User Reviews

This film could have been a lot better. The audience deserves more, and we DO see when Hollywood repeats a trend, and repeats and repeats. For example "Stir of Echoes", "Stigmata"", "The Blair Witch Project". Each of these films came out around the same time. Similar themes(too similar) some better than others because of decent performances.

The problem is, these films become redundant and audiences gradually lose interest. Kim Basinger delivers a decent performance, as does Angela Bettis as drug-addicted, cult member sister.

The story however, becomes too familiar, and we lose interest. The ending was too formulaic. Overall this is not something you would be happy about if you paid to see it in the theater. Okay as rental though. 5/10.

I enjoyed Bless The Child, and the good performance of Kim Basinger, but when all was said and done, I could not help dwelling on the films shortcomings, fallacies and holes.

1 Length. At 1hr 38mins, it is a good 35 minutes shorter than the average film nowadays, and this, while making it a shorter (and therefore more palatable...???logic???) for the punters, the film was unable to do justice to the themes and characters it created.

2 The common fallacy among films that deal with themes of world domination and conquest. Why America, and more specifically, why New York? Why was the child born in America, and why was the bad guy looking in New York for it? Surely if (as the casting implies) the child is the product of the stereotypical inbred mutant hicks (complete with red hair and feckles a la "Carrie", 1976...also "The Gift", 2000) of Southern US, then why New York and not Smallsville Texas? These kind of issues are completely ignored, and indeed MUST be in a film this short.

3 Bad guy. It is either an amazing co-incidence that he found and married the mother, or there was some force that brought her to him. Does he marry all drugged out homeless people? Or does he think the best place to look for mothers of children born on the special date is in rehab centres? Again, undealt with. Does he have supernatural powers or not? How come he can cast a spell to make a guy want to commit suicide, and yet can be simply killed with a few lead pellets? Earlier in the movie he manages to magic the bullets out of Kim's gun - why couldn't he do it with the FBI guy? Surely a supernatural guy deserves a supernatural death.

4 - What of the nuns? How do they know that Kim is on her way with the child? We never see her tell them she is on her way. Also the obligatory FBI agent - when he is told that "they have got Cody", he seems to know that Cody has been rescued and her recapture is news to him, yet he is never told in the first place. When the nuns pray, are we to assume that because there are more of them, God is more likely to hear them, and give a quantitative response? If they hadn't prayed, would God have just sat back and watched as his new messiah got diced? If not, then why have the nun-praying scene when there are so many holes undealt with?

5 - What of this mysterious Christian anti-occult cult led by Ian Holm? Why don't they have superpowers like the occult guys? All they do is get a young guy to drive a car for Kim, and then he dies before the getaway. Why can't they become angels for a second, like the demon granny does? That would have been cool. This sub-plot came accross as just the lets-explain-some-of-the-rules part of the film, which should have come in much earlier. Then again, they don't stick to their own rules, so I guess it doesnt really matter.

It is my guess that the film was an adaptation of a book (these often make too many assumptions) and that there was some psycho reel cutter in the editing room who had "shorter is better, shorter is better" going round in his head. The way I felt about the film was this: nice dress rehearsal - when are you going to make the film?

6/10 - hordes of unused potential

The devil resides in New York City and from the moment this film begins, we see exactly where this film is going. As the opening credits roll, its wonderful atmospheric start with its close-up night time shots of New York's gargoyles brings back memories of the great vampire movie Queen of the Damned (2002) and its visual introduction to its narrative.

With the arrival of The Star of Yacov, better known as The Christmas Star, once more in some two thousand years, we see childless Maggie O'Connor (Kim Basinger) taking on her younger sisters new born baby Cody, as Cody is dumped on her door step, this elder sister, this wise mature woman and now surrogate mother takes on full responsibility. Myth has it too that Saint Margaret the Virgin is known to be the Patron Saint of Pregnancy, and who, as legend would have it, was brought up by a nurse after her father disowned her, and having once met with the devil, with him in the form of a dragon. Irony and coincidence perhaps for both, considering her name being Maggie and her inability to have children and baby Cody's circumstance.

Dealing with this child and her seemingly autistic state, autism being a condition that is caused by a disorder that prevents the brain developing properly, this in turn can impair interaction both socially and emotionally. It isn't until she reaches six years of age that Maggie's worries slowly turn into fears of what exactly is wrong with this exceptional child. There are more than just physical and mental states at play here that are more than concerning and enlightening. Maggie's doubts and fears are soon to be tested, to and far beyond the boundaries of human restraint.

Bless the Child uses fables and myth to bring old legends to contemporary settings. With the killing of the innocent children to flush out the Prophecy, the way in which we see this being done is very subtle and coaxing, if a little disturbing, bringing an uncomfortable reality that something sinister, something malevolent, something lurking in the shadows and something extremely evil is all to ready to pounce. Here lies the winning formula, the evil that we see is not so much dark forces of the underworld, but be warned, they exist here too, it is more the evil of man and his willingness to be lead and be controlled by them. Man against man, sin against morality and the age-old battle of Light against the Darkness. We see Eric Stark and his followers taking parallel lines in the similar vain as the real life Satan and occult master Aleister "The Beast" Crowley (1875 - 1947), founder of The Golden Dawn, and once labelled "The Wickedest Man in the World". With Eric Stark renaming his cult The New Dawn Foundation, it is he who most certainly carries this trade of old evils and new Beasts to a tee. English born Rufus Sewell plays Stark with convincing zeal, with both phoney exterior compassion and charm to literally devil-may-care cold indifference, intermingling both persona's well enough to know that we are dealing with more than just the basic human traits that we see, hear and deal with in life. Evil, as it seems holds no bounds.

Kim Basinger and Holliston Coleman (born 1992) bond very well, and a great performance as surrogate mother, she plays her role with devotion and with an honest and convincing feel. With just three years after winning her Best Actress in a Supporting Role for L.A. Confidential, this isn't Ms. Basinger going down a peg but raising the stakes in this thriller horror movie genre. Her integrity is most certainly kept in tact, and this is with the assistance of one Chuck Russell, director of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), The Blob (1988), The Mask (1994) and The Scorpion King (2002). A fine team they make, and as with the gelling of the two leading ladies, it is his fine work in crafting young Holliston Coleman to a standard of high-end child acting. Expect to see more of this young girl. Especially, if she were to take the good advice from the ever professional and independently versatile actress Christina Ricci as the heroin addict Cheri Post, which is always a pleasure to see her working.

Bless the child also has its own parallels too, and lends itself to the likes of The Omen (1976), The Exorcist (1973) and the 1968 Roman Polanski film Rosemary's Baby, where we see children as axis of evils', Bless the Child sees the innocence and purity that is The Child; untainted and undemanding. Thus bearing the special gift of Life and the blessing of Divinity, sometimes disturbing, but slight, and at times touching, but never over demanding and horrific, which sets this movie of as being different and a little unique.

With moderate violence and with the help of a little CGI, a script that fights its own ground when in the amphitheatres of right and wrong, excellent and well cast, we can then be assured that Bless the Child most certainly has not been cursed.

BLESS THE CHILD is another one of those films that fit right into the category of 'satan-becomes-man-and-is-about-to-take-over-the-world' movies. Other examples of the genre would be END OF DAYS and LOST SOULS. Both of which are good. BLESS THE CHILD is not better than these two films and it is not worse either. It is just the same.

Maggie (Kim Basinger) lives with her sister's daughter, Cody (Holliston Coleman). When Cody gets discovers that she has special powers and abilities, she is targeted by a cult led by her sister's fiance, Eric Stark (Rufus Sewell). With the help of a gothic cult follower (Christina Ricci) that is willing to help her, Maggie must stop the cult from using Cody's powers for their ultimate goal...use them to summon the Devil.

Now, this is a cool movie. Not too much action, but some. A little bit of horror thrown in for good measure, and some thrilling sequences- and you got a good movie. See this film, if you are a fan of the genre. Otherwise, you probably won't like it that much. But, otherwise, this is one thrill-ride of a film! BLESS THE CHILD: 5/5.

After seeing the previews on this movie, my friends and I wanted to see it right away for three reasons: 1) it seemed like it had a very touching plot; 2) the special effects seemed very real; and 3) we love Christina Ricci. So, we decided to see it the Friday it came out. But, when we walked out of the theater, we were laughing our heads off because of how dumb the movie was. First, the plot was not believable, did not move along smoothly, and was generally boring. Yes, the leads act really well, but the plot made them look like chickens running around with their heads off. Second, the effects were mediocre. Although, I did not expect much in the ways of effects in the movie, this was pretty bad. Have you ever seen someone trying to kill someone else with a butter knife?! I have, in this movie! Thirdly, almost the entire preview was spent on Christina Ricci's role. But the length of her on-screen in the movie is equal to the amount of time she is in the trailer. Her role could easily be filled by an extra! Her role had no challenge, hardly any lines and hardly any effect on the movie. So, if you want a good laugh at a stupid, "it's-been-done" movie, or if you have nothing better to do, see "Bless The Child". If not, you would be as disappointed as my friends and I were.

Not that I mind Christian propaganda except that it's so poorly done in 'Bless the Child.' 'Stigmata' tried to be profound, and partially succeeded because its plot remained fairly vague. However 'Bless the Child' unfortunately tries to weave a detailed and ultimately cluttered plot.

The movie clings to most cliche themes regarding religious cults as well as a number of generic conservative views on sin and evil. The cult members are a bunch of skateboarding druggies who wear dark clothing. In the end, it becomes another 'forces of light versus the forces of darkness' in a climatic battle that's not very interesting.

Towards the beginning, Basinger's character is seen reading about the cult's crimes in a tabloid. Was this meant to bolster the credibility of tabloids or lower the credibility of the movie? The cult-leader(Sewell)'s brilliant psychological manipulation of Cody ultimately went like: join us or die. Sewell's role was one of those blatantly BAD BAD BAD characters who just becomes annoying, constantly performing outrageously evil acts of great evility to show his evil badness. He should have just held up a sign throughout the movie proclaiming 'I am evil.'

The movie's drama frequently degenerates into a soap-opera feel. To make matters worse, the movie-makers felt it was necessary to insert a bunch of low-budget cgi effects that don't fit and don't contribute much to the movie at all. All in all, the movie was overdone and superficial. I give it a generous imdb 4.

If I had only read the reviews written in this forum I would have thought this movie was another Kevin Costner or John Travolta fiasco. Never have I seen so much intense negative interest in a "really bad" movie.

Before watching "Bless The Child" tonight, my only prior knowledge of it was seeing the trailer a couple of times on TV when the movie was about to be released. And then I only really noticed because the Icon label attached to it seemed to be out of place.

But the movie really wasn't that bad, though it could have used more (much more) focus and better lines and more intensity from the lead actors.

The story is classic good vrs. evil. What seems to have peeved many of the reviewers is that "good," in the form of a little girl (Holliston Coleman), was actually presented as having some real (and quiet) strength for a change. I suppose, in these reviewers jaded view of reality, this seems unrealistic. Besides, in horror movies (you know, the "realistic" kind) the evil thingamabob is always indestructible and just when good manages to triumph -- we find it really didn't. (How dare the "Bless the Child" producers have the gall not to be cliche in this respect!)

So to sum up my feelings. I liked the story (I don't suffer from anti-Catholic bigotry so the charge of being "too Catholic" wasn't a concern). I liked the little girl's acting. I thought Kim Bassinger did a credible job -- though her part lacked some intensity as did Jimmie Smits' part. I thought the Stark character (acted by Rufus Sewell) was well acted and convincingly evil. Miss Ricci's cameo was well done and the special effects were very good. Overall, taking into account my earlier criticism of lack of focus, lack of intensity and a few lines that made me wince -- it was not a bad movie. I would suggest it for those who *do* like a clear cut distinction between good and evil.

And, oh yes. No nudity. Very little profanity and violence that was intense but not overly graphic or gory. (I know -- this crew simply *doesn't* know how to make a "real" horror film, do they?)

A cult crime about a mother named Jenna O' Conner (Angela Bettis) who ran away and left her daughter Cody (Holliston Coleman) with her Aunt, Maggie O' Conner (Kim Basinger). Maggie brought her up and she soon discovered that Cody had ADHD. And 3 years later, she had amazing abilities. For example, she could spin a bowl lid, spin a doll's car, make the snow in the paperweight move about, healed a pigeon, magically lit the candles in the church one by one, etc.

When Cody's babysitter, Maria (Anne Betancourt) said to Cody, if she prayed, good things would happen. On the following day, a child named Martin (Nicholas Marti Salgo) was kidnapped and found later at the bottom of the lake by police with a symbol of the devil on him! And soon, a girl named Cheri (Christina Ricci)ended up in Maggie doctor room. Cheri said that her friends wanted her to end up in a morgue because , she wanted to quit her club! She saw a vision that "they" were going to get the girl and she said to Maggie that she must NOT let them get the girl.

It was fascinating to hear what that satanic symbol symbolized. According to John Travis, the symbol was used in Ceremonial Sacrifices in the 16th century in Europe. The top symbolized Satanism because the fallen angel mythology was taken seriously. The crimes were against God and all the victims' bodies had the symbols which meant "Like Easter". What ever a man was up to on Easter's Eve. And on the following day, Cody and Maggie bumped into Jenna and her new husband Eric Stark (Rufus Sewell), a master of evil who kidnapped Cody.

After the incident, Cheri called and said she knew where Cody was. Cheri also told Maggie that Eric believed in the Devil and he was the one who always killing the kids on the 16th of December who were 6 years of age. He would put them through a test and if they failed, he would kill them. And Eric had been looking for Cody all along and he wanted to change her. Just to make her look like him! So he could use her power. And if Eric couldn't turn Cody into what he wanted her to be, he would kill her because she lead people to God! And on the same night, FREAKS came after Cheri! And when Maggie tried to call the cops, she was given an injection and she felt weary . And as the gang beat Cheri up in the train station, evil creatures were seen flying about. And when Maggie touched Cheri, CHERI"S HEAD FELL OFF!!! On the following day, Maggie found out where Eric stayed. Freaky to see demons flying around his lair. The nastiest killer that Eric had was named Stuart (Eugene Lipinski). And pretty creepy to Eric's odd looking eye. And also when Eric strangely removed bullets from Maggie's gun when she tried to shoot him. And she was knocked out by Stuart! And when she woke up, she was swerving past every car on Brooklyn Bridge and she crashed on the edge. And she was thankfully rescued when the car was going off the edge of the bridge.

And that night, Eric tempted a hobo (Dwaine McLean) with gas and matches through a Satanic practice. It was stopped when Cody said to the hobo that the Loed had not forgotten him and when the hobo opened his hand, a rosary was in it. And when Cody left, ERIC DROPPED A LIGHTER AND THE HOBO WENT ON FIRE! And then, Eric fooled Cody by becoming a Satanist if she did not believe in God, she must jump.

And soon, Travis uncovered Eric's tracks. And when Maggie and Cody were escaping from Eric's helper Dahyna (Dimitra Arliss). And once they got in, DAYHNA APPEARED AND WHEN SHE SMACKED THE WINDOW, SHE TURNED INTO A HIDEOUS DEMON! When Cody and Maggie went 30 miles South of Albany, they crashed and when Maggie told Codie to get out and run, Cody was caught by a limo and she was taken to an Old Estate, North of Albany. And back at Eric's house, under some kind of vision; The Forensic Detectives discovered Satanic symbols in pinkish-purple liquid. And at the Old Estate, Eric told Cody to join "them" if she wanted to live and her mother said, she should. And then, she made all the plates on the dinner table spin.

And when Maggie and Travis came over , Maggie saw Cody running away with a Voodoo group coming after her. And suddenly, one of them attacked Travis!Maggie followed Cody to a demonic church with demonic creatures flying around it. Abd when Maggie approached Cody, she hissed at her and the Voodoo group took Maggie into the Satanic church. And when everyone was inside, rats appeared and they flooded onto a thrown which everyone was facing and the Devil appeared and then evaporated.

Back at the church, Sister Joseph (Helen Stenborg) prayed at the convent. Cody was sitting on a table with Stuart holding a knife to her throat. And then, gas bombs broke in and Maggie stabbed Eric. And when Maggie tried to rescue Cody, she was shot by Eric and Cody healed her and angels appeared. And cops broke in, Travis shot Eric and he died, Stuart was shot and the angels disappeared. Maggie rescued Jenna , the church burnt down and everyone got out.

In the end, Jenna was in ReHab and she told Maggie to adopt Cody. And suddenly, one of the evil helpers appeared, whipped out a knife while they were looking at the church, Cody then turned around, stared at him, the evil helper stopped and he ran away! WOW!!!

The title should be a giveway. Litteraly. This is not so much as a supernatural thriller as a propaganda flick for the western church. As could've been done in the early 1900s. It starts off decent enough, thriller wise with the troubles surrounding little child Cody, who, it turns out, has the ability to do good - serious good, as in bringing dead birds and mums back to life. As apart from the sinister group of satanists that want her to be a powerfull proponent for the other side. What she couldn't do, poor Cody, was to save the film from being propaganda for the church. The whole thing is permeated by righteous praying, and believing in Him. If you belive in Him (the good guy) then everything will turn out fine, like all film clichés being on your side, not the opponent. I am deducting 2 points from this only because the pro-christianity side of things is too much - unless you are already a beliver - then I guess it could be standable. As I am not a believer I think I might soon forget the whole thing and find something else to watch.

Wow, this is a rarity: a modern-day film in which the Christians (mostly nuns in this story) are the "good guys" and the New Age advocates are the devil-like "bad guys." That really annoys all the secular critics, which means about 99 percent of them.

Rufus Sewell plays a Satan-worshiping cult leader who tries to kidnap young Holliston Coleman, someone with special healing powers. Kim Basinger, in an unusual wholesome low-key role, plays the aunt-turned-parent/guardian of the kid.

There is some very good suspense here, especially at the end and some shocking horror scenes of violence. "Shocking" not just because of what happened but the film was so family-oriented up until then. Overall, though, a decent story and a good message. Even though I liked it, it wouldn't a film I would watch multiple times, although a second look is likely.

Omens and concepts of good vs. evil have no place in Maggie O'Connor's well-ordered, practical universe. Her life revolves around her job as a nurse at a busy New York hospital, until one rainy night, her sister Jenna abandons her newborn, autistic daughter at her home.

Only 5.0 out of 10? This is what IMDb has given this film (as of June 2015). Not that this is anything amazing, but it is hardly only a flat five. We have Christina Ricci, Angela Bettis, and director Chuck Russell, which should be worth something.

We have a priest-turned-cop (sort of like "The Prophecy") which creates this interesting mixture of police procedural and satanic mystery. If done right, this is a great theme. (It is done fairly well here.) And with Rufus Sewell, who is always so evil in his roles? Excellent.

What a horrible mess! How Messrs Basinger, Smits, Sewell, Ricci and Holm ended up in this half-assed excuse for a film I'm not sure, but even my profound Ricci bias cannot save my opinion of this film. Actually, I'm not being fair – the film has good things about it. So, on balance: plot – vaguely interesting Omen rip-off with a twist; cast – oddly high profile, with only Basinger seeming miscast (she's too wholesome for the part, and just didn't convince at all) and everyone dealing admirably with the clunky dialogue; effects – hmmm, file under "really-not-very-special"; direction – hmmm, file under "hey, turns out those effects were tremendous compared to the direction!" That was the real issue – lame direction. There were lots of positive elements (a semi-gruesome Se7en-esque thriller angle, the aforementioned Omen riff, Christina Ricci) but, instead of mixing and presenting these ingredients to leave us with a tasty pie, we were left with a motley collection of ingredients that didn't hang at all. Amusingly, Rufus Sewell comments on the DVD interviews that he likes this kind of film when it is done well – better luck next time, Rufus!

I have been going to the movies for 55 years now. And I have been writing novels for nearly 30 years, with 38 published thus far. One of my favorite genres as a moviegoer is the horror thriller, which is one in which I have written also, usually within a Christian context.

BLESS THE CHILD is unquestionably one of the finest genre movies I have ever seen, the kind that combine Christian themes and thriller techniques. I like it because it is relatively subdued, with sincere underplayed acting, and a minimum of Hollywood hocus-pocus.

The themes are:

1) The triumph of God over the devil, instead of the reverse. 2) The power of prayer. 3) The depiction of angels of light. 4) Brief but effective moments when demonic creatures, normally in an unseen supernatural existence, are revealed starkly. 5) No attempt to make evil seem other than loathsome, destructive. 6) Child-like faith enables us to resist Satan.

The direction by Chuck Russell was excellent, involving; no wonder he came close to directing the screen version of THIS PRESENT DARKNESS. There was almost no foul language, and the brutal episodes were less in number than usual.

I notice the Christian moments were referred to as "propaganda". Why is it propaganda when biblical references are used but not propaganda when humanism, nihilism, abortion, homosexuality, adultery and such are similarly promoted?

I showed BLESS THE CHILD to a neighbor couple, folks who are not especially religious. They were enthralled by it, reacting nervously when the suspense is intensified, rejoicing at the more inspiring moments.

BLESS THE CHILD is not a toweringly great movie but, rather, an intensely reverent one, directed with intelligence, acted with conviction, without nude scenes, and thankfully lacking a tidal wave of vulgarity,

Roger Elwood

Predictable and slightly obnoxious "good versus evil" supernatural thriller that still has a few bits to make you jump out of your seat. Unfortunately over laden with religion, this type of thing is most scary to someone who believes in Jesus and the Devil etc etc. And here we see the appeal to bigotry as well. In the old days, the black characters in movies were often the bad guys, women never had top jobs and any Germans or Japanese in wartime epics were all innately evil to the core we've moved beyond such objectionable prejudice in these areas but still religion gets the full quota of American Righteousness. In other words, Christians (especially Roman Catholics and Jesuits) are always "good guys" whereas the personification of evil will tend to be linked with new age philosophy and the devil will speak with a sort of Moroccan or middle-eastern accent that is displays a prejudice towards Islam. On the prejudice scale, we see Buddhists (as long as they are not new age) get a fairly easy ride, whereas Hindus (probably because of the visual similarity between some of their gods and the depiction of gargoyles) are linked with evil. Hopefully in another twenty years or so this sort of prejudice will be a thing of the past - that is, if America outgrows its fundamentalist roots (that are a bit laughable, even to Europeans).

This film is a dreadful attempt at producing a supernatural thriller pitting the forces of good (God) against evil (Satan). This script is abominable. The story is utterly unimaginative in its premise and the dialogue is incredibly bad. The behavior of the characters, especially Maggie (Kim Basinger) is often incongruous and sometimes ludicrous.

The story is about a modern second coming of Christ, with the little Christ girl being born to a drug addict (Angela Bettis) and left with her Aunt Maggie. The child is being sought out by the disciples of Satan with the intention of converting her to the dark side or killing her. The army of inept devil worshipers keeps kidnapping her and our mousy heroine single handedly keeps outwitting them and stealing her back followed by interminable car chases pursued by a stretch limo. Meanwhile, a group of nuns gets together and prays aloud that God will protect Maggie and the child in one of the film's most laughable scenes. All this culminates in a showdown between God and Satan including some lame visual effects.

A number of reputable actors are wasted on this hack script. Jimmy Smits is a good actor who gives his standard solid cop portrayal. Kim Basinger can be excellent in the right role. She is good in sexy roles, certain dramatic roles and has even proven to be an effective comedian at times. However, an action heroine she is not and will never be. The most convincing performance is given by Angela Bettis as Jenna, who looked genuinely strung out on heroine.

Supernatural thrillers provide unlimited possibilities for creativity and imagination. This pedestrian script is a trite treatment of a familiar story that is poorly written and directed. I rated it a 3/10. If you are intent on seeing a ridiculous supernatural thriller see `End Of Days' with Arnold Schwarzenegger. At least you will get some good action footage with your tripe.

What the hell happened to Chuck Russell? He made the most entertaining of the Elm Street sequels, did a cracking job on the '88 remake of The Blob, and gave us the excellent The Mask (which in turn gave us Cameron Diaz)—films that were pure unadulterated fun. But after churning out silly but entertaining Arnie actioner Eraser, his promising career seems to have slowly disappeared down the pan, a situation helped in no small part by this dire, end-of-the-millennium biblical horror. With Bless the Child, it seemed as though Chuck had forgotten everything important he had ever learnt about film-making.

Unlike his previous movies, Russell fails to inject any originality or charm into proceedings, and the result is a lifeless and heavy-handed horror with woeful CGI, a movie designed for undemanding mainstream audiences; in short, it is the epitome of bland 90s popcorn horror. The plot is a weak rip-off of The Omen and the central performances are terrible: Rufus Sewell hams it up as an occult leader who tries to turn a supernatural little girl into a tool for Satan; Kim Basinger is unconvincing as the child's concerned guardian; and Angela Bettis proves thoroughly annoying as the girl's junkie mother. Christina Ricci, who is also fairly high up the cast list, is wasted in a completely pointless minor role.

3.5 out of 10, generously rounded up to four for Ricci losing her head and some dude getting knitting needles in his eyes.

Story 1.25/2 Acting 1.50/2 Direction & Pace 2.75/2 Entertainment 1.25/2

Total 6.75/10

"Bless The Child," a 2000 millennium religious-based horror flick, is like a Sunday sermon with a devilish twist. The film doesn't reach the divine heights of "The Omen," but it's a serviceable entry in the genre, like a less-then-holy communion wine.

This time, there's no Antichrist making his grand entrance, but rather, a child handpicked by the big guy upstairs to bring the flock back into his fold. Of course, Satan's not one to sit idly by, so he dispatches one of his minions to find the child and put an end to this holy disruption. The concept is intriguing, but it's as though the filmmakers threw a handful of twists at the wall to see what stuck. Some tighter structuring and fleshing out of the supernatural elements would've made this a heavenly horror experience.

The cast does their best with what they're given, with robust performances abound. Rufus Sewell's Eric Stark needed to be slightly more ominous and sinister. Moreover, Kim Basinger's Maggie O'Conner could've used a bit more physical and emotional presence in her battle with the forces of darkness.

The direction and pacing are commendable, with some visually captivating shots that add a layer of intrigue. The special effects, considering the time, hold up well. The CGI rats may look like they've had a bad fur day, but those red eyes are positively chilling. One of the best FX is the smoky flying demons, fluttering ominously around and driving the dark apostles to commit vicious and atrocious crimes. And let's not forget the impressive spectacle of Satan's grand entrance, assembled from millions of red-eyed rodents.

In conclusion, "Bless The Child" is a delightful slice of hocus pocus that won't make you repent for watching it. It's an excellent choice for a cosy evening in the dark, snuggled up with your love and a steaming coffee. So, frantically grab your holy water and popcorn, and let the religious rollercoaster take you for a unique spin.

Before I saw this film, I'd never heard of it. When I got to the cinema, I thought I'd try my luck with the unknown and hopefully be pleasantly surprised.

On seeing the names 'Kim Bassinger' and 'Jimmy Smits' in the opening credits - I almost made a bolt for the door. Unfortunately, I stayed. It turned out to be the worst movie that I have ever been to at a cinema. Perhaps in 50 years time, people will be talking about it in the same vein as 'Plan 9 from Outer Space.'

As far as woefulness goes - this film had everything:

• A terrible, terrible script with more clichés than you can poke a stick at (sorry)

• Boring, shallow characters: made worse by embarrassingly inept acting (to be expected from Bassinger but surely Christina Ricci can do better!)

• Pathetic visual effects

• Pointless, brainless, talentless, lifeless script (just to emphasise the point!).

My advice to anyone thinking of seeing this film is to go with a group of friends. You will then have a great time outwitting each other with wisecracks. Otherwise - save your money and stay home.

Horrifying and genuinely frightening flick in which some children meet horrible deaths by terrible demonic forces . Cody, a six-year-old little girl (Holliston Coleman) left by her mother (Angela Bettis) and raised by her aunt, a nurse (Kim Basinger) . Six years later Jenna suddenly re-appears with a mysterious new husband, Eric (Rufus Sewell) , but the child is kidnapped. The girl's guardian, who's aunt and careteker aided by an F. B. I. Agent (Jimmy Smits) , learn that Cody has supernatural abilities, and the abductees are a Satanic cult led by Stark who's willing to do anything to gain them. Fear the Darkness !. Fight the Evil !. Bless the Child !. Mankind's last hope just turned six !.

This is a supernatural thriller including mystery , twisted intrigue , grisly killings and fantastic special effects . Being based on the novel of the same name by Cathy Cash Spellman. Everyone drops the balls in this failed rip-off of ¨The Exorcist¨, ¨The Omen¨ , ¨End of Days¨ and ¨The Six Sense¨ taking parts of these films here and there . This movie's idea of thrills is showing kids getting kidnapped and later turning up dead , but it isn't agreeable .The use of child jeopardy as a cheap suspense mechanism is some dubituous , by one's unease is slightly molified by the fact that much of this far too silly to take seriously . The chief excitement lies in seeing what new and amazing appearance or supernatural figures can be dreamt by the believable effects Academy Award winner Kim Basinger's search for a strong female role to follow ¨L. A. Confidential¨ has taken her down in this occult thriller , being clearly inferior than her prior film . She plays a a successful nurse , a single woman whose maternal instincts are unexpectedly stirred when her wayward younger sister Angela Bettis shows up along with a little girl . Basinger doesn't even attempt to hide her boredom as caretaker of a little girl with supernatural powers . She is well accompanied by a good cast with plenty of familiar faces , such as Jimmy Smits as a brave police inspector , Rufus Sewell as satanist and self-help guru Stark, Angela Bettis , Christina Ricci , Michael Gaston , Lumi Cavazos, Eugene Lipinski, Anne Betancourt , Gary Hudson and brief acting by Ian Holm.

This chiller displays a thrilling and suspenseful score by Christopher Young. As well as colorful and dark cinematography by Peter Menzies Jr. The motion picture was middlingly but professionally directed by Chuck Russell. This craftsman Chuck Russell,who made the third and best version of ¨Nightmare on Elm Street¨ and ¨The King Scorpion¨, ¨The Mask¨ I Am Wrath¨, Eraser¨, ¨The Junglee¨ and other successes and flops. Rating : 5.5/10 . Average but passable and acceptable . Not exactly the feel-good movie of the year.

Many people seem to be reviewing this film from some kind of a partisan standpoint i.e. I like it cos I'm Christian or I hate it cos I'm secular/other. I'm a practicing Pagan who thinks that Christianity is hogwash but this film is definitely one I liked. A well made thriller with a solid plotline and some good performances, especially from the very young child actor. Some nicely done and not overused effects when the veil between the natural and the supernatural lifts add to the atmosphere making it enthralling, if not terribly scary.

Not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination but definitely a cut above your average supernatural thriller. Just one thing that amused me though: the "evil" books that the FBI agent has on his desk as reference works? I happen to own them both, make of that what you will. Still liked the movie though.

All in all, a solid 7/10 movie from me.

This deliriously daft horror movie is like the distaff side of "The Omen", only in this case the child doesn't come from the Devil but from God and it's her, (not his), job to stop the Devil doing his worst. It might have seemed like a good idea but it doesn't have an original thought in it's head and the scare factor is non-existent. Instead, what we have is a series of daft set-pieces in which 'guardian angels' help the good guys and the bad guys are accompanied by some very unconvincing animated demons. The film's idea or originality is to turn the 'Jesus' character into a little girl. As the Devil's principal agent on earth the devilishly handsome Rufus Sewell looks like he might be enjoying himself and is much more fun than the sanctimoniously pious Kim Basinger as the God-child's earthly protector. In parts much too small for their stature Christina Ricci and Ian Holm play to the galleries. As the child destined to save the world Holliston Coleman is so annoying you root for the Dark One.