Director: Makinov (2012)
Starring: Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vinessa Shaw
Find it: IMDB
Not just any remake of Who Can Kill a Child? It's Makinov's remake of Who Can Kill a Child? I have no idea who Makinov is, but since the opening credits refer to this specifically as Makinov's Come out and Play, in great big capital letters, he must be important. Like Madonna, or Adele or Fergie. On the evidence of all those people I just named, there seems to be a direct correlation between folks I don't like and folks who don't have a last name. Apart from Batman. He's cool, in my book.
The thing is, Makinov's Come Out and Play is almost exactly like Serrador's Who Can Kill a Child? It looks good and sounds incredible (it's one of the best-sounding horror movies I've ever seen) but plays like a scene-for-scene remake of its predecessor. If you're going to market a remake as being your version of a film, you had better make sure it's damn distinctive. The only way Come out and Play could be distinctive is if you've never seen Who Can Kill a Child? And even then, The Children did it better.
A young couple expecting their first child (Bachrach and Shaw) holiday at a remote Mexican island where the streets are mostly deserted and children roam, looking suspiciously like the birds from off've The Birds. It's not long before Beth and Francis realise that something is very much amiss. Remember that episode of Star Trek? It's like that, except really gory. As with the earlier movie, the best scene is the one in which Francis finally loses his shit and attacks the village children with a plank of wood. It's only the scenes of gore and violence that manage to better Serrador's film, which are genuinely cruel and nasty at times. Well, battering children to death with a plank of wood is a bit of a taboo.
In spite of its good looks, vicious kills, sharp direction and fancy acting (Hills Have Eyes victim Vinessa Shaw shines) Come out and Play is a waste of time. If you've not seen the original movie, I'm sure you'll love it. If you have, however, it's a vapid disappointment. Come out and play? Thanks, but, um, I'm washing my hair. Or something.
A young couple expecting their first child (Bachrach and Shaw) holiday at a remote Mexican island where the streets are mostly deserted and children roam, looking suspiciously like the birds from off've The Birds. It's not long before Beth and Francis realise that something is very much amiss. Remember that episode of Star Trek? It's like that, except really gory. As with the earlier movie, the best scene is the one in which Francis finally loses his shit and attacks the village children with a plank of wood. It's only the scenes of gore and violence that manage to better Serrador's film, which are genuinely cruel and nasty at times. Well, battering children to death with a plank of wood is a bit of a taboo.
In spite of its good looks, vicious kills, sharp direction and fancy acting (Hills Have Eyes victim Vinessa Shaw shines) Come out and Play is a waste of time. If you've not seen the original movie, I'm sure you'll love it. If you have, however, it's a vapid disappointment. Come out and play? Thanks, but, um, I'm washing my hair. Or something.
The original is pretty good so I might watch this myself sometime.
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