of seven horror/sci-fi outings from the same decade and, in retrospect, the least of them. Its focus on children (the title itself is ambiguous – since the kids don’t come from space but rather are ‘possessed’ by aliens into sabotaging a rocket-launching station!) draws parallels to later genre classics such as VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960) and the unrelated THESE ARE THE DAMNED (1963): like the former, the children here are able to influence the actions of their elders and, as in the latter, much of it takes place against a backdrop of remote cavernous surroundings. As for the alien itself, it’s nothing more substantial (or imaginative) than a growing, glowing glob!

Being just 68 minutes long, this undeniably earnest film can’t hope to fulfill its aspiration of being a profound anti-nuclear parable; for one thing, the characters are mere stereotypes – an average American couple with their modest dreams and dilemmas, a bubbly yet cagey neighbor (played by Jackie Coogan, of Chaplin’s THE KID [1921] and TV’s THE ADDAMS FAMILY fame!), another’s a drunken boor who mistreats one of the boys and his mother, plus the requisite number of dedicated but callous scientists and military personnel. Actually, I was wondering all through the picture why the alien didn’t simply possess one of the parents or scientists – surely his attempts at persuading colleagues to halt the missile project would have had greater chance of success, since the children’s clandestine activities merely irritate the hell out of the people at the base engaged in such a secretive operation! That said, unexplained events that occur – such as the driver of a fuel truck losing control of his vehicle or nominal hero Adam Williams losing his voice and the faculty to write when trying to divulge the presence of the alien to his superiors! – come across as creepier when caused by innocent-looking children and, besides, their presence near the test site is more likely to be overlooked than rouse suspicion of any foul play.

In the end, the film is tolerable (the print, then, seemed to be culled from a TV screening – since the picture fades in and out every once in a while, sometimes even in mid-sequence, where the publicity spots may have been inserted – with a good deal of hiss on the soundtrack!) but rather uninspired and, what’s more, is defeated by the low-budget. Though genre expert Arnold had proved time and again what he was capable of doing, it suffers especially in comparison with the two DAMNED films mentioned above or even a third such title, CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED (1964)…which I actually need to re-evaluate myself, but recall being an underrated achievement on my sole viewing of it so far.

Hi, this is your horror correspondent Coventry bringing you an exclusive interview with Jack Arnold! He's the guy who directed some of the most memorable horror landmarks of the 1950's, like "Tarantula", "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "The Incredible Shrinking Man", but he also directed … THIS movie! "The Space Children" is a completely obscure Sci-Fi movie that only has a rating 2.2 out of 10 on this famous movie website. And it's not like he made this movie at the very beginning of his career or at the end. No, Jack Arnold made this film right after all the aforementioned winners; in the year 1958. More than enough reasons to have a little chat with the director, if you ask me…

(Coventry): "What exactly went wrong with "The Space Children", Mr. Arnold? (J. Arnold): Hmm (panting) … Well yes, hmm, I clearly hadn't got any budget to work with here. That is noticeable straight from the opening credits already, and from there onwards it just got worse! I had to work with obvious cardboard set pieces and lousy special effects. (Coventry): Yes, indeed… But there are also a lot of problems with the script. A great director like yourself should know a good script when he sees one or at least have the talent to turn a mediocre plot in a worthwhile movie? (J. Arnold) Ha… well … (mumbling) I personally saw some good potential in the story of an extraterrestrial stone crashing on earth and "hypnotizing" the children. And I still think that I'm right, by the way. If my movie would have been slightly better, it would have been a bigger classic than "Village of the Damned", which has a similar theme and got released two years later. (Coventry): Maybe, but … (J. Arnold) Oh, and another thing, "The Space Children" does undeniably contain a handful of highly effective sequences! For example when the leader of the kids, you know the 12-year-old James Dean wannabe, hypnotizes two truck drivers into parking their vehicles on the beach! Or when he takes away the scientists' ability to speech! Or when all children stand in front of the glowing stone and the camera zooms in on all their faces separately! I think I'm entitled to say there's some quality and ominous atmosphere in all of those sequences. (Coventry): I agree, Mr Arnold, but those are merely isolated moments that point out your personal craftsmanship. You can't really deny that "The Space Children" is an overall tame and unexciting Sci-Fi story. (J. Arnold): It's true that are long periods of boredom in the film, I admit, and that some of the overly talkative scenes could easily have been cut on the editing table, but there just weren't any opportunities to put spectacle or suspense in a movie that constantly features children! If I would have shown footage in which children are harmed, I can forget about a career in the film industry. It had to remain child-friendly at all costs. (Coventry): I thought it was childish rather than child- friendly, but that's one man's opinion, of course. One more question, if you'll allow me, would you really recommend "The Space Children" to your fans? (J. Arnold): Well, in all honesty and I know I'm speaking against my own financial interest here, there are many 50's movies that you should see before "The Space Children". It's nowhere near a classic, or even a good and memorable movie for that matter. But still, if you've seen everything else already and if you're in the mood for some charming and typically cute Sci-Fi, you won't regret choosing this movie. (Coventry): Thank you so much, Mr. Arnold.

While not Arnold's best film, IMHO (I find it a bit preachy and badly hampered by the rubbery silliness of the Big Alien Brain), this is still a memorable film. Though set in a beachfront area it happens mostly at night, using Arnold's typically haunting black-and-white compositions to set an appropriate tone of strangeness and isolation. The children, alienated from their preoccupied and overworked parents, are almost adopted by the space creature, which takes them under its protection (a drunken and abusive father is disposed of soon after the brain's arrival) even as it enlists them in its pacifist mission. At first fairly typical kids, they quickly develop an air of gravity and wisdom that remains after the alien departs, suggesting a lasting, even evolutionary effect. The film's title is perfect: the kids do become Space Children, more in tune with alien than human thought.

This film has an abysmal 2.7 rating on IMDb. It's not really that bad, but it is a pretty big disappointment coming from a director who made The Incredible Shrinking Man the year before. This is a smaller, less ambitious film for sure. A meteor lands in a cave on a beach and its alien essence possesses a bunch of children (I think - it's kind of vague what kind of influence the thing has on the children) who then help it stop their fathers from launching a nuclear warhead into space. It's pretty cheesy, but not badly acted for this kind of movie (the kids in particular are far from awful). The sets are very cheap looking. At one point a flashing light causes the shadows of the actors to appear on the matte painting of the sky in the background. It's more forgettable than detestable.

Without hesitation, I'd admit I've seen worse movies... but not many. ("Hobgoblins", "Manos".) While I enjoy the MST3K guys, I think even they had trouble trying to find something to parody.

Anyway, it's obvious this is a B movie. Budget actors, budget writers, TV grade special effects, etc. Of movies like that, where at least normal attempts of quality are adhered to, some movie has to be one of the worst. This film is it.

Perversely, some person in IMDb has created numerous logins and given "reviews" of this film that are better categorized as "propaganda." Disregard these rants. It's a bad movie... not as bad as they get, mind you, but certainly some fun if the MST3K guys can give you commentary.

The Space Children has engineer Adam Williams arriving with wife Peggy Webber and sons Michel Ray and Johnny Crawford to work and live at a government rocket facility. The USA is about to take a giant leap frog ahead of the Russians in the arms race. The next big launch is to orbit a hydrogen bomb in space directed and controlled in orbit by our Defense Department. The Russians or anyone else gets out of line and they get their's. Of course there is reason to believe the Russians are also pursuing the same type of orbiting weaponry.

A strange object, part brain, part rock lands on earth and it has a mysterious affect on the children. By children I don't mean just Ray and Crawford. Johnny Washbrook, Sandy Descher and others join in some kind of collective consciousness, a lot like the Village Of The Damned and strange things start happening around the base, including the death of Russell Johnson who is far from the wise professor of Gilligan's Island. Instead he's the mean stepfather of Johnny Washbrook and no one is really mourning his loss.

What's going on is not something I'll reveal. I will say that this film also has elements of The Boy With Green Hair and Amazing Grace And Chuck. It's a sincere film with a nice message, but poorly executed and directed.

One of Jack Arnold's lesser efforts, it reverses the "Invaders From Mars" theme. Instead of alien's controlling parents, we have kids becoming the mind-controlled tools of forces from beyond who want to stop Earth's "self-destructive" ways. Worth a peek for Jackie Coogan and his snug bathing suit.

A blob from outerspace comes to the beach and hangs out in a cave. Only children are attuned to the blob and it tells them what to do in order to sabotage, The Thunderer! Apart from that rather thin plot line, we are treated to Jackie Coogan in a fuzzy bath robe and really short shorts (frightening). Russel Johnson departs from his lovable Professor persona and plays a drunk who is struck down by the blob. And there's the guy from "North By Northwest" who plays the father of two of our mysterious children. He's married to the twisty faced woman from "The Screaming Skull" so all in all, it's a film for the ages. Be sure to watch this one with Mike, Tom, and Crow otherwise you might feel compelled to smash something at the end of it

I've seen a lot of weird things on IMDb, but the rating for The Space Children is as puzzling to me as any I've run across. 2.1?!?! I couldn't disagree any more. 2.1 is getting close to Manos territory. The Space Children may not be the best movie I've ever seen, but it doesn't deserve a 2.1. Why the low rating? I blame MST3K. I enjoy the show, but as I've argued any number of times, some of the movies that they lampooned didn't deserve it. Take a look at the reviews on IMDb. You can split them into two wildly divergent groups - those users who appear to only know The Space Children because of MST3K and those who have seen it on its own. The comments from the MST3K crowd always seem to mention Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan) in a bathing suit as if it's one of the most important moments in the film. In contrast, many of the comments from non-MST3K viewers reminisce about seeing The Space Children during their childhood. Maybe it's not just an MST3K thing but an overall generational thing as well. Whatever, I tend to side with those who enjoy the movie for what it is.

And what is it? The Space Children is a nice little cautionary 50s sci-fi film that speaks to the dangers of nuclear proliferation. Jack Arnold, one of the best genre directors of the 50s, does his usual workmanlike job with the movie. It's not flashy, but it certainly looks good. The Space Children obviously was made on a limited budget. As a result, the special effects are also limited and Arnold focuses more on the people. A lot of what happens is implied. But that's not necessarily a weakness. Too often, low-budget sci-fi films from this period look ridiculous because of the desire for elaborate special effects (i.e. monster and aliens) that outstripped the funding it would require. The acting, while not outstanding, is solid. Even the kids, who can be annoying at times in this kind of movie, come off looking pretty good. The cast will be familiar to many who grew up watching television in the 60s. Overall I've got no big complaints with The Space Children. Not a bad way to spend just over an hour.

Leave it to the director of several excellent 1950s sci-fi flicks to take a no-budget plot and turn it into one of the best and most intelligent Cold War melodramas of the period. CHILDREN concerns a brain-like alien blob that teleports to Earth with the purpose of stopping the American military from launching a nuclear weapon into orbit. To do so, it enlists the aid of several children residing on base. For reasons best known to the script writers, the blob keeps growing in size, until it is the size of a tank. The acting is at least of TV quality, the production solid. No big names in the cast, but pay attention to the actress playing little Edie. This actress dropped out of Hollywood early on, which is a shame since one can see her potential here. For old-time TV buffs, watch for Uncle Fester, the Professor (minus Maryann) and the McCain kid.

What can you say about a film that features Uncle Fester, Mr. Drysdale, the Professor, Mark McCain and the re-occurring "ornery lady" (Peggy Webber) featured in so many episodes of Dragnet? Well... I really enjoyed it! Russell Johnson is great as a mean, drunken, stepfather and, in a departure from her many roles on Dragnet, Peggy Webber's character is very personable. I think the picture is a great commentary on the type of science fiction that was popular after Sputnik but before the US manned space missions. Is it a "good" movie? Probably not. Is it enjoyable? It was to me! Reminded me of the typical Saturday afternoon movies I enjoyed as a child on TV during the 60s. Had I seen none of those types of movies, my commentary would probably be less favorable. It's not the acting, directing, production quality or even the plot of this picture that I liked - it's merely the nostalgic effect it has. This means, it's not a picture for everyone. It's a short film, so there's little to lose in watching it, which I'll probably do again someday!

"The Space Children" is a rather obscure sci-fi film--and after seeing it, I can understand why. Now I am not saying it's a terrible film--but it's not a very good one, that's for sure! The film is set near a secret military base working on some rocket. An alien force doesn't want this project to commence and so it approached the children of the workers. The alien 'thingie' looks a lot like the Horta from the original "Star Trek" series--like a big squishy brain that grows. It not only holds a strong sway over the children but it also has the ability to make adults who see it unable to talk or write about what they saw--it even has the ability to kill! What's next? Well, I don't want to spoil it, but it all ends with the kids telling the parents that bombs and the like are bad and they all are about to sing "Kumbaya" when the credits begin to roll! The film is preachy, preachy, preachy. Now a similar sort of thing was done with "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and it worked very well due to excellent writing. Here, however, it just comes off as kind of stupid.

An alien intelligence aborts the launching of a rocket with the help of a bunch of children.

Coming from Jack Arnold and Paramount Pictures, you might think this film has a lot of potential. If you know it was featured on "Mystery Science Theater", you might think it is a complete failure. The truth is somewhere between there, of course.

Interestingly, a Miami newspaper called the film's star Adam Williams "one of the industry's fastest-rising actors" when this movie was released. If you are wondering "who is Adam Williams", you would not be alone. The biggest star in this film is Jackie Coogan, who you either know as a silent film child or as Uncle Fester.

After the local children see strange lights in the sky, things start going wrong at a secret rocket-base that is about to launch an orbiting H-bomb. The core premise, on which I won't elaborate to avoid spoilers, had been done before in better films and, despite being helmed by Jack Arnold and filmed by Ernest Laszlo, as an entry into the 'creepy kids canon, 'The Space Children' is underwhelming. The child actors are OK but much of their dialogue seems 'scripty' and false, and unlike classics such as 'The Village of the Damned' (1960), the kids are not presented as menacing or unworldly so, while their presence seems to be necessary for the plot to unwind, they're not particularly interesting. The various parents are somewhat more nuanced (and less perfect) than usual, and Russell Johnson (Gilligan's professorial co-castaway) gets to play an obnoxious, child-beating drunk. The special effects are rudimentary and the budget was inadequate to do justice to the story (the global scope of the plot's backstory is briefly touched on in a couple of lines towards the end but the film needed needed a better, more expansive ending). Primarily of interest as one of a number of 50's sci-fi films that centered on the hopes for, and fears of, weaponising outer-space.

The children of some US rocket scientists come under the spell of a strange alien being that seems to want them to sabotage the nations defense!

Another B thriller from director Jack Arnold (who directed the classic Creature from the Black Lagoon in 1954), this one is a bit more intelligent than the average drive-in sci-fi fodder. The Space Children is actually an anti-war film kind of in the tradition of The Twilight Zone, the story does indeed resemble a story that one would see on the classic TV series. Arnold lends some steady direction, creating an occasionally eerie atmosphere (who could ever forget that spooky final image of an ill-fated Russell Johnson?) and a decent alien creation. Kudos go to a chilling music score.

The cast isn't half bad, the youths of the film being especially good.

A worth-wild watch for those who like the films of this era.

** 1/2 out of ****

I have yet to see this movie un-mstied but would love to as I think it's a pretty damn good movie. This is one of the rare cases of mst3k being way off the mark in choosing this movie. Don't get me wrong, I loved the episode and their were some great riffs but I couldn't help but think that this movie was not nearly as bad as Mike, Crow and Tom (or any of these reviewers here) made it out to be. I will admit thought that on first watching it I did feel that the kids were being somewhat (but not completely) controlled by the alien but on repeated viewings it does appear that that is certainly not the case. I really need to see the unedited, un-mstied version, this is a b-movie classic in my humble opinion.

Somewhere on the California coast, midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, a small group of scientists, engineers and technicians working in a secured base are preparing to test-launch a six-stage rocket carrying a satellite with a nuclear warhead: The Thunderer. The satellite is designed to be an immediate-response strike against enemy aggression, anywhere in the world. It is supposed that other nations are preparing similar satellites and weapons....

Unbeknownst to the powers that be, other minds have reason to want to see the project fail, and utilize an unsuspected resource to carry out their plans...

This small but effective little sci-fi tale is long on atmosphere, novel in viewpoint and execution, and well worth a couple of viewings for fans of the '50's sci-fi genre.

More than a few familiar cast members, and an impressive band of juvenile performers, under Jack Arnold's sure and spare directorial hand, give this a fresh and simple feel, and don't spend a lot of time hammering home its message (rare for the immediate post-Sputnik years).

Last year I watched TCMs documentary WATCH THE SKIES. Seeing the clips from this movie, I vaguely remembered seeing it but wasn't quite sure. Since Steven Spielberg gushed about it I thought I would search for a copy. I finally found a copy and watched it with my twin brother and a childhood friend of mine. Having seen it, I realize that I did see this movie. My brother and friend also remembered it and we agree that it was probably in the very early sixties. I was at most six years old at the time. When your six you don't concern yourself with the BIG MESSAGE. What I really liked was monsters and aliens. This movie does not feature any exciting encounters with either. I guess the reason I liked it at the time was because kids were the main stars of the picture. They really don't do much, in fact nobody really does much in this picture, but that really doesn't matter. Seeing it again as an adult, I am tempted to roast this movie for it's lack of production values, obvious low budget, lack of action and highly unrealistic storyline. I agree with another reviewer, what is an unemployed drunk doing at a top secret missile facility. Why are children allowed to run all over the place? But why bother? It doesn't really matter. There is a message here no matter how clumsily conveyed. The movie has good nostalgia value and that is probably the real reason I like it.

"except ye become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (St.Matthew, Ch. 18, v.3)

This is a William Alland production. You remember his productions. Such unforgettables as: Citizen Kane The Devil and Daniel Webster It Came from Outer Space (one of my favorites) Creature from the Black Lagoon This Island Earth Tarantula The Deadly Mantis

And many more.

This one is a toughie to find.

There is a nice spooky movie credits however it's missing the obligatory sci-fi introduction narrative.

The U.S. is about to launch a hydrogen bomb satellite to protect up from the other side. The other side may already have done so. Someone or something has other plans and a unique ally.

Sandy Descher plays Eadie Johnson; here she gets to talk instead of just screaming "Them!"

A little deviation on this review. Looking at the trailer that the family lives in on the beach I noticed the glass louvers on the door. Back in the 60s after school I had a job manufacturing the glass louvers. It brings back old times.

The Space Children (1958) features a few familiar faces such as Sandy Descher who was the little girl who wandered out of the desert screaming in the film Them! We also know Jackie Coogan as Uncle Fester in The Adam's Family series. And of course there's Russell Johnson who played the Professor in the TV series, Gilligan's Island as well as roles in It Came from Outer Space (1953) and This Island Earth (1955)

Along with The Space Children, Jack Arnold's other classic sci-fi films include, It Came From Outer Space, Creature From the Black Lagoon, Tarantula, and The Incredible Shrinking Man.

Although The Space Children contains a strong anti-nuclear proliferation message which is still very relevant today, it also has relevance for us in terms of how generational change can come about should the current order of things show no signs of improvement. Perhaps there is cause for optimism if young people feel motivated enough to try and "make this world a better place. A world where.... Children.... can live in peace instead of fear."