People that have given this movie negative ratings seems to miss out on what this movie is trying to say. It isn't promoting child abuse or cultish behavior. If anything, it is making a statement that children are too easily made the victims of their parents. Unfortunately, old time religion and modern society can't always protect us from this. Bill Paxton isn't trying to exploit the less desirable side of society at all. If anything, he's using this quirky tale of the supernatural to open our eyes.