BA_Harrison Judging by the reviews here on IMDb, others seem to appreciate this film a lot more than I do. I found the plot to be confusing, the pace sluggish, and, to be quite frank, I couldn't stand the child Emily (played by Nicoletta Elmi), her constant crying out for daddy making her as annoying as that other whimpering brat of '70s horror, Audrey Rose.The plot-or what I could gather-goes like this: Emily asks her father, BBC documentary maker Michael Williams (Richard Johnson), for the medallion that belonged to her mother, who died in a fire. For some reason I couldn't quite fathom, this causes the girl to have convulsions and kill those around her. The answer to her condition lies in a mysterious painting belonging to Contessa Cappelli (Lila Kedrova), who says that the picture mysteriously appeared two centuries earlier, at the same time as the death of a young girl named Emilia.Is Emily possessed by Emilia? I haven't a Scooby. There's so much in this film that I did not understand that I quickly became bored. What was the relevance of the medallion? Why was there an identical trinket hidden inside a statue? What was the meaning of the letter found by the Contessa? Why was part of the painting encrusted in dirt? Was there some deeper meaning to the barrel of wine crashing into the car? Why did the Contessa see Michael banging on a door when he was hundreds of miles away in London? And that double-bladed sword... what was that all about? All very confusing!To try and alleviate matters a little, director Massimo Dallamano chucks in not one, but two, sex scenes (both between Michael and his production manager Joanna, played by Joanna Cassidy), and includes a couple of deaths rendered laughable by the terrible special effects, but it's not nearly enough to make me recommend the film to anyone but the most determined of Italian horror completists.

Mr_Ectoplasma A documentarian working on a film about the devil's depictions in artwork finds his life turned upside after the death of his wife, which traumatizes his daughter. Things get worse, though, when his daughter receives a cursed medallion that renders her possessed by a child murderess.I went into this film with low expectations as it is certainly not a film that has a sturdy reputation-the Code Red DVD release of the film in fact brands it under their "Septic Cinema" series, with the disc menu featuring a porta-potty. This is actually rather misleading, and possibly offensive. Though not a great film, "The Night Child" is a far cry from the utter trash that some may have you believe.Similar to other European rip-offs of supernatural American horror at the time ("Beyond the Door" and many others come to mind), the film riffs on elements from "The Exorcist" (though is far more understated) and at times looks and even feels like "The Omen," and unabashedly so. Fortunately, this makes for an atmospheric film, boasting lush and wintry London sets that contrast with warm, oppressive interiors. An eerie score underpins the proceedings, which are somewhat slow-going, but they do pick up in the last third.The film boasts a cast of English-speaking actors, with the English Richard Johnson leading the film, and American Joanna Cassidy playing his producer and sometimes-lover. The dubbing and dialogue are a bit hit-and-miss, but this is mostly expected for a film of the period, and at times it reminds one of some of the Bava or Argento films of the era.In the end, I was pleasantly surprised by "The Night Child," which seems to have garnered a reputation that I frankly found at odds with what was on screen. The film is a rip-off, but a good one, and it offers a select few well-orchestrated scenes and a chilling atmosphere. For what it is, this is an above-average foray into the "possessed children" subgenre. 7/10.

matheusmarchetti Unfairly marketed as another cheesy cash-in with the success of 'The Exorcist', 'The Night Child' turned out to be an amazing surprise. What really makes this so great is that, although it deals with a little girl possessed, it's done in entirely different way that from The Exorcist, so there's no head turning 360 degrees, green puke or even an exorcism for that matter, yet director Massimo Dallamano manages to make a film that is just as scary and thought-provoking. It's also a pretty sad and moving film, and actually works just as well as a drama then it does horror, and it is very slow paced and it has a great build up. So, as you can see, if you're expecting another 'Beyond the Door' you'll be disappointed. The story works pretty well, and it's actually very intelligent and filled with Freudian overtones. Nicoletta Elmi does a great job in title role and Richard Johnson and Joana Cassidy are also very convincing. The film is visually stunning and highly atmospheric very reminiscent of the works of Bava, specially the small Italian village gives dejavu to anyone who has seen Kill Baby Kill before. Sure, the movie ain't perfect, and there are many flaws, but it is truly a nice gem that deserves much more attention than it deserves. I actually prefer this over the director's much more praised 'What Have You Done To Solange?'. Overall, 8.5/10.

wkduffy Just got finished watching this Omen-inspired, Exorcist-derived, 1970s Italo-American horror-movie-lookalike on the recently released, high-definition, Italian-language only DVD (with English subs). And while I can't say much in the way of the film's originality, I've got to say that this is the little-film-that-could in many ways. Wanna go back to the days of burgeoning, high-budget, high-class, artfully framed 70's horror flicks? Here's your ticket.First of all this film (which chronicles the somewhat lackluster "adventures" of a BBC documentarist on his trip to Spoleto to do a flick about representations of demons in old paintings—and his young daughter is somehow possessed by an "evil" medallion) is absolutely GORGEOUS to look at. In fact, the film is more an eyeful than all of the American possession-themed horror movies combined. The use of colors is vibrant, the carefully crafted shots are very painterly themselves, and every frame seems bathed in the heavenly filtered sunlight that oddly only seems to exist in 70's films for some strange reason. And the splendid beauty of the Italian landscape is breathtaking—it seeps through in practically every shot. The high-def transfer (distributed by Mostra Internationale d'Arte Cinematografica under the title "Il Medaglione Insanguinato—Perche?") does justice to the vision of both the director and cinematographer. Wow, this movie looks simply awesome.Of course, the fact that it is solidly stuck in the mid-70's doesn't bother me either. This is one of those films that screams "70s'-armageddon-satanist-Omen-Exorcist-ripoff-era films," with all of the now-new-again fashions and funky furniture intact. But it pulls off the imitation with much grandeur. This isn't a schlocky film by any means; it appears to have been carefully written (the dialogue isn't completely inane) and, as mentioned, even more carefully photographed. And frankly, to shoo away its plot by saying it is simply a replica of the aforesaid America products isn't quite honest. This film actually deals with art, documentary film-making, and a girl who happens to become possessed (yes….but) by a piece of strange jewelry. Derivative, I grant you. But not cookie cutter by any means. The players are a strange quadrangle as well—a father and his young daughter (with saccharine memories of a recently departed mother/wife in a fiery "accident"), the American TV producer love interest, and the super glum Nanny of the little girl. (Either of the latter two could make a possible match for the widower—and that's where things get a little more interesting than standard fare). The acting isn't half bad either—Joanna Cassidy is 70's beautiful, and who doesn't like Richard Johnson in a 70's horror film? (By the way, 2005 must be the year of Richard Johnson, since "Beyond the Door" was also recently—and finally—released on DVD, as "Diabolica," on a Japanese label).One last good point: Strong score by Stelvio Cipriani. It feels like a reasonable ripoff of a Ennio Morricone score of the same era and for the same type of film. Sad but melodic music, punctuated by strumming guitars, the ever-present harpsichord riff, and sappy violins. Hummable.But the film is boring. Action? Uh, not really. In fact, even calling it a supernatural horror movie is being generous. The supernatural stuff doesn't happen until the wee last moments of the film. It seems we wait an eternity for the girl's possession-powers to come into full swing—but looking at the scenery (the mountains, the decaying villas, old statues, the gardens, and green pastures) and listening to the unmistakable-genre-defining 70's "sad horror movie music" in the meantime is fabulous. Even when the supernatural stuff starts flying, it is very sedate. Nothing even close to graphic here. Perhaps this movie is really only eye candy and nothing else. But any old crap that whisks me away from today's crap (remake of "The Fog," anyone?) is welcome on my screen anytime.