Distraught father Anton and mother Judith (played by Lori Petty of Tank Girl fame) try to resurrect their dead son by sacrificing a young girl to a demon.
The film opens with young Tara being teased in school, riding her bike home, then getting kidnapped by a man in a van. I could only imagine the fears this scene would conjure up in any parent. After Tara wakes up, she tries to call her mom for help explaining that she has been drugged, kidnapped, and hospitalized in another state to which her mom casually replies, “Can I call you back later?”
Malone directs a surprisingly restrained tale of suffering considering his previous outings included FearDot.com, which was oddly gratuitous and devoid of meaning. Fair-Haired Child is a touching story of a mother so heartbroken she is pushed to desperate lengths, a rebellious teen that betrays the ones that love him, and a kidnapped girl that no one notices is missing. The story is a simple one with a nice twist ending and pleasantly reminded me of the old Twilight Zone series.
The mood and atmosphere are great with many scenes set to classical music. There are black & white scenes that represent the dark doings of the parents and the little blonde girl looking up from the bloody bathtub through the hole in the basement looks like a lost Alice after falling through the rabbit hole.
On a side note, I thought it a curious gesture to add Malone to the list of “Masters of Horror”. He did a few low budget creature flicks, followed by the good House on Haunted Hill remake, which was followed by the very bad FearDot.com. I think this TV episode is one of the highlights of his resume now. Another interesting thing I noticed is that while many of the directors chose to push the limits in their episodes, this one seemed tame in comparison and yet was still quite good. Unfortunately, it did not get much attention, as it was not controversial like many of the others.
The 55 minute TV show is presented with a 1.77:1 ratio aspect, Dolby Digital 5.1, and Surround Sound 2.0. The creature looked awesome with the stand out image being the aftermath of Tara after confronting the Fair-Haired Child.
Favorite Quote: Anton, “Nietzsche said anything done out of love is beyond good and evil. We’re not evil. I still love you Judith.”
DVD Extras: Interviews with Director & Cast, Commentary, Behind-the-Scenes, Trailers, Stills, Malone’s Bio, and the Screenplay on DVD-ROM.
Bottom Line: Good tale rooted in family values and the price of love. Minimal gore and scares, but well told and acted nonetheless.
Rating: 7/10
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