What makes a horror movie terrifying? Is it the chilling music that elicits emotions, the creatures that crawl out of the dark shadows, or the blur between reality and fiction? Horror movies, such asOrphan(2009) relied on creating a character that, although viewed as innocent, kept a secret.
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Isabelle Fuhrmanplayed Esther, a 9-year-old orphan from the St. Marina Orphanage. Fuhrman was 12 years old when she played Esther, but her character was supposed to be a 33-year-old woman.In 2022, Fuhrman, now 25 years old, reprised her role as Esther in the upcomingOrphan: First Killfilm. This time, the film focuses on Esther’s origin story, years before she ended up for adoption. Besides Esther, there are other films where the kids are not who they seem to be.
Even the nicest children can foul anyone into thinking they aren’t hiding something. Rhoda Penmark (Patty McCormack) was the daughter of Christine (Nancy Kelly) Penmark. Rhoda always followed the rules and was viewed by her mother as the “perfect child.” Nonetheless, this “perfect child” was immensely greedy and selfish.
Rhoda always wanted something that someone else had. Christine grew suspicious after seeing that Rhoda didn’t appear sad when finding out one of her classmates, Claude Daigle, drowned. Moments before Claude’s death, Rhoda wanted to steal his medal, and Claude refused to give it to her.The Bad Seed(1956)is available on YouTube.
Children with Glowing Eyes in ‘Village of the Damned’ (1960)
The famous proverb states, “It takes a village to raise a child,” but what if it’s a child with telepathic powers? In the town of Midwich, after falling into a deep slumber, several women wake up months later pregnant. They all give birth to children with striking light blonde hair and glowing eyes.
None of the children resemble their parents. All these children are seen as highly intellectually for their young age. They could hypnotize the adults and control their actions such as driving them to commit suicide.Village of the Damned(1960)is available on YouTube.
Damien in ‘The Omen’ (1976)
Scary tall figures that blend in with the crowd might be how some movies present Satan or the Devil.DirectorRichard Donnerand writerDavid Seltzerdecided to have a six-year-old boy, played byHarvey Stephens,be the son of the devil in the filmThe Omen(1976). Stephen’s character is a young boy, named Damien. The Thorn family adopted Damien after the death of their baby.
A priest (Martin Benson) insisted that Robert (Gregory Peck) and Katherine (Lee Remick) Thorn adopt Damien, who lost his mother after he was born. Damien began to exhibit strange behavior whenever he is near a church. The Thorns investigate what caused Damien’s behavior and are informed by Father Brennan that Damien was the son of the Devil who planned to kill everyone around him.The Omenis available on HBO Max.
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Henry in ‘The Good Son’ (1993)
The 1993 thriller,The Good SonstarredMacaulay Culkinas Henry andElijah Woodas Mark. Henry and Mark were cousins and roughly the same age. Mark stayed with Henry and his parents after the death of his mother. As Marke spent more time with Henry, he began to notice that Henry had a strange definition of “having fun.”
One of Henry’s plans was to throw a dummy off a bridge to cause a massive car accident is one of Henry’s dangerous plans. He enjoyed creating dangerous situations and didn’t feel remorse for hurting people. Mark tried to warn those around him about Henry’s actions, but no one seemed to believe him.The Good Sonis available on YouTube.
Alice in ‘Wake Wood’ (2009)
There are some unexpected consequences of having someone return from the dead. Though, Patrick (Aidan Gillen) and Louise (Eva Birthistle) didn’t consider them if it meant seeing their daughter one more time. Patrick and Louise were the parents of Alice, a nine-year-old girl attacked by a German Shepherd.
To move on from their tragedy, Patrick and Louise moved to Wake Wood. In Wake Wood, they found that through a ritual they can bring back Alice for a few days before she has to return to her grave. This version of Alice began to murder animals around her as if it was to punish the animal who killed her.Wake Wood(2009) has a similar narrative to the horror film 1989 filmPet Sematary.Wake Wood(2009) is available on The Roku Channel.
Zombie Children in ‘Wicked Little Things’ (2006)
Karen Tunny (Lori Heuring) moved with her children, Sarah (Scout Taylor-Compton) and Emma (Chloe Grace Moretz) to Addytown, Pennsylvania. The home belonged to her late husband, and the home stood on an abandoned underground mine from the 1900s. In the 1900s, young children worked in the mines. An explosion caused the mine to collapse and trap the children inside.
Most of the townsfolk were aware of the mine’s history and advised Karen and her family to stay in her home at night. The children turned into zombies and were hungry for revenge. The zombie children inWicked Little Things(2006) were the frightening killers in the film, and unlike the rest of the horror movies, such asVillage of the DamnedorThe Bad Seed,they weren’t related to the main characters.Wicked Little Thingsis available on YouTube.
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Lilith in ‘Case 39’ (2009)
Among her various acting roles,Reneé Zellwegerwas known for her role as Bridget Jones inThe Bridget Jonestrilogy,and her portrayal of the critically acclaimed actress Judy GarlandinJudy(2019). Her role as Emily Jenkins in the 2009 filmCase 39,shouldn’t be overlooked either. In the film,Case 39, Emily was a social worker who visited the Sullivan family after suspecting that the parents have mistreated their daughter Lilith (Jodelle Ferland).
Lilith’s parents claimed that Lilith tried to hurt them, but Emily refused to believe them. Emily looked after Lilith until she was reassigned to a foster family. During this time, Emily’s newer cases seem to follow a similar pattern: the children killed their parents. Before the murder, the child spoke to someone on the phone that was registered to her home.Case 39is available on Paramount+.
Charlie McGee in ‘Firestarter’ (2022)
Firestarter(2022) is a Stephen King adaptation whereRyan Kiera Armstrongplays Charlie McGee, a young girl who inherited psychic powers from her parents, Andy McGee (Zac Efron), and Vicky (Sydney Lemmon) after they underwent experimental trials. Her powers enabled her to manipulate fire, but as she aged, she had difficulty controlling her power. Charlie wasn’t driven to commit evil but rather fears that the government will experiment on her once they realize what she can do.
The 2022 film was a remake of the 1984 filmFirestarterstarringDrew Barrymoreas Charlie McGee. Both versions showed the girl hurting those around her after her emotions triggered her powers. Despite Charlie possessing unnatural abilities, she isn’t seen as the antagonist in the film. The 2022 film,Firestarteris available on Peacock, whereas the 1984 version is available on The Roku Channel.
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