The Child  (1976)

Theatrical Release Information:
The Child

This odd little period zombie film plays like a hybrid of Night of the Living Dead and The Bad Seed. The story centers on a seemingly-innocent tyke (Rosalie Cole), living in the rural Northwest in the 1930s, who discovers her father's role in her mother's brutal murder and takes supernatural revenge by summoning up an army of zombies from the local cemetery. While the locals are getting chomped in increasing numbers, the only one who learns of the girl's demonic tendencies is her teenage nanny (Laurel Barnett), who finds herself surrounded by legions of ghouls in a farmhouse for the violent climax. This slow-moving film does manage some very effective moments, summoning chills from seemingly innocuous subjects -- Cole's frequently glassy expression; an ominously-flickering Jack O' lantern -- but the barely-mobile zombies take forever to show up for the final payoff and aren't really worth the wait. Released briefly to theaters as The Child or The Zombie Child, then re-titled for video. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide