Bless the Child (2000)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Chuck Russell

Writers (WGA):

Cathy Cash Spellman (novel)
Thomas Rickman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 August 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror

Tagline:

Fear the Darkness. Fight the Evil. Bless the Child.

Plot:

Omens and concepts of good vs. evil have no place in Maggie O'Connor's well-ordered, practical universe...

Plot Keywords:

Omen | FBI | Nurse | Troubled Teen | Autism

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Kim Basinger	...	Maggie O'Connor
Jimmy Smits	...	Agent John Travis
Holliston Coleman	...	Cody O'Connor
Rufus Sewell	...	Eric Stark
Angela Bettis	...	Jenna O'Connor
Christina Ricci	...	Cheri Post
Michael Gaston	...	Det. Frank Bugatti
Lumi Cavazos	...	Sister Rosa
Dimitra Arliss	...	Dahnya (as Dimitra Arlys)
Eugene Lipinski	...	Stuart
Anne Betancourt	...	Maria
Ian Holm	...	Reverend Grissom
Helen Stenborg	...	Sister Joseph
Matthew Lemche	...	New Dawn Kid at Van
Dan Warry-Smith	...	New Dawn Kid

Also Known As:

Die Prophezeiung (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, drug content and brief language.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #37491) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Company:

BTC Productions KG

Trivia:

"Ego fum papa" roughly translates as "I am the Pope".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As Maggie and Cody are driving to Vermont it is supposed to be the day before Easter Sunday (March or April) and yet mid-autumn foliage can been seen outside.

Quotes:

Good Samaritan Janitor: Well you'll catch him, I got a good feeling about this.
John Travis: You do, huh?
Good Samaritan Janitor: You're wrong about one thing, though.
John Travis: What's that?
Good Samaritan Janitor: You're not working alone tonight. A good man is never alone in this world.

Movie Connections:

References The Lion King (1994)

A most underrated movie, unfairly condemned by others

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