(2000)
1.5
Karl Williams
One of several apocalyptic potboilers released in the year 2000, the dark and gritty Bless the Child lacks the giddy energy or visual panache of director Chuck Russell's better work, such as The Mask (1994). A by-the-numbers, end-of-the-world plot line involving Satanic cult members and a kidnapped girl with paranormal powers is remarkably unoriginal, borrowing liberally from better films like The Exorcist (1973) (re-released in the same year, ironically) and lending nothing new to the genre. Although well mounted, and boasting decent production values and casting (including stand-out performances from Rufus Sewell and Ian Holm), Bless the Child simply has nothing new to offer horror fans or those in search of a solid gloom-and-doom thriller.
Bless the Child on AllMovie
Bless the Child (2000)
