The Top 11 Creepiest Kids in Horror

Steve Barton |

Jan 16, 2013

There is an expression, “A mother’s love is forever,” and this could not be more true. However, when looking back through our favorite horror movies, another expression comes to mind: “A face only a mother could love.”

In celebration of the upcoming film Mama, directed by Andrés Muschietti and executive produced by Guillermo del Toro, creator of Pan’s Labyrinth, we decided to take a walk down memory lane and honor the top scariest, freakiest kids in horror. And there are some real doozies out there with truly a face only a mother could love!

Let’s warm up with some horrible mentions. The young Drew Barrymore certainly fit the bill of creepy kid in her unforgettable role of Charlie McGee in Firestarter. As did the pumpkinheaded little monster, Sam, in Trick r Treat. (He counts, right? He’s definitely child-like). Glen/Glenda, Chucky’s seed in Seed of Chucky, was skin-crawlingly strange, and although she might be just on the fringe of too old for this list, we’ve got to throw a mention to Patience Buckner. She was, of course, the one-armed member of the zombie redneck torture family from The Cabin in the Woods who kept a journal with quotes like, “I can hear Matthew in the Dark Room, working upon father’s jaw. My good arm is hacked up and et so I hope this will be readable.” Yeah, Patience Buckner makes the list.

And now on to The Top 11 Creepiest Kids in Horror.

Tomás-The Orphanage
Since we are celebrating a new Guillermo del Toro-produced film, we’d be remiss not to mention another film he produced with a remarkably creepy kid. The Orphanage featured a deformed, sack-wearing ghost-child that was incredibly unsettling. Although small in stature, Tomás’ presence dominated this haunting film filled with mysterious deaths and disappearances, and the little guy turned out to be an incredibly effective character.

Henry Evans-The Good Son
After Macaulay Culkin finished playing Kevin McCallister in the Home Alone films, he would go on to reinvent the idea of scary, off-putting kids with his role of Henry Evans in 1993’s The Good Son. Culkin’s character was so effective that for years after the film was released, any especially devious movie kids immediately kindled references to The Good Son. Culkin was so icily remorseless that it made Gene Siskel say, “Here you have America’s favorite kid throwing a dummy off of a little bridge over a roadway, causing an accident. That scares me. I think it’s highly irresponsible to show a youngster doing something like that.” Screw Siskel; we say job well done!

Esther-Orphan
In much the same vein as The Good Son was Orphan, with Isabelle Fuhrman playing Esther, who could be called the female version of Henry, albeit with a very disturbing twist. Now you may say that twist itself disqualifies Esther from being on this list, but she was just so damn effective she had to make the cut. Devious and deadly, Esther was as mysterious as she was deceitful, and the character was played masterfully by Fuhrman. Orphan is the kind of film that sticks with the viewer long after watching, and it is completely because of one little girl. Orphan was a surprising delight to viewers, and Esther found her place in the lexicon of horror.

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