Blessed Are the Children is one of those movies that really sneaks up on you and stays in your head long after the credits have rolled. You don't think much about it as you're watching it, but you might find yourself shivering as you recall bits of it for the next few weeks.
Blessed Are the Children follows a trio of women who are stalked and terrorized by anti-abortion religious zealots after one of them gets an abortion. It's a simple story, but it's told with such heart and attention to character that it wins you over despite a few pacing issues and low-budget quirks.
The cast is pretty terrific and I'm sure everyone will have a favorite character (the friends I watched it with did). I wish more horror filmmakers would realize how important great characters are to a horror film. You really do root for these women when they're put in jeopardy and I know I was surprised by who does and doesn't make it out alive.
Which brings me to another strength of the film - unpredictability. It's been a long time since I've seen a movie where all my expectations were thrown out the window one by one as the film went on. You think this character will be the killer? WRONG! You think this character will survive? HELL NO! They're not really going to do that are they? YES! I find this very exciting in a horror film, so I must give it props for that.
As with most low-budget films, this one has its drawbacks. There are a few audio issues here and there and I think it could have been trimmed by maybe a few minutes, but these things didn't bother me too much.
Despite any tiny issues, Blessed Are the Children is a strong, creepy addition to the slasher subgenre and I definitely recommend it.