Figlio delle tenebre

Child of Darkness, Child of Light is a TV horror movie that doesn't appear to have a very good reputation. I cannot go along with the negativity though, as I think this is a pretty decent effort overall. It is a religious themed horror movie that focuses on that old staple of the genre – the birth of the Antichrist. Except there is a twist here in that there are not one but two virgin births, both of which have been prophesied to spawn not only the Antichrist but the Christ as well. A priest is sent by the Vatican to try and determine which is which.

It's pretty obviously a television production in fairness, with obvious restrictions in place regarding the content. But equally, the TV production values ensure that it's professionally made and solid on the whole. The storyline is well enough handled, with decent pacing. There are also some well-staged scenes and surprises along the way. The cast has a few familiar faces such as Brad 'Midnight Express' Davis as a doctor, not long before his untimely death and a blink-and-you'll-miss him appearance by future star Brendan Fraser. All-in-all, this is more than decent for a TV horror film; if you go into it with realistic expectations it should entertain you.

Child of Darkness, Child of Light: Not one but two Immaculate Conceptions! One will be The Second Coming, the other The Antichrist! But which is which? The Vatican sends a priest to investigate. There is also have a Prophecy of The Virgin Mary which is only incrementally revealed. Teenage bullies, vicious crows, black clad assassins on motorbikes! Even a friendly pet dog is turned savage by the powers of darkness. Not great but considering that it's a TV movie from 1991 not bad either. Entertaining and worth watching. Showing again on the Horror Channel on Monday 4th January at 11.00 AM. 6/10.

Actually, the movie is neither horror nor Sci-Fi. With a very strong Christian religious theme, this movie delivers minimal content and no suspense. Second-tier actors do half-decent jobs of reading their boring roles. The only good performance is by Sydney Penny who plays a role of a mother of ... I won't spoil the movie, it's either Christ or Anti-Christ. Avoid watching this movie unless you a Christian religious fanatic obsessed with apocalypse.

Being a non-Christian, I had to force myself to watch this movie just because I wanted to write this review. It's a pity that Sci-Fi channel had to air this movie at the peak evening time.

I guess if you are into the sci-fi and horror stuff it might be interesting. The acting was okay but not great. The two pregnant girls are supposed to be fifteen but are played by obviously older actresses who turned out to be twenty and twenty-one at the time. The plot is okay, but the story does jump around a bit, leaving one guessing whether you're in Boston or Pennsylvania. The priest seems to use warp speed between the two. The catholic church is portrayed as having a secretive sect for investigating events which only happen to those of that faith. What if the two girls had been protestant? Would the catholics of cared? Therefore some what contrived. Who knows, some day the catholic church might even learn what the Bible teaches. If you miss this one, don't feel you've lost anything.

I like this movie because it didn't need to be anything more than the story it was trying to tell. It has it's suspense and a plot twist at the end and the stars do their job adequately well. Personally, I like Sela Ward. She's pretty and looks good out of her nun's habit. Bottom line, when you have something of value... trust no one.

You'll only find this dull and bland if you think this is going to be like the Omen or the Exorcist. Not a bloated vehicle for overblown special effects and 'the world will end by midnight' mumbo-jumbo. I see one viewer was even FORCED to watch this, so he could share his comments with us. The poor poor thing.