The Damned (These Are the Damned) (1962)

53% of users liked it
(515 ratings)

Joseph Losey directed this unusual science fiction effort, which has won a small but fervent cult following. Simon Wells (MacDonald Carey) is an American visiting England, where he meets a woman named Joan (Shirley Ann Field). Simon is immediately attracted to Joan, but there's a considerable… More Joseph Losey directed this unusual science fiction effort, which has won a small but fervent cult following. Simon Wells (MacDonald Carey) is an American visiting England, where he meets a woman named Joan (Shirley Ann Field). Simon is immediately attracted to Joan, but there's a considerable obstacle in their budding romance: Joan's brother King (Oliver Reed), the leader of a violent pack of motorcycle rockers. King has a barely concealed incestuous attachment to his sister, and he sometimes uses her to lure victims into his gang's clutches. King and his cronies attack Simon, take his money, and leave him stranded, where he's eventually found by a pair of military security men. Simon is brought to the home of Bernard (Alexander Knox), a scientist working on a secret project for the government, and his girlfriend Freya (Viveca Lindfors), a sculptor. Joan eventually tracks Simon down in hopes of winning his forgiveness, but another run-in with King causes Simon and Joan to discover a cave that holds a terrible secret: a group of strange, cold-blooded children who were the products of one of Bernard's experiments gone wrong. The children were genetically engineered to survive a nuclear war, and, as a result, they are radioactive enough to kill anyone who comes in close contact with them. Controversial in its day, The Damned was produced in England in 1961 but was not released until 1963, when Hammer Films booked it as the second-half of a double bill with Maniac. It did not reach American screens until 1965, when it was shown under the title These Are the Damned. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Joseph Losey
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: May 19, 1963 Wide
On DVD: Jul 7, 1965

Critic Reviews

Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
.. a strange collision of exploitation elements, visual elegance and emotional coolness, a fascinating oddity with strange angles that don't all fit neatly together but add up to a brilliant structure.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
'The age of senseless violence,' by Joseph Losey
Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian
Slow-building but creepy story of biker pug uglies, radiation poisoning, and prissy Brit schoolkids.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Losey awkwardly but nevertheless rather gamely transcends the limits of the genre by putting his personal stamp on a film that is both an apocalyptic sci-fi film and a teen rebellion flick.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Stella D

a very odd film. i almost gave it up half hour in but i'm glad i stuck with it and i won't soon forget it, and not just the ridiculous 'black leather' song either. it's like a strange hybrid of a clockwork orange and children of the damned. intense… More
a very odd film. i almost gave it up half hour in but i'm glad i stuck with it and i won't soon forget it, and not just the ridiculous 'black leather' song either. it's like a strange hybrid of a clockwork orange and children of the damned. intense performance by young oliver reed as leader of a gang of 'teddy boys' definitely brought to mind alex and his droogs. he even breaks into an artist's studio! but soon everyone is involved in a top secret government experiment...definitely interesting, just not very good
Pierluigi P

A street gang gets mixed up with spooky government experiments. A possible precursor of "A clockwork orange"
Michael G

These Are the Damned is a mindbending bus route of madness that I wasn't even close to expecting. If you can imagine Village of the Damned, Bunny Lake is Missing and Quadrephenia doing PCP and acting out the Kama Sutra together you're kind of on the right track with this… More
These Are the Damned is a mindbending bus route of madness that I wasn't even close to expecting. If you can imagine Village of the Damned, Bunny Lake is Missing and Quadrephenia doing PCP and acting out the Kama Sutra together you're kind of on the right track with this movie. The only think that can make this movie more deranged than it already is would be having David Lynch direct it. The acting's pretty negligible but Joseph Losey's direction makes this one, not the Hammer name. The photography's amazing and its so worth the time for anyone looking for a pleasant surprise despite the fact that These Are the Damned isn't the most amazing movie ever made. But fair warning, that Black Leather Rock song is one catchy sumbitch. I plan on having it stuck in my head for months...
Eric B

What a strange, strange movie. Not only because the plot takes one of the most severe right turns I've ever seen in a film, but because the ending is so casually, inescapably bleak. Personally, I found Plot #1 more compelling than Plot #2. I'd be curious to read the… More
What a strange, strange movie. Not only because the plot takes one of the most severe right turns I've ever seen in a film, but because the ending is so casually, inescapably bleak. Personally, I found Plot #1 more compelling than Plot #2. I'd be curious to read the original story, and see how the source material balanced the strange mix of elements.
Emily B

Considered a bit of an oddity in Joseph Losey's filmography. Made for Hammer studios, at times it feels like you are watching two films at once, a juvenile delinquent film and a Cold War Sci-Fi. The fact that it feels so disjointed is the main reason why it doesn't quite… More
Considered a bit of an oddity in Joseph Losey's filmography. Made for Hammer studios, at times it feels like you are watching two films at once, a juvenile delinquent film and a Cold War Sci-Fi. The fact that it feels so disjointed is the main reason why it doesn't quite work. A memorable performance from a young Oliver Reed however, as the head of a biker gang, is worth mentioning. Plus it has one hell of a catchy theme song.

Cast

            Macdonald Carey as Simon Wells

            Shirley Ann Field as Joan

            Viveca Lindfors as Freya Nielsen

            Alexander Knox as Bernard

            Oliver Reed as King

            Walter Gotell as Maj. Holland

            James Villiers as Capt. Gregory

            Tom Kempinski as Ted

            Kenneth Cope as Sid

            Brian Oulton as Mr. Dingle

            Barbara Everest as Miss Lamont

            Alan McClelland as Mr. Stuart

            James Maxwell as Mr. Talbot

            Rebecca Dignam as Anne

            Siobhan Taylor as Mary

            Nicholas Clay as Richard

            Christopher Witty as William

            David Palmer as George

            John Thompson as Charles

            Fiona Duncan
            
            David Gregory
            
            Anthony Valentine
            
            Neil Wilson
            
            Tommy Trinder
            
            Leon Garcia
            
            Edward Harvey
            
            Larry Martyn
            
See full cast