''Relative Fear'' (also known as ''The Child'' and ''Le silence d'Adam'') is a 1994 Canadian

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

psychological horror Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequently overlaps with the related subge ...

film that references the 1956 film ''

The Bad Seed ''The Bad Seed'' is a 1954 novel by American writer William March, the last of his major works published before his death. Nominated for the 1955 National Book Award for Fiction, ''The Bad Seed'' tells the story of a mother's realization that h ...

''. An

autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

child is seemingly born to kill and does so.

Cast

*Matthew Dupuis as Adam Pratman (Adam Madison) *

Darlanne Fluegel Darlanne Fluegel (November 25, 1953 – December 15, 2017) was an American actress, fashion model, film producer and professor. She was one of the few American fashion models who successfully transitioned to a career as a serious actor. Fluegel ...

as Linda Pratman *

James Brolin James Brolin (, born Craig Kenneth Bruderlin; July 18, 1940) is an American actor. Brolin has won two Golden Globes and an Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 27, 1998. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin. He ...

as Det. Atwater *Martin Neufeld as Peter Pratman * Bruce Dinsmore as Clive (Gary Madison) * M. Emmet Walsh as Earl Ladelle * Michael Caloz as Manny Dorff *

Denise Crosby Denise Michelle Crosby is an American actress and model known for portraying Security Chief Tasha Yar mainly in season one of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', and Yar's daughter, the half-Romulan Commander Sela, in subsequent seasons. She ...

as Connie Madison *

Linda Sorenson Linda Sorenson (born January 19, 1940) is a Canadian film, television and voice actress, best known for playing Mrs. Stegman in ''Class of 1984'', Warden Howe in '' Murphy Brown'', Virginia Reeves in '' Material World'' and Isabelle Carrington in ...

as Margaret Ladelle *

Jason Blicker Jason Blicker is a Canadian film and television actor.Rita Zekas, "Expats: Ice work if you can get it". ''Toronto Star'', July 19, 2003. He has had several small roles in television series including recurring roles on '' Robocop'', '' F/X: The S ...

as Dennison *

Vlasta Vrána Vlasta Vrána (born 1950), is a Canadian actor of Czech descent. Life and career Vrána, born to Czech parents in Norway, moved to Canada at age four. He made his feature-film debut in Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg's '' Shivers''. Vrána ...

as Mr. Schulman *Liz MacRae as Ms. Roark *Gisèle Rousseau as Dr. Hoyer *Jenny Campbell as Paige *Frank Schorpion as Dr. Shane *Alan West as Henry Pratman *Victoria Barkoff as Ms. Smith *

Tyrone Benskin Tyrone Benskin (born 29 December 1958) is an English-Canadian actor, theatre director and politician. He was elected Member of Parliament in the Jeanne-Le Ber riding, in Montreal, Quebec, in the 2011 Canadian federal election and served as an M ...

as Cop *Roger E. Reid as Police Officer

Reception

In the book ''Representing Autism: Culture, Narrative, Fascination'', Stuart Murray describes the film as "the worst kind of example of the prosthetic narrative, where the idea of disability simply becomes part of a genetic method". He states that there is "little recognizably autistic in anything Adam does"

References

External links

* * 1994 films 1994 independent films 1990s psychological thriller films 1990s psychological horror films Canadian independent films Canadian psychological thriller films Canadian psychological horror films English-language Canadian films Films about autism 1990s English-language films Films directed by George Mihalka 1990s Canadian films {{psychological-thriller-film-stub