The Horror Show
Come Out and Play
Makinov
I have a tendency to complain about children in horror movies, mostly because Hollywood takes a moral high ground and refuses to kill kids off. A major exception to that rule is that children can be killed if they too are murders. Popular films that kill off children are Children of the Corn and The Good Son. I get really excited when I discover a movie willing to kill off children. Wow, that actually sounds kind of dark, but whatever. That brings me to Come Out and Play a movie solely about killer kids and killing kids.
Beth and Francis decide to take a vacation before the birth of their child. They take a boat from the mainland to a small isolated island. However, not a single adult is to be seen. The couple thinks it odd but dismisses it as the adults are resting from a night of partying. However, things take a disturbing turn when they witness a girl viciously beat an old man with his own cane. They attempt to stop the girl but it’s too late. In another town on the island, the children here are uncorrupted. That is until the other children whisper to them and their demeanor changes. Childhood no longer lingers in their eyes and they become murders. Beth and Francis take refuge in an isolated building. They plan to escape in the morning but something is wrong with Beth’s pregnancy and the children are waiting for the adults to make their move.
For those who don’t know, this film is a remake of the 1976 film ¿Quién Puede Matar a un Niño? (Who can Kill a Child?) rereleased as Island of the Damned. I haven’t seen the original, but according to Wikipedia, it’s basically a shot for shot remake. I do have a tendency to shy away from remakes, but I’m okay with this one. Probably because I don’t have an attachment to the original, but Come Out and Play was faithful not only in content but also in tone. Who Can Kill a Child? is very clearly an exploitation film attempting controversy by, well, killing children. The remake takes cues from the exploitation genre by shooting with a relatively unsteady camera, ominous synth music, and the overlaid type (credits, title, and subtitles) have a nostalgic 70’s feel to them. Like House of the Devil, Come Out and Play pays homage well to the genre it emulates.
The original film heavily implies that the children turn evil because war, fighting, and apathy have made the children rebel against the adults. That explanation is left out of the remake, I actually like that better. This movie doesn’t require explanation and lets the viewers draw their own conclusions. I personally felt like the children became murderers because they were emulating the things that they’ve seen adults do. Then, they whisper dark secrets to other children converting them to their side. I can guarantee you that if this movie tried to offer some logical explanation for the killer kids I would’ve probably hated it.
Besides countless amounts of children, the movie heavily relies on the acting of Vinessa Shaw and Ebon Moss-Bachrach with great success I might add. It takes huge balls to be able to gun children down with a machine gun, beat them to death with an oar and do it as if your life depended on it. I highly doubt that many actors could take killing kids seriously or even want to take a role that does. The only laughable part of this movie involved Francis repeatedly screaming, “okay,” that was some award winning acting there. I don’t want to go into details about why he was screaming but I don’t think that’s how I would react in that situation.
This guy Makinov was behind everything in this movie. Seriously, this guy worked cinematography, writing, sound, editing, producing, and directing. This is also the only film he has apparently worked on. I don’t know if Makanov is a pseudonym, but it is odd that a first-time feature film director came from nowhere to make a good movie. I also can’t seem to find if this guy is planning on something new. Supposedly, this guy wears a mask while working on the set. There’s even a PR video of a guy claiming to be Makinov wearing a red hood discussing his reasons for making Come Out and Play. This Makinov character actually piques my interest in his film further. Maybe Makinov doesn’t exist and it’s a huge PR stunt but it is undeniably great for publicity. There are many speculations as to who this Makinov is; one rumor I heard was that it’s actually Eli Roth. Roth or not, I’m genuinely looking forward to anything this mysterious director is putting out in the future.
Billy Wayne Martin, HMS
The Horror Show Menu.