although the most prolific of those director who rise from the rank of exploitation film in the 70 and john carpenter flame may have burn the bright but it also burn the most briefly before he descend into lifeless hackwork . even the more promising project flounder when confront with his increasingly pedestrian handling . his 1995 remake of village of the damn be a classic example . ill advisedly relocate to a california coastal town inhabit by superman and luke skywalker and crocodile dundee girlfriend and the special effect be more prominent and the body count be multiply more than ten time a villager burn themselves to death and impale themselves and doctor blind or perform autopsy on themselves and all stag with remarkable flatness and a complete lack of atmosphere or foreboding . a few good idea be throw in and but aside from one schoolroom sequence and the foolproof brick wall end and it desperately dull and under characterise stuff that feel like it be make by a wage slave reluctantly punch a time clock every day . more like village of the darn and the most mysterious thing about it be just how michael pare manage to get such prominent billing when he doesn not even make it past the title sequence .