Village of the Damned

Good morning.

Would you get me Maj. Bernard

at his Whitehall number?

Thank you.

Hello. Thank you.

Alan? It's Gordon.

Look, you're coming down here today,

aren't you?

Could you pick up a book for me

and bring it with you? It's...

Gordon?

Operator.

Blast.

It got cut off. That was my brother-in-law.

Would you try again? I have got to change.

Yes, sir.

Operator, we've been cut off

from Midwich 25.

Would you get it again, please?

Hello, will you replace

your receiver, please?

Please replace your receiver.

- For more than an hour, you're saying.

- Yes, sir.

Perhaps something went wrong

with his phone.

This is what puzzles me.

I have also tried the vicar,

the general stores, and the post office.

I can't get any reply from any of them.

Country telephone exchanges

being what they are.

Yes, I know, sir, but look here.

Midwich is here.

Now 4th Brigade are running that exercise

of theirs all round there.

I don't think there's anything in it,

but I was wondering...

as I was going down for the weekend...

whether I could have your permission

to leave a little earlier.

All right, Alan.

- Give me a ring later. I'll be here till 5:00.

- Thank you, sir.

- Alan.

- Yes, sir?

Have a nice weekend.

Give my respects to Gordon.

I will. Goodbye, sir.

- Hello, Gobby.

- It's Maj. Bernard.

What's happened to the telephones?

I've been trying to get through.

It's funny you should ask, Major.

I've been sent to look for the bus

which hasn't turned up.

We can't get through by phone either.

Here's your bus, Gobby.

Struth.

Better have a look.

All right, Alan,

get hold of the local Area Commander.

- What's his name?

- Ward Johnson, sir.

Tell him to call me

if he wants authorization.

I'll get things moving this end.

Make sure the newspapers

don't get hold of this for the time being.

If anything has got out of hand there,

we don't want any panic.

Report back

as soon as you have any results.

Right, sir.

Get me South Eastern Command, please.

Over here, Sergeant.

Look, the canary.

- You needn't go in if you don't want to.

- I'll have a go, sir.

- Quite sure?

- Sir.

- What on earth's happening...

- Just a minute.

Hello, Doctor, I'm glad you're here.

We may need you.

- What's wrong with him?

- That's what we're trying to find out.

- Will you take a look at him, Doc?

- Take off the respirator.

Pulse is normal.

Seems to be breathing normally.

I think he's just fainted.

He's coming round.

You better let me know

what this is all about.

- When were you last in the village?

- Midwich?

I left at about 10:00.

Had a couple of patients to see

in Widmarsh.

Now there are road blocks

all over the place.

I've got to get back.

I've got patients to see.

My hunch is that all your patients

in Midwich...

are in the same state as this man.

All right, old chap. Take it easy.

What can it be?

To put a man out like a light,

penetrate our respirators, do all this.

- Some sort of gas?

- No, it can't be.

Any breeze would have blown it

about a bit.

The edges of the area

are as well-defined as that hedge there.

Cold.

- What did you say?

- Ice-cold.

I'm all right, sir, only cold.

My hands are like ice.

Midwich to Charlie Alpha.

Can you see anything? Over.

Everything looks all right from here. Over.

Let me speak to him.

Hello, Charlie Alpha.

This is Maj. Bernard speaking.

Can you see nothing unusual at all

in Midwich? Nothing moving?

No, sir, nothing.

Matter of fact, that's odd.

Nothing is moving down there.

I can see some people,

but they're not moving either.

They're lying on the ground.

- As though they've fallen?

- Yes, sir.

Right.

Take it down slowly, but pull up

the minute you feel anything.

Feel anything, sir?

- Anything unusual.

- Roger.

Still nothing moving, sir. Taking her down.

Careful now.

Easy.

Another aircraft approaching.

Send out a general warning now.

All aircraft to avoid this area

and not to drop below 5,000 feet.

Yes, sir.

Midwich to base. Emergency.

I say again, emergency.

Warn all aircraft to avoid area,

Latitude 51 degrees, 10 minutes,

Longitude 1 degree, 11 minutes,

Maintain minimum altitude

of 5,000 feet. Out.

Blimey! Look!

Darling, I'm sorry. I must have dozed off.

Look at the time. It's almost 3:00.

Why didn't you call me?

I'd better go and see about lunch.

Anthea.

I found myself asleep on the floor.

What an extraordinary thing to do.

I'm cold.

The fire's gone out.

Did you...

Did we faint?

Must have blacked out.

Why?

My hands are quite numb.

What did happen?

I don't know.

You're all right.

- You're late.

- I couldn't get through.

Get through?

What did you mean you're all right?

How did you know?

It's extraordinary,

but we blacked out for several hours.

- I know.

- It must have been a gas leak.

It was not only you two.

The whole village fell asleep.

All of Midwich was cut off

from the outside world for several hours.

- Anything registering?

- No, sir, nothing unusual.

Keep at it.

- Mr. Zellaby.

- Yes, Miss Ogle?

Are these people

from the telephone company?

- Not the telephone company.

- That's what I said.

If they want to

pull the wool over our eyes...

they ought to try something better.

- I'm trying to find out...

- After all, we're not stupid, are we?

What's happened isn't natural.

Tell you what we'll do.

I'll press for an official explanation...

while you help to stop the rumors

getting about. All right?

Do you mind?

- Soil samples?

- Yes, sir.

- Plant life?

- Even the bark on the trees.

Don't forget insects, grasses,

water, metals.

The sooner and more elaborate

these tests can be made, the better.

It's okay. This is Professor Gordon Zellaby.

Yes, sir.

No one seems to have come to any harm.

A few cuts and bruises where they fell.

Lucky no one was in their bath.

They might have been drowned.

Hello, Mrs. Harrington.

The least they can do is offer us

some kind of compensation.

- But you feel all right?

- No thanks to them if I do.

And a large burn in my best dress

into the bargain.

What the wife means is...

you don't hardly expect to drop asleep

before dinner, do you?

We've established that whatever it was,

was static, odorless, invisible.

It didn't register on radar.

It was non-metallic.

It showed nothing on our Geiger counters.

You have got the reports there.

There are no signs of physical,

biological, or psychological changes.

That's practically meaningless.

For instance, serious exposure

to x-rays or gamma rays...

need not have an immediate effect.

But these people

have to be kept under observation.

- And yourself.

- And my household.

It would be a bit tricky

to put you all in a sanatorium.

My instructions are to keep

the whole incident out of the limelight.

- National security?

- Lf you like.

Until we know the cause,

we shan't know what to expect.

Since you are there, suppose you

keep an eye on Midwich for us?

If you find anything,

let us know through Alan.

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