Bless the Child [Blu-ray]

Director: Chuck Russell Chuck Russell

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/11/2023
UPC:	0826663235845
Original Release:	2000
Rating:	R
Source:	Shout Factory
Language:	English
Time:	1:47:00
Sales rank:	27,192

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kim Basinger	Maggie O'Connor
Jimmy Smits	John Travis
Holliston Coleman	Cody
Rufus Sewell	Eric Stark
Angela Bettis	Jenna
Christina Ricci	Cheri
Ian Holm	Rev. Grissom
Michael Gaston	Bugatti
Lumi Cavazos	Sister Rosa
Dimitra Arliss	Dahnya
Eugene Lipinski	Stuart
Anne Betancourt	Maria
Helen Stenborg	Sister Joseph
Matthew Lemche	New Dawn Kid at Van
Dan Warry-Smith	New Dawn Kid
Elisabeth Rosen	New Dawn Kid
Tony Del Rio	New Dawn Kid
Nicole Lyn	New Dawn Kid
Michael McLachlan	New Dawn Kid
Jonathan Malen	New Dawn Kid
Vincent Corazza	Reverend's Assistant
David Eisner	Dr. Ben
Gary Hudson	Maggie's Date
Samantha O'Dwyer	Cody (at age 3)
Nicolas Marti Salgado	Martin Casillas
Marcia Bennett	Head Nurse
Peter Mensah	Good Samaritan Janitor
Yan Birch	Good Samaritan on Bridge
Alexa Gilmour	Good Samaritan on Subway
Wanda Lee Evans	Woman on Bus
Cedric Smith	Pediatric Doctor
Dwayne McLean	Homeless Man
Brenda Divine	Woman with Sick Daughter
Lauren Spring	Daughter
Trevor Bain	Task Force Investigator
Brian Heighton	Techie
Chris Marren	Diner State Trooper
Todd William Schroeder	Diner State Trooper
John Healy	Diner Local Policeman
Dylan Harman	Boy in Playground
David Sparrow	Crawford
Michael Copeman	Police Lieutenant
Neil Girvan	Detective
Carol Lempert	Detective
Kelvin Wheeler	Detective
Tony Meyler	Detective
Richard Carmichael	Task Force Detective
Roman Podhora	Desk Sergeant
Dean Gabourie	Alley Officer
Arnold Pinnock	Alley Officer
Teresa Pavlinek	Dentist's Receptionist
Jeffrey Caudle	Boy in Dentist's Chair
Catherine Fitch	Sister Helena
Neville Edwards	Pier Cop,Mrs. Czernik
John Shepherd	Mr. Czernik
Leeza Gibbons	Herself
Dan Duran	Reporter
Sandi Stahlbrand	Reporter
Mia Lee	Newscaster
Matt Birman	Upstate Cop
Meredith McGeachie	Nurse
Henry Alessandroni	Hospital Cop
Austin Reed	Baby Cody,Baby Cody,Baby Cody
Christopher Redman C New Dawn Intern	New Dawn Intern
Jovanni Sy	Code Blue Doctor
Christopher Young	Composer

Technical Credits

Ellen Green

Tom Rickman

Chuck Russell	Director
Deborah Aquila	Casting
Matt Birman	Stunts
David Chisholm	Special Effects
Bruce Davey	Executive Producer,Producer
Sarah Halley Finn	Casting
Michael Kavanagh	Special Effects
Lis Kern	Executive Producer
Mace Neufeld	Producer
Robert Rehme	Executive Producer,Producer
Ellen Green	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
MVFX	Special Effects
Sarah Halley-Finn	Casting
Tom Rickman	Screenwriter
Owen Langevin	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

A taut supernatural thriller that unfolds in contemporary urban settings, Bless the Child pits Academy Award winner Kim Basinger against dark forces plotting world domination. Basinger plays a devoted nurse whose drug-addled younger sister gives birth to an autistic baby girl and then abandons her, leaving Basinger to raise the child. At the age of six, her adopted daughter (adorable Holliston Coleman) manifests unnatural abilities that convince cult leader Rufus Sewell that she is his sect's long awaited "chosen one." Director Chuck Russell (Nightmare on Elm Street 3) ratchets up the suspense by having Sewell kidnap the young girl for participation in an unholy ritual. Basinger's pursuit of the child generates many tense moments, culminating in a climactic confrontation that unleashes demonic powers. Russell's skillful steering of inherently melodramatic situations keeps Bless the Child from drifting off course. Jimmy Smits contributes a fine performance as an FBI agent steeped in occult lore, Ian Holm is predictably effective as a renegade clergyman, and Christina Ricci is superb as a frightened cultist who risks her life to help Basinger. The DVD features audio commentaries by Russell and effects supervisor Joel Hynek, plus interviews with the cast and crew members, and theatrical trailers.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Bless the Child is an ecumenical suspense story, directed by Chuck Russell with an attempt at the hushed elegance of The Sixth Sense. Despite a few chills, the movie is more like The Exorcist or The Omen with a happy face drawn on its soul -- the first suspense film of the Touched by an Angel era.

New York Times - Elvis Mitchell