Let’s be honest: there is nothing creepier than evil children in movies. Their angelic tunes and innocent laughter could send a chill down anyone’s spine. Of all their traits, their uncanny skill to hide their malicious psychotic self behind that innocent facade really gets me. Watching these children prancing around killing/arbitrating violence on adults twice their weight, mass and knowledge, gives one goosebumps but nevertheless, they are no doubt entertaining characters.
There’s always signs that gives them away: eerie obsession with formal attire, “socially-awkward-ness", and that innocent wide-eyed gaze, lets not forget the dark circles under their eyes…
It seems like Hollywood can’t make a thriller nowadays without putting a creepy child in there. In honor of the brief appearance of that little girl singing in “Hush” (episode of BtVS), I have complied a short list of all those children who had managed to scare the crap out of me over the years:
5. Cole Sear in The Sixth Sense (1999)
Although Cole doesn’t fall in the murderous, formal-clothes wearing category, his classic “I see dead people” leaves quite an impression. If that’s not enough, it’s the fact that’s he’s so chilled about the whole thing. There's something not quite right about that...
4. Emily Callaway in Hide & Seek (2005)
After her mother’s suicide, Emily meets a new friend, Charlie, whom her father thinks is imaginary. Though you discover she’s not entirely our of her mind at the end, we are fooled in to thinking she is for the most part.
3. Damien Thorn in The Omen (2006)
The son of the devil himself. Need I say more?
2. Esther in The Orphan (2009)
Appeared to be charming, well behaved and smart but turns out to be murderous, manipulative and conniving. If you think that’s the twist, director Jaume Collet-Serra reveals the large surprise that comes at the end, taking our idea of psychotic to the next level.
1. Samara Morgan in The Ring (2002)
In “the Ring”, Samara was locked away in a barn and was later killed by her adoptive mother. With inhuman powers, she comes back from the dead through VCRs, wreaking havoc in Naomi Watt’s life. I always knew there was a reason why we use Bluerays/DVDs now.
I agree that Samara Morgan is the creepiest. The notion of not knowing the children's intentions in these scary movies until the end, makes the character's actions even more disturbing. Not knowing can be scarier than knowing.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with this list. Definitely think the twins from the bone-chilling "The Shining" deserve to be on this list as well. they offer 'double trouble' and amplify the eeriness with their blank stares and scary postures. There is unarguably something completely insane and scary when kids like these start doing such heinous actions and is a key aspect of many horror films these day.
ReplyDeleteChildren are evil and there's just no other way around it. Yes, adults in scary movies can be frightening, but I believe that children have a special sort of way of eliciting an eerie effect on the audience because of there assumed innocence. You don't hear of child serial killers, child rapists, or anything of the sort because there are acts that seem too much for a children to perform independently. Yet when the children of these movies appear as violent creatures, for lack of a better word, there is a high level of uncertainty as to what they are capable of.
ReplyDeleteThese children are so frightening because they should not be scary at all. It's understandable if the creepy mad scientist with the German accent decides to sew people together, or if some gruesome monster comes out of the dark depths; when these beacons of life and purity go evil, where else can you turn?
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