A picnicking English family encounters a mysterious, pregnant young woman in a meadow. Her behavior is strange, and the little she says is puzzling. They take her home, and are then surprised when she suddenly gives birth to an infant girl there. Then she inexplicably vanishes.The couple, who already have five children, adopt the baby as their sixth. But their unusually large family begins to be depleted, after their biological children die, one by one, under mysterious circumstances.That's the premise of "Godsend" (1980). You've got to admit, that is chilling, and it held my attention throughout the length of this passably entertaining movie. It has an interesting story setup, and there is at least one truly frightening sequence at the story's end. In addition, the spooky young mother is effectively played, however briefly, by Angela Pleasence, daughter of Donald Pleasence.But I doubt this will wind up on many top ten lists. It's thinly scripted, slowly paced, and features two parents who seem minimally affected by the deaths of their children. It's also too derivative of its obvious inspiration, "The Omen" (1976).I'd give it a 6 out of 10.

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.

I saw this movie about 3 years after it came out, and actually enjoyed it. It moves a bit slow for American viewers, and yes, it is terrifying, especially if you have children. The next few months of my life were made frightening by my 4 year old (at the time). It seems her dad let her watch the movie and she followed me around the house saying "mummy? mummy? I love you, mummy..." in the exact tone and accent as the evil child character. So, if you're into twisted, suspense, and totally scary, this movie is for you. If your into action (ex. XXX), this one is too slow for you. Just don't let the kids watch it. Oh, yeah...it's NOT a happy ending.

A nice, young British couple with three (or four--I forgot) children meet a heavily pregnant woman in a park. They invite her home with them. During the night she gives birth and leaves without them knowing it. They decide to bring up the baby as their own. What they don't know is that the baby is evil and wants all their attention...even if it means killing off her siblings to get it...Rightly forgotten 1980 horror film. The book was very scary and well-written...this adaptation is faithful (except for a stupid changed ending) but the acting is bad and the direction is really, really off. The killings are bloodless and happen offscreen--how this thing got an R rating is beyond me. Dull, trite and forgettable. It was originally advertised with the tagline "For God's sake...take it back!" Trust it.