If Italian poet Dante Alighieri had seen “Legion” he would have written in his “Divine Comedy” that there are 10 circles of hell instead of nine — the last being reserved for movies that are so lame, uninspired, poorly crafted and vile they are sinfully bad.

In “Legion,” it seems God has lost faith in mankind and may be getting a little addled. He decides — according to the little-known Bible scriptures from the Book of Zombies — the world won’t end in floods or fire but by a legion of the living dead. The are charged with tracking down Charlie (Adrianne Palicki), who is pregnant with the child that is destined to be a savior. (Seems like a well-aimed lightning bolt could have accomplished the same goal.)

God has lost faith, but the angel Michael (Paul Bettany) hasn’t. He falls to Earth, clips his wings, rounds up a load of weapons and sets out to keep the unborn baby safe. (Again, lightning bolt.)

Charlie works as a waitress at Paradise Lost, an isolated restaurant on the edge of the Mojave Desert (don’t they always?). She’s surrounded by the most uninteresting group of people in a similar situation since the disastrous 1986 film “Maximum Overdrive.”

Everyone character fits a stereotypes, as they mill around waiting for their turn to be zombie fodder: the bickering upper middle-class couple (Kate Walsh, Jon Tenney); Bible-reading short order cook (Charles S. Dutton); offbeat owner (Dennis Quaid); and potential convict with a heart of gold (Tyrese Gibson).

Director Scott Stewart, who co-wrote this bloated excuse for a script with Peter Schink, gives the movie such a slow-plodding pace there’s no tension. Nothing comes as a surprise — well, except maybe that they actually made and released this mess of a movie.

The lack of scares is bad — but Stewart commits an unforgivable sin by turning a pre-schooler into a maniacal killer. There is absolutely nothing entertaining or enjoyable about watching a child try to commit murder or seeing that child savagely attacked. It’s just sick.

“Legion” fumbles along to a conclusion that suggests a possible “Legion II.” If that happens, we’ll be in need an 11th circle to hell for sequels that are so lame, uninspired, poorly crafted and vile they are sinfully bad.

Grade: F

Rated R for language, violence. Stars Adrianne Palicki, Paul Bettany, Kate Walsh, Jon Tenney, Charles S. Dutton, Lucas Black, Dennis Quaid. Directed by Scott Stewart. Running time: 1 hour, 42 minutes.

MCT