The Film: A major misstep as Carpenter attempts another remake of a classic terror tale - in this case John Wyndham's The Midwich Cuckoos.

It's the start of a sad slide for the horror-meister who just couldn't seem to find the right tone for this.

Carpenter Chats: "When I was 12 years old I saw the original and it stuck in my mind for several reasons," he recalls.

"The whole idea of a whole town blacking out was ‘Wow!’ Also, I somehow got this incredible crush on one of the girls in the original. She was the first love object I had; I wanted her to zap me and take me over and make me do whatever she wanted.

"I also knew exactly where to shoot it. I live up there, Inverness, Calif., and Point Reyes, where we shot The Fog in 1979.

"It’s paradise; you can stand anywhere, put the camera down and shoot and you’ve got it, it’s there. It’s a small town, plus it’s home; I get to shoot at home for a change. So off we went."

Remade? No one has touched the tale since.