Those blond alien youngsters return to wreak havoc in a small town in cult director John Carpenter's pointless update of the 1960 British sci-fi near-classic based on John Wyndham's famous novel The Midwich Cuckoos. Despite the setting being transferred to California, superior special effects heightening the nastiness (Kirstie Alley's hard-to-watch self-autopsy) and Christopher Reeve giving a nicely heroic performance (the film was released in the States just prior to his tragic riding accident), the end result forgoes the touches and stylish atmosphere you might expect from Carpenter. This has a bland TV movie-style sheen, relieved only by hints of comedy. Stick with the original.

An American village is visited by some unknown life form which leaves the women of the village pregnant. Nine months later, the babies are born, and they all look normal, but it doesn't take the "parents" long to realize that the kids are not human or humane.