Dread X: THE PRODIGY’s Nicholas McCarthy’s 10 Creepy Horror Kids
Jonathan Barkan
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Hitting theaters today is Orion Pictures’ The Prodigy, which follows a family that becomes convinced that their child is possessed by a supernatural force. And to celebrate the release, we managed to corral director Nicholas McCarthy into telling us his Top 10 creepiest kids in horror! It’s a pretty damn solid list that features some of the most iconic titles that we’ve all come to know and love but still manages to inject a few films that may have slipped past your radar. You can see the full list below!
“Sarah is a mother whose young son Miles’ disturbing behavior signals that an evil, possibly supernatural force has overtaken him. Fearing for her family’s safety, Sarah must grapple with her maternal instinct to love and protect Miles in favor of investigating what – or who – is causing his dark turn. She is forced to look for answers in the past, taking the audience on a wild ride; one where the line between perception and reality remains blurry.“
Written by Jeff Buhler and directed by Nicholas McCarthy, The Prodigy stars Taylor Schilling, Jackson Robert Scott, Peter Mooney, and Colm Feore.
The Village of the Damned kids
Samara from The Ring
Samara rules, just simplicity personified in a horror character design. Anyone who has a daughter knows that at some point she will brush her hair in front of her face and scare the shit out of you.
The brood in The Brood
Those snowsuits, half-formed faces,
Melissa Graps in Kill, Baby, Kill
One of two unforgettable horror kids on my list from master director Mario
Marco from Shock
I paid homage to this movie in The Prodigy by stealing one of Bava’s great scares. Little Marco in this movie has a number of unsettling scenes, in particular some fun and games with Daria Nicolodi on their lawn in a truly disturbing moment.
The Who Can Kill a Child? kids
One of the towering achievements of Spanish horror, like an overpowering siege version of Village of the Damned. The sun-baked kids who inhabit this island all seem to have fascinatingly blank
The Children kids
This 1980 horror movie is a wild, unpredictable, regionally-made head spinner with an identical score to Friday the 13th. The small group of kids who attack
Nicoletta Elmi in Deep Red
There is a lot that’s unforgettable in Dario Argento’s other masterpiece besides Suspiria; the appearance of the striking
Ralphie Glick in Salem’s Lot
The “It’s A Good Life” episode of The Twilight Zone
It’s not a movie, but this episode of The Twilight Zone is one of the greatest and most upsetting pieces of horror ever to appear on TV. The six-year-old menace is truly an original concoction and the directing of actors is fantastic – everything is sold by just how scared everyone is of little Anthony. A masterclass.
