After a freak accident during her baby shower, Allison, a dedicated nurse, is rushed to the hospital. After the premature birth of her son Neron, strange events emerge: illusions, vivid dreams, and unexplained killings. The events are linked back to Neron as Allison is taken by sudden premonitions that reveal the victims of her son’s next choice. Reverend Jones (Eric Roberts) recognizes an abysmal evil power in Neron and tries to free the boy by all means possible.
Depending on one's personal tastes, the opening scene of the film is either a fantastic feat of over-acted horror comedy or foreshadowing of what could be one of the worst horror films you will watch this year (unfortunately, it's the latter). I really wish I had been baked, because I know I would have been in absolute hysterics. Describing the opening antics with mere words would in no way do it justice, so do yourself a favour and watch it if dare. You'll thank me later.
The weirdness does not let up there however. The film returns to sanity for the baby shower, but only for a short, cringy period before we move on to the birth of the Child of Satan. Late-eighties special effects with blue energy beams flying from eyeballs and superimposed weather on the hospital windows are not what one expects from a 2018 horror title, but that is unfortunately what we get.
Clearly aimed at viewers that are fans of films like Rosemary's Baby, The Devil's Child or The Omen, Child of Satan attempts an homage to its predecessors but falls short in almost every regard. The characters are immensely unlikable, with surfer-turned-actor, Yves Bright (as Kevin Dunn) taking the cake as leading adulterous douche. The cheating husband's partner in infidelity is Caite Upton (Tara), who, while very easy on the eyes, makes for a very poor best friend. Alice (played by Alexis Codding) is probably the best of the bunch, taking on the role of the distressed mother, beguiled wife, and unwitting heroine.
There is a lot that is wrong with the film that I need to call out. The supporting cast, especially the scenes involving the police, are painful to watch and often irrelevant towards the plot. The death scenes look like they were shot on a shoestring budget by film students and the sound sometimes spikes when the actor or actress is too close to a microphone, which is a pretty inexcusable faux pas. The worst, for me, was the birth scene at the hospital where we can clearly see that the child is female but the doctor calls it a boy. Talk about shattering the suspension of disbelief. The plot, while followable and linear, is a bit of a mess. The writing is simply poor and there are so many characters, ideas, and happenings that are just unexplained and unexplored. It's a chaotic shamble of a film that just digs itself deeper and deeper into absurdity. The ending, which couldn't come soon enough, was outright the worst I've seen.
It's not entirely unwatchable though. If you enjoy the occasional B-movie and love (I mean really love) antichrist themed films, this one could possibly tide you over until something with a bigger budget comes along. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. Catch the trailer below…It’s better than the film.
