"The Washington Post" also gave the film a negative review, stating: "the plot is so preposterous that "The Guardian" never comes close to grabbing attention, empathy or sympathy." David Kehr of the "Chicago Tribune" wrote: "Like "The Exorcist", "The Guardian" is a horror story set in the bosom of the nuclear family, and it, too, tries to exploit a culturewide fear, turning a shared guilt into monstrous projection. The guilt of "The Guardian", however, is far more mundane and far less gripping than "The Exorcist"s agony over our abandonment of the church." Jay Carr of "The Boston Globe" wrote that the film was "pretty good claptrap," but noted that "as it makes its way to a bloody payoff, it loses immediacy and individuality, subsiding into bloody cliche."