The Godsend (1980)
A family takes in a child abandoned by her mother and start to lose their children to deadly accidents.
Genre
Characters/Groups
Alan Marlowe - Malcolm Stoddard
The Stranger - Angela Pleasence
Bonnie - Wilhelmina Green, Joanne Boorman, and Sarah Boorman
Lucy - Angela Deamer and Clarissa Young
Hospital Doctor - Corinne Skinner-Carter
Executives - Jonathan Elsom and Bernard Taylor
Character thumbnails with links to profiles
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Detailed Synopsis
Alan Marlowe, Kate Marlowe, Lucy, Davie, Sam, and Matthew are out on a country walk. The children and Alan have a quick race and after it, Alan uses his binoculars to check on Kate and sees that she is talking with an obviously pregnant The Stranger. When Alan makes it back to their house, he finds The Stranger sitting on his couch. Alan introduces himself and then goes into the kitchen and Kate tells him that The Stranger just showed up. Alan and Kate ask The Stranger if she lives nearby and she tells them that she is with friends and she has many other children. She tells them that she goes south in the winter, where it's warm. As Alan is checking the windows and Kate is tucking the children into bed, The Stranger walks over to their telephone and pulls the cord out of the wall. Kate tells Alan that when she handed The Stranger, Matthew, it seemed like The Stranger had never held a baby before and seemed uninterested. As Alan is about to drive The Stranger to where she says her home is, she starts having contractions. Alan tries to call the doctor, but the phone is dead and Kate tells him to get Dr. Collins. Alan drives to get Dr. Collins while Kate helps The Stranger give birth. In the morning, Kate finds The Stranger has departed, but left the baby, who they name Bonnie, behind and wrapped in The Stranger's shawl. Months later, they tell Dr. Collins about The Stranger leaving Bonnie behind and that they decided to keep Bonnie.
A few months later, Matthew is found dead in the crib he shares with Bonnie with Bonnie's shawl wrapped around him. While on a picnic, Kate notices that Lucy is missing. They hear Lucy screaming and Alan and Kate run to find Lucy while Davie, Sam and Bonnie stay behind. Alan and Kate find Lucy on the top of some ruins. Meanwhile Bonnie suddenly stares at Sam and pushes him to the ground. Alan and Kate return with Lucy and find Sam by himself. Alan goes searching for Davie and Bonnie. He and Kate find Bonnie first and then Alan finds the body of Davie in the marsh. During the night, Alan notices scratch marks on Bonnie's wrists and tells Kate that they must be from Davie trying to save Bonnie. Alan has a meeting with some Executives and gets in an argument with them over his work. Kate finds a broken ceramic and asks Bonnie if she broke it, who tells her no. Kate then accuses Sam of breaking it and doesn't believe him when he tells her no. Alan hears Bonnie yelling and sees Sam push her down. Alan spanks him and Sam tells him that Bonnie hurt him, but Alan doesn't believe him and blames Sam for destroying his own toy. At night, while Alan is putting Sam to sleep he notices that a patch of Sam's hair has been pulled out. Bonnie sees Alan and Kate kissing and interrupts them. Bonnie asks to play hide and seek, but Sam doesn't want to play, but is pressured by Alan. Alan is chosen as the seeker and finds Kate, Lucy, and then Bonnie. He notices Bonnie's blue ribbon is gone. Everyone starts looking for Sam and Alan finds him dead in the barn. During the night, Alan goes to the barn to look around and finds Bonnie's blue ribbon near where he found Sam's body.
Kate starts getting anonymous letters from people accusing her of killing her children. While Alan is talking with Dr. Collins, Lucy tells him that a Reporter is harassing Kate. Alan returns home and kicks the Reporter off of his property. Kate demands they move and they move to London. As time goes by, Kate starts sleeping with Bonnie in her bed. On Christmas Eve, Alan and Kate go off to have sex, but are interrupted by Bonnie who Kate lets sleep in the bed with them. For Kate and Alan's anniversary, Alan shows Kate the office he made for her and gives her a pen inscribed with "To Kate Love Alain". They have sex, but are again interrupted when Mrs. Taverner drops off Bonnie who tells Kate that Bonnie seems sick. Bonnie ends up having mumps and Alan stays away from her to avoid catching it and possibly developing sterility. At one point, Bonnie sneaks into the room Alan is in while he is asleep and kisses him on the lips, and shortly after Alan comes down with mumps. He then has a nightmare of Matthew, Davie and Sam's deaths and how Bonnie was involved with all of them. Kate arrives with London Doctor who tells Alan and Kate that Alan is doing better. While Alan is watching Bonnie and Lucy play on the playground, Alan sees Bonnie purposely hit Lucy with a swing. Alan tells Kate that Bonnie tried to kill Lucy, but she doesn't believe him. He compares The Stranger to a cuckoo bird. Bonnie walks into the room and asks Kate not to let Alan send her away. Alan pulls Lucy from school and takes her away from London to Reading. Alan goes back to London and tells Kate that he will bring Lucy back only after Bonnie is given away.
Lucy shows Alan a newspaper article about Kate being in the hospital due to an accidental fall. Alan returns to London where a Hospital Doctor tells him that Kate was pregnant, but suffered a miscarriage. He brings Lucy home and speaks with Mr. Taverner who tells him that Mrs. Taverner took Bonnie to Bournemouth and he didn't particularly care for Bonnie. He tells Alan that the fall happened when Kate tripped over a doll and then fell down the stairs. Alan calls Mrs. Taverner and picks up Bonnie. He brings her to the coast and leaves her in a low tide area. He then tells her that he knows what she is and climbs away. Dr. Collins visits Alan and tells Alan that he doesn't believe that Bonnie is evil. Kate walks in and tells Alan she wants a divorce and knows Alan tried to have Bonnie adopted. He tells Kate that Bonnie purposefully made Kate fall and gave Alan mumps so he would become sterile. Kate tells Alan that Bonnie is with Lucy. Alan calls the London apartment and tells Lucy to go to Mrs. Taverner's apartment. Lucy tells him that she is locked in and Alan tells her to lock herself in their bedroom. The phone goes dead and Alan and Kate rush to their apartment. They make it to the apartment and Lucy opens the window and falls to her death. Alan runs into the apartment and starts to strangle Bonnie, but is stopped by Mr. Taverner. Bonnie tells Kate that Alan tried to kill her and she loves her and Kate hugs Bonnie. Later, Alan is walking with Dr. Collins when he spots The Stranger, who is pregnant again, talking to a woman with two young children. Alan runs to warn the woman, but she and The Stranger disappear.