The Visitor Starring John Huston, Shelley Winters. Directed by Michael J. Paradise

Suddenly, the screen is swarming with spooky children. "The Visitor" is about an extravagantly wicked little girl who causes trouble wherever she goes. That fits right in with "The Godsend," directed by Gabrielle Beaumont, which is also about a wicked little girl who demolishes her family. And soon Stanley Kubrick will give us "The Shining," based on Stephen King's novel about a five-year-old clairvoyant stuck with his parents in a snowbound hotel.

Unlike "The Godsend," which is restrained to the point of dullness, "The Visitor" is distastefully violent on a few occasions. Also, the plot isn't easy to unravel -- having to do with a mysterious board of directors who manipulate the evil child for evil purposes, and a man from outer space who combats the bad guys with his own weird powers. What does it all mean? Who knows? Why are key roles played by movie directors John Huston and Sam Peckinpah? Who knows? True , filmmaker Michael J. Paradise comes up with some startling and even dazzling effects. But do they justify the intergalactic journey? Again, who knows?