¿Quién puede matar a un niño?Narciso Ibáñez Serrador's 1976 shocker is a tale of an english couple enjoying one last holiday before the birth of thier first child, they venture out to one of the islands to get away from all the tourists, upon their arrival they find the village deserted apart from the children, slowly it dawns upon them that the adults have all been slain by the kids and they in fact will be next. Similar in plot the the Stephen King story Children of The Corn (released a year after this film) this Spanish classic makes no supernatural reference to why the children are behaving this way (although a lengthy prologue suggests the children are rising against their victimisation in all world conflicts)
The film captures the isolated feel of the village and surrounding area and creates a haunting atmosphere from empty streets and scorching sunlight, the events leading up to the revelation of the children's actions are extremely well handled and the violence that follows is shocking but not gratuitous (Even their unborn child seems affected by what is happening). The finale of the film provides the answer to the films title and here there is to be found many chilling images that last long after the film has ended. A genuine cult classic certainly not for all audiences, Serrador's genius lies in him not making the film campy or an outright splatter movie, it's controversial subject matter is enough to ensure it will continue to be talked about for a long time.
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