Bless The Child

Reviewed by:
Ben Lerman

Bless the Child wants to be a new Exorcist, but the movie can’t muster up enough horror—or enough God—to scare the bejeezus out of you.Still gorgeous Kim Basinger stars as an agnostic who adopts her drug-addicted sister’s troubled kid. This ain’t just any autistic toddler, though—her birth was heralded by celestial events not witnessed since Christ. Naturally, a Satanic cult in the guise of a New Age self-empowerment group (there’s a stretch) tries to kidnap the mighty tot and use her powers in service of the Dark Overlord himself. Director Chuck Russell (Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors) captures some nightmarish demons and monsters on screen, but they don’t get nearly enough screen time. The best bursts of fright are cued by the orchestra, and the moral lessons are about as subtle as a Catholic school nun with a yardstick.

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