On TV Guide, "The Child" received only one star out of five, which called it "A dull supernatural tale set in a remote woodland area in the 1930s" Richard Scheib from the website "Moria" gave the film two stars, stating; "The main problem with The Child that become increasingly apparent as we go on is that Robert Voskanian puts a great deal into pumping up the atmosphere but it is never clear what is going on.