‘Welcome to Abraham House!’
Children of Sin is a 2022 American horror film about two siblings who are sent to a sinister religious retreat by their stepfather.
Produced, written and directed by Christopher Wesley Moore (A Stranger Among the Living; The House of Covered Mirrors; Triggered; Blessed Are the Children).
The CWM Entertainment production stars Meredith Mohler (Triggered), Lewis Hines (Boots and Trenches) and Jo-Ann Robinson (We Have a Ghost; Shapeless; Darlin’; Malicious; The Devil’s Dolls; Scalps).
Plot:
Emma, a pregnant teenager, and Jackson, her gay queer brother, are sent to Abraham House – a secluded religious retreat for young adults – by their abusive stepfather to rid them of their sinning ways.
Soon, they start to suspect that Abraham House has a more sinister way of cleansing their souls than they could have ever imagined. Abraham House has a motto – if you don’t leave a different person, you won’t be leaving at all…
Our view:
Writer-director Christopher Wesley Moore may have good intentions in exposing the appalling double standards of religious nutters and, even worse, those that make money from such repressive types. Unfortunately, it’s a drab drama first and in presenting itself as a horror film Children of Sin fails to fully entertain. Camerawork and acting are both basic if not under par. Quite why it has so many positive reviews is baffling. Maybe people just judge a film by its anti-loon message? Sadly, that’s not enough.
Other reviews:
” …pays homage to slasher classics, including Halloween, Psycho and Black Christmas and does a lot with limited resources. Children of Sin feels like a slasher for the modern generation, wearing its liberal narrative on its sleeve and shining a light on the darker sides of society visible on both sides of the pond.” Bloody Flicks
“Horror is at its best when it’s hitting you hard, emotionally, and with the scares. Children of Sin smashes into you, runs you over, and backs up on you so you can feel the pain. This is a movie filled with a lot of baggage, and sometimes that makes for the best viewing. You know you got a solid movie happening when you can feel the pain coming off the screen.” Flickering Myth
“Children of Sin isn’t the kind of story that grips you immediately and doesn’t let go. It instead opts to slowly ease its hold on you subtly over the course of the film, leaving you transfixed until the final credits roll. Merit for this goes to the script work by Moore, who doesn’t waste a single moment of storytelling and expertly utilizes every frame to build tension.” 9/10 Horror Buzz
” …reminds me of a modern indie horror spin on those classic early 80s made for television thrillers. We follow two teens who have their own issues and are sent to a home to find a better path than the one they are on. However, lurking in the home that is supposed to be their salvation is their end. I loved it. It has great pacing, fantastic dialogue, and amazing characters.” Horror Society
“Like pretty much every form of “rehab” in America, con artists, insurance skimmers and others have found a way to prey on the gullible and the vulnerable. Yeah, you could make a half-decent slasher picture out of that setting. Children of Sin isn’t it.” 1 out of 4 Movie Nation
“Children of Sin is a devious excursion into the hypocrisies of faith healing and the inherent dangers of “cures” for those deemed defective by the illusion of a moral higher ground. An absolutely hysterical and unsettling takedown of the powers that continue to fester within the bowels of the free-thinking modern world, this is a remarkable provocation and a blood-splattered good time.” The Movie Sleuth
“A pretty disturbing piece of cult-themed horror that builds up its story from mere religious zealotry to relentless (and really God-less) violence, with commendable narrative stringency on one side, and without ever losing the plot’s underlying tension on the other. On a directorial level, the film might save up on spectacle until the finale but manages to emit a certain feeling of unease throughout…” Search My Trash
Release:
Children of Sin will premiere on Amazon Prime on April 22, 2022.
Cast and characters:
Jo-Ann Robinson … Mary Esther
Meredith Mohler … Emma
Christopher Wesley Moore … Hank
Faith Stanley … Megan
Cami Roebuck … Kris
Jeff Buchwald … Robbie
George Mayronne … Mason
Ana-Claire Henley … Rebecca
Keni Bounds … Tammy
Will Lovorn … Andrew Aiken
Lewis Hines … Jackson
Jacob Thomas … Joel
Trailer:
“You’re Not Scared About Going to Hell?” clip:
“I can change?” clip:
