Episode 125: Chuck Russell’s Bless the Child (2000)
Rotten Tomato Score: 4%
A horror movie with a 4% Rotten Tomatoes score always raises the same question: is it secretly underrated, or is it a cautionary tale? We hit play on Bless the Child (2000) and quickly find ourselves in a swirl of chosen one mythology, satanic cult plotting, and a very serious attempt at a biblical supernatural thriller that rarely earns the weight it wants.
We walk through the story of Cody, the girl everyone wants to control, and why the movie’s pacing feels endless even at under two hours. Then we get into the real debate: what happens when a film stacks big cast names like Kim Basinger, Christina Ricci, Jimmy Smits, and Ian Holm, but the performances still feel flat and the tension never builds? We also dig into the horror tropes on display, the messy logic of faith-based end times movies, and the moments that pull you out completely, from early-2000s CGI demons to scenes that feel like they wandered in from a different cut of the film.
Along the way, we call out what has aged the worst, including an outdated autism reference, and we compare Bless the Child to other supernatural horror and good-versus-evil films that handle similar material with more style and clarity. We end with our watchability scores, plus the few odd details that still stick, for better or worse.
Sinister Sips
Divine Blessing
From: Sin City Bartender
Recipe:
2 oz Vodka
2 oz Elderflower Liqueur
3 dashes Floral Bitters
7 oz Club Soda
Add ice to a highball glass
Add all ingredients and gently stir
Plot Summary:
Cody, a little girl abandoned by her mother and raised by her aunt, a nurse, is kidnapped. The girl's guardian, aided by an F.B.I. agent, learn that Cody has supernatural abilities, and the abductees are a Satanic cult willing to do anything to gain them. (Taken from IMDb)
Watchability Scale
Sam and Chad gave the film a 1. Mike liked it slight more and gave it a 2. We placed the film at 1.5 on the Watchability Scale.
Links
Movie Trivia (TV Tropes)
Movie Facts (Scary Studies)