Bless the Child (2000)

3% of critics liked it
(98 reviews)
45% of users liked it
(34,318 ratings)

In this supernatural horror story, Jenna (Angela Bettis), an unstable young woman, gives birth to a girl named Cody who proves to be autistic; unable to care for her properly, she turns Cody over to her sister, psychiatric nurse Maggie O'Connell (Kim Basinger). Maggie raises Cody as her own, but… More In this supernatural horror story, Jenna (Angela Bettis), an unstable young woman, gives birth to a girl named Cody who proves to be autistic; unable to care for her properly, she turns Cody over to her sister, psychiatric nurse Maggie O'Connell (Kim Basinger). Maggie raises Cody as her own, but when the child (now played by Holliston Coleman) turns six, Jenna and her new husband Eric (Rufus Sewell) forcibly take back the child. Maggie believes Jenna and Eric are not fit parents, but when she takes the matter up with detective John Travis (Jimmy Smits), they discover that a number of children born on the same day as Cody have also been abducted recently. Even worse, it seems that Cody may now be in the hands of Satanists who, in accordance with Biblical prophecy, believe the little girl may be mankind's last line of defense against ultimate evil. Based on a novel by Cathy Cash Spellman, Bless the Child also stars Christina Ricci and Ian Holm. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Chuck Russell
Written By: Chuck Russell, Don Roos, Tom Rickman
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Aug 11, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Feb 13, 2001
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

Robert Koehler, Variety
It reps another disappointing outing from Kim Basinger, who's clearly uninspired by the hack material.
Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
Horrendous dialogue and horrific directing dominate this thriller, in which Coleman's performance shines by default.
Kevin Courrier, Globe and Mail
It makes the battle between good and evil look trite, familiar, and boring.
Elvis Mitchell, New York Times
Seems derivative of so many other movies that you're surprised that it doesn't have to credit its sources the way hip-hop artists do when they sample songs.
Ernest Hardy, Film.com
The film short-changes its own dramatic build by employing cheap cutaways and less than seamless editing.
Gemma Files, Film.com
It's all just cheap metaphor and stupid spectacle, with technology standing (rather inadequately) in for any sort of genuine inquiry into the fascinating mysteries and difficulties of actual faith.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Winning an Oscar has changed Kim Basinger, and not in a good way.
Mark Halverson, Sacramento News & Review
The special effects are impressive, but the dialogue is an unintentional hoot.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
Shamelessly silly, Bless The Child notches up the clichés as the daft story meanders towards a suitably hammy conclusion.
Trevor Johnston, Time Out
The use of child jeopardy as a cheap suspense mechanism is somewhat dubious, but one's unease is slightly mollified by the fact that much of this is far too silly to take seriously.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
Mostly derivative junk, but its few novel touches are worth noting.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
Any movie where the villain is a combination of Danny Bonaduce and L. Ron Hubbard has at least has one thing going for it.
Eugene Novikov, Film Blather
Watching, I felt that the script wasn't taking full advantage of the genre.
Joe Mader, Palo Alto Weekly
Forgive them, Lord; Russell et al know not what they do.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
If this film were just written badly, or just acted badly, it might have some value. But here we have a double negative.
Ron Wells, Film Threat
I kept thinking Jay and Silent Bob would pop out and make a Star Wars joke.
Betty Jo Tucker, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
This movie is filled with such nonsense.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
Maggie O'Connor begins having visions... These demons look like refugees from "Fantasia" and the angels appear to her as sparkling winged cabbages. Perhaps they're on their way to be photographed for some sort of heavenly produce ad.
Luisa F. Ribeiro, Boxoffice Magazine
A better script or stronger direction might have helped, but without either, this one goes to the Devil.
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix
A frighteningly fundamentalist vision of contemporary society that's shamelessly and ineptly manipulative.

Read all 21 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Featured Audience Ratings

Dean M

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." Kim Basinger makes an outstanding performance in this supernatural film about a woman's… More
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." Kim Basinger makes an outstanding performance in this supernatural film about a woman's battle to save her beloved niece from an unspeakable evil. There is some very good suspense here, especially at the end and some shocking horror scenes of violence. Good vs Evil, and it's done well for me. And I thought Rufus Sewell's performance as Stark is well acted and convincingly evil. I see Christina Ricci appeared a very small part in this movie. Director Chuck Russell makes a good attempt to throw in horror and chills at the right moments and even throws in some great effects such as the Devil's manifestation in to a throne and even a rolling head for fans of a little gore.
Wahida K

Strong permofance by Kim Berenger. Great Movie with great casting. I like Rufus Sewell, he can play anything and I never feel like he is acting.
Emily A

I was pleasantly surprised at how engaging this movie was. I normally don't like Kim Basinger of Rufus Sewell, but they were both pretty good in this really rather chilling movie. I really like movies that deal with the human aspect in the occult. Christina Ricci's character… More
I was pleasantly surprised at how engaging this movie was. I normally don't like Kim Basinger of Rufus Sewell, but they were both pretty good in this really rather chilling movie. I really like movies that deal with the human aspect in the occult. Christina Ricci's character really added to it as well. I might have liked a little less simpering from miss Kim, but the child actress mkore than made up for her.
Steve B

I know I've SEEN it, but I can't remember anything about it. Can the movie be so bad, I've completely expunged it from my memory?
Leigh R

Well done movie, very intriguing.
Nate Z

[font=Arial][color=darkred]How bad is 'Bless the Child'? How bad does bad get? Kim Basinger somehow forgets she actually won an Oscar for something good and takes up the mantle as a nurse or nun or whatever caring for a "special" child. But aren't they all… More
[font=Arial][color=darkred]How bad is 'Bless the Child'? How bad does bad get? Kim Basinger somehow forgets she actually won an Oscar for something good and takes up the mantle as a nurse or nun or whatever caring for a "special" child. But aren't they all special in their own way? The child is deemed "the one" and kidnapped by a religous cult led by better-actor-than-this Rufus Sewel. Jimmy Smits comes in somehow as an FBI agent specialized in the field of Satanism. I guess Mulder and Scully couldn't make the ride. There's a point in the film where Smits reveals that he entered the bureau so he could have an easier time stopping Satan and his minions. I dare you not to crack a smile from any of this. Is this the movies Jimmy smits left 'NYPD Blue' over? Hello David Caruso land.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The special effects are lame, the story is knee-high in contrivances and loop holes, and the acting is laughable. Christina Ricci has a small part as a reformed cultist that shouldn't even register if you pay attention - which requires more skill than you would believe. The dialogue in 'Bless the Child' is laughably bad along the lines of 'Battlefield Earth' smack yourself in the head. It's not as mind-numbingly horrible to sit through, but it's pure cheese no matter what sheep's skin it hides under.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: D- [/color][/font]
Deb S

The storyline is an all right one: 6 year old girl with special powers is hunted to be used for evil purposes. Too bad these special powers are never really shown. I wanted much more! There is a little too much talk and not quite enough horror. Not that I am a fan of the horror genre… More
The storyline is an all right one: 6 year old girl with special powers is hunted to be used for evil purposes. Too bad these special powers are never really shown. I wanted much more! There is a little too much talk and not quite enough horror. Not that I am a fan of the horror genre but it would have spiced the movie up some more. This story would have been a lot better if they left it up to the audience to figure out if the girl was really the Christ -Child and if the devil was really behind the plot to get the girl. One great line in the movie. In response to the order "Jump if you believe in God" she replies "After you." Kim Basinger is good and Jimmy Smits does a fine job as well. However the real show stoppers in this movie were 6 year old Holliston Coleman, who plays Cody to perfection, and Rufus Sewell who masterfully plays the part of Eric Stark. There is a brief outstanding role from Christina Ricci, too bad she didn't have a bigger part! Angela Bettis was okay in her role as a drug addict also. I recommend "Bless the Child" to anyone here who like horror movies with suspense and a religious theme added into it.
Yinalí R

Crappy...
Curt C

I can't picture anybody but Kim Basinger in this role. Guess L.A. Confidential wasn't a fluke. Creepy, tense, and perfectly watcheable.
Adam M

Pretty good supernatural thriller. When Kim Basingers junkie sister leaves her with her newborn baby, nice nurse lady Kim takes her in and eventually feels like her own daughter. Little does she know that the little girl has powers within her that can be used for good or the ultimate… More
Pretty good supernatural thriller. When Kim Basingers junkie sister leaves her with her newborn baby, nice nurse lady Kim takes her in and eventually feels like her own daughter. Little does she know that the little girl has powers within her that can be used for good or the ultimate evil. Shit begins to happen when the sister appears with a new husband who's also the leader of a cult and takes the little girl, trying to make her see her dark and evil powers are the way forward. With its decent cast including Angela Betis, Rufus Sewell, Christina Ricci and Jimmy Smits alongside Basinger, Bless The Child has a more classy feel and is more of a thriller with horror elements instead of the straight ahead horror, almost Exorcist style film it was billed as by certain parties when it first came out. This actually makes the horror elements more effective sometimes. Worth a watch.
Marion R

Rufus Sewell is so hot when he's evil. Overall okay
Sunil J

This movie creeped me out and had a pretty great story.
Lee K

so-so but nothing i would own
Leo L

Good plot.
Anthony V

You will need to bless your eyes after seeing this time waster.