Horror-Baby

This movie is not connected to, a rip off of or inspired by The Omen. Just because both happen to be about an evil child doesn't mean a thing. The Godsend is pure science fiction: what if there was a sub-species of humans who bred the same way the cuckoo does. This bird has the nasty habit of laying it's eggs in the nests of birds of other species. The baby cuckoo imitates the calls of its nestmates so the unwilling adoptive parents are none the wiser. At its first opportunity the baby cuckoo murders the other babies by pushing them out of the nest. That's what this movie was about.

I saw this film when it first came out in 1980. I enjoyed it. I also read the book and found that the movie was a very faithful adaptation. This is the kind of movie that is not high-budget, nor is it laced with overwhelming special effects. But is a very entertaining, low budget, late night "get away from it all" type of film.

Although the film is called 'The Godsend' there is nothing godly here, and is a creepy display of the devil's work through the 'innocence' of a young child. The movie has a similar premise to 'The Omen'.

Strolling through the woods, the Marlowe family meets a mysterious, pregnant woman, whom they invite to their home. Alan has an uneasy feeling about the woman, who keeps staring at him. That night, she gives birth to a baby girl, and stays the night. The next morning, she is gone, and the family decides to keep the baby, naming her Bonnie.

Alan and Kate Marlowe has four children, and one by one they start dying in apparent accidents. Alan is the first to become suspicious of Bonnie, but he has no proof. Over the next few years, with tensions rising, grief and suspicion takes its toll on their relationship. Alan realizes he has to resort to drastic measures to save his family.

Wilhelmina Green gives an incredibly creepy performance as the 4-year old Bonnie. I mean this girl is evil personified! Malcolm Stoddard also gives a good performance as Alan. 'The Godsend' is a psychological thriller that's sure to send a chill down your spine, and also ends on a chilling note.

The film is basically a complete rip-off of the evil child genre and, to be honest, Omen makes a much better job of it. A young couple, living in an idyllic country setting, are visited by a pregnant woman who gives birth at their house and then disappears mysteriously leaving her baby daughter. A series of "accidental" deaths follows in the household and eventually the parents come to realise that the demonic child is the cause.

The film adds nothing to the genre, but it is almost worth watching just for the evil child. After each death, the camera zooms up on her face and she wears an expression of pure evil. Very disturbing. I remember seeing the film when I was 15 and could not forget her face.

Apart from that, the Godsend is pretty missable.

The makers of this decent horror drama do get high marks for good intentions here. Their film does score to a degree by focusing on the human element, as the devastating effects of tragedy hit a young country dwelling couple. This couple, Alan (Malcolm Stoddard), and Kate (beautiful Cyd Hayman), already have four children of their own. They meet a mysterious, pregnant stranger (played by Angela Pleasence, the daughter of Donald P.) who gives birth in their home and promptly disappears. They keep her baby as one of their own, but their own children start dying under mysterious circumstances, starting with their infant. Alan comes to believe that the new kid, Bonnie (played at different ages by Wilhelmina Green and Joanne Boorman), is responsible, but Kate just can't accept that this adorable moppet could possibly be a danger.

This may be too slow and quiet to suit some horror fans expecting something more along the lines of "The Omen". It really does stress its dramatic elements more than anything, shying away from anything such as graphic violence. It does have a suitably eerie mood, beginning with the effectively enigmatic performance by Ms. Pleasence. The rest of the cast, including Patrick Barr as the sympathetic Dr. Collins, does fine work. Location shooting is good and atmosphere is strong but the music by Roger Webb is a little overbearing. The script is by Olaf Pooley, based on a novel by Bernard Taylor, and the film is dialogue heavy, with producer / director Gabrielle Beaumont (making her feature debut here) never rushing through the story. The ending fails to be completely satisfactory; in fact, it's kind of abrupt, but overall those genre fans who prefer subtlety may find it to their liking.

Six out of 10.