Review of Village of the Damned (1960)
Seen in 2015.
In one hypothesis, the Earth is exposed to a set of rays, possibly interstellar, which cause several groups of nearly identical, half-human children to be born around the world. The children are endowed with telepathy, are possibly hyperintelligent, and mature at a superhuman rate. They choose to avoid the topic of why their mothers were immaterially inseminated with them. Perhaps, as their telepathic powers grow, they will take over the planet on behalf of an external agency.
The premise is enormously promising and some elements of the execution are very good. In particular, the scientific investigation into the warding of the village at the very beginning, and the news that the Soviets have developed strategic-range nuclear capabilities and revealed this by using them against their own people, are both fine choices. On the other hand, the overall execution is stilted, done in the old studio style, and the ending makes little sense. There doesn’t seem to be any reason other than horror tropiness for why the children look special and stick together. See it for the ideas; it’s swiftly paced.
References here: The Ugly Swans (2006).