The Story: Sarah and John Blume are thrilled when their young son Miles starts to show signs of rapid development and extreme intelligence. Their family bliss soon turns into a living nightmare when Miles’ behavior becomes increasingly erratic and violent by his eighth birthday. After seeking help from two experts, Sarah is horrified to learn that her beloved prodigy may be under the grip of a dark and supernatural force. (Google)
Stories with evil creepy kids have been a staple of horror. There’s that one question Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen keep asking: What would you do when faced with evil comes in an innocent package?
What I liked: For a moment, I thought this was going to be a straightforward story. Evil inhabits the soul of a baby. As that baby’s grows older, people starts to see the kid’s genius, but that genius hides an evil. It’s a tale of duality, a Jekyll and Hyde story. There are definitely some interest scares here that will hold your attention.
What I Didn’t Like: The creepy evil kid troupe found often in horror is almost always exclusively white. The kiddo lives in a well-to-do family with a nearly absent father (although he exist and most often at work) and a usually non-working mother. It’s the mother who bears the responsibility to watch the evil kid become evil and be questioned by her partner of it.
I don’t know this family. It would be nice to get a progressive family where it’s all hands on to save the kid’s soul.
My Verdict: The Prodigy isn’t new terrority. It almost loses some steam when it introduces the supernatural elements and concepts like reincarnation. However, it is just unique enough that though you know how it’s gonna end (they all seem to end the same way), you’re not mad for watching it.
The Prodigy is streaming now on Hulu. Stay Ghoulish!
Just 4 more days until Halloween. For all those that followed my journey, I hope to have a real treat for you all on the big day!