While on a country walk, the Marlowe family -- mother Kate (Cyd Hayman), father Alan (Malcolm Stoddard) and their four children -- meet a mysterious pregnant woman (played by Angela Pleasence, who definitely has her father Donald's creepiness about her) and invite her back to their home, where she stays for a drink. As she is finally about to leave, the woman goes into labour and gives birth to a baby girl. The next day, the Marlowes discover that the woman has gone, but has left her newborn daughter behind.
Now this is where the film really starts to get improbable: rather than contact the authorities to have the baby taken into care, Kate and Alan decide to raise her as their own, naming her Bonnie. Silly billies! The cute blonde kid turns out to be a 'cuckoo in the nest' i.e., she starts to bump off the couple's children, starting with infant Matthew, smothering him in his cot. No sooner has mother Kate started to get over her grief, the evil moppet is at it again, drowning son Davy in a river. Still, the couple are none the wiser, although Alan is concerned about the strange fingermarks on Bonnie's wrist.
Give this film credit, it's not afraid to give Kate and Alan a serious emotional pummelling: dead child number three is Sam, who falls to his death in a barn while playing hide and seek. Alan finds Bonnie's blue ribbon by his son's body, further fuelling his suspicions. But it is when he sees Bonnie in action with his own eyes that he knows he is not being paranoid: the killer kiddie tries to send daughter Lucy flying off her swing, the nasty accident narrowly avoided by her father's quick actions.
Try as he might, Alan is unable to convince his wife of Bonnie's true nature, so decides to deal with her in his own way before she can get to Lucy again. However, in a 'strewth, did they really go there?' moment, Lucy is pushed to her death out of a window. All four kids dead! I didn't expect the whole brood to buy the farm, but Bonnie's evil kid credentials sure are impressive.
Admittedly, it's all a little far-fetched, especially the ending, which sees Kate steadfastly refusing to believe ill of Bonnie, and Alan witnessing the mysterious woman, pregnant again, befriending another family. But it's kinda fun regardless. So many dead kids...
Now this is where the film really starts to get improbable: rather than contact the authorities to have the baby taken into care, Kate and Alan decide to raise her as their own, naming her Bonnie. Silly billies! The cute blonde kid turns out to be a 'cuckoo in the nest' i.e., she starts to bump off the couple's children, starting with infant Matthew, smothering him in his cot. No sooner has mother Kate started to get over her grief, the evil moppet is at it again, drowning son Davy in a river. Still, the couple are none the wiser, although Alan is concerned about the strange fingermarks on Bonnie's wrist.
Give this film credit, it's not afraid to give Kate and Alan a serious emotional pummelling: dead child number three is Sam, who falls to his death in a barn while playing hide and seek. Alan finds Bonnie's blue ribbon by his son's body, further fuelling his suspicions. But it is when he sees Bonnie in action with his own eyes that he knows he is not being paranoid: the killer kiddie tries to send daughter Lucy flying off her swing, the nasty accident narrowly avoided by her father's quick actions.
Try as he might, Alan is unable to convince his wife of Bonnie's true nature, so decides to deal with her in his own way before she can get to Lucy again. However, in a 'strewth, did they really go there?' moment, Lucy is pushed to her death out of a window. All four kids dead! I didn't expect the whole brood to buy the farm, but Bonnie's evil kid credentials sure are impressive.
Admittedly, it's all a little far-fetched, especially the ending, which sees Kate steadfastly refusing to believe ill of Bonnie, and Alan witnessing the mysterious woman, pregnant again, befriending another family. But it's kinda fun regardless. So many dead kids...