David Goyer’s THE UNBORN hits theaters this weekend. A twist on kiddie-killer flicks of the past like THE OMEN and ROSEMARY'S BABY, this time the terrible little tyke wasn’t even born in the first place. Hottie-on-the-rise Odette Yustman plays Casey Beldon, who comes to find out that her unborn twin brother is pretty pissed off about the way his life didn’t work out. His plan is to kill her and thereby use her corpse as a gateway to his own existence. Uh-huh, makes perfect sense, right? Whatever. Non-existence is a new twist, but flicks about evil children have been around for the past half-century. So let’s have a look at some of the most memorable Demon Seedlings of movie history. A tour through these movies may be all the birth control you’ll ever need!
Updated 9:30am, Jan 9
Memorable Demon Seedlings
The Bad Seed (1956)
William March’s 1954 novel and subsequent 1956 film classic would find many imitators in the years to come. Perfectly disguised in the body of a cute little girl complete with pigtails, Patty McCormack’s performance as Rhoda Penmark would give birth to the evil child antagonist seen in countless films since (including every single Asian horror flick).
Original Trailer:
Village of the Damned (1960)
Based on John Wyndham’s novel The Midwich Cuckoos, Wolf Rilla’s British film classic still holds the ability to give viewers goosebumps. The pale skin, the glowing eyes and those bowl cuts give this kiddie brood a most unsettling appearance. Plus they age at four times the normal rate and can control the minds of the adults around them. Just think about standing in their way and they’ll make sure it’s your last thought.
The classic mind control scene:
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
So how many nights on the couch does your husband get for impregnating you with the seed of Satan? Probably the closest in relation to The Unborn, the evil force of Rosemary's Baby is still in the womb, but this evil fetus has no problem doing the devil's handywork while still in mommy's tummy. Polanski's eerie thriller is a classic of the genre. (Insert Polanski cradle robbing joke here).
Original Trailer:
The Exorcist (1973)
Linda Blair’s unforgettable performance turned heads (terrible, I know) and left the young actress with years of therapy bills. Whether the rumors of William Friedkin smacking her around on set or not were true, you have to wonder if Blair’s parents read through the script before sending their daughter off to film lines of dialogue such as “Your mother sucks cocks in hell” and “Let Jesus fuck you.”
Here’s a collection of some of The Exorcist’s most memorable scenes:
The Omen (1977)
Dick Donner’s creepy classic is the greatest of all evil kid movies. Young Harvey Stephens wasn’t even six years old when he played the evil Damien in this horror classic, but he had already learned just how to get his way without the need for temper tantrums. Best to give this kid what he wants or he’ll sick the demon Rottweilers on you. The Omen had parents pulling back their troublesomes kids hairline (just to make sure) for years to come. John Moore’s pitiful remake (more remembered for its 6/6/06 release date than anything else) is best avoided, but Donner’s original holds up surprisingly well three decades later.
Original Trailer:
Children of the Corn (1984)
This cheesy Stephen King flick is probably better when accompanied by a few cold ones. It’s pretty dated at this point, but the creepy imagery offers some memorable moments and the plot is certainly intriguing. These kids aren’t taking any crap. They’ve banded together and offed all the adults at the behest of the evil pagan leader of the cornfields. Even Sarah Connor can’t stop them. Take a look at the trailer below. Yes, trailers were that cheesy in the ‘80s.
Original Trailer:
Halloween (2007)
Rob Zombie’s remake pales in comparison to the John Carpenter classic, but this origin-based story does delve deeper into the very disturbing childhood of Michael Myers. As a Halloween movie, it leaves much to be desired, but looked at purely as the story of a kid with some major psychological issues, it’s not that bad. Plus Daeg Faerch’s piercing dead eyes are positively frightening.
Here’s a look at young Michael Myers giving a nurse a tonsillectomy:
So...umm...Mr. Jeff Otto? Good list, but have you even seen Rosemary's Baby personally? You're description couldn't be more off! It was Rosemary's own husband who was "banging" her...Satan and the cult around her was using him as a vessel to plant the seed, but it was still him. The fetus wasn't going around killing people either. Rosemary's Baby is an effecting psychological horror movie, it didn't need slayings to be scary. Seriously, go rent this movie and refresh your memory!
Pet Cementary! well that little kid probably doesnt count, but he sure was funny!
mommy came and I played with her we had an awfly good time now i wanna play with youuuuuu
"It was Rosemary's own husband who was "banging" her...Satan and the cult around her was using him as a vessel to plant the seed, but it was still him." -- John Cassavetes's fingernails aren't *that* long.
i second what paultree said. and (about the halloween clip) when i was in high school, i ended up in juvie and they NEVER give real forks. that's a big mistake right there.
loved the exorsist and children of the corn awesome flix....never seen rosemarys baby but seen something bout it on e! 13 chillin deaths or something like that few days ago and it looked interesting....original halloween is better....other than that good list!
THE EXORCIST is hands down the best. That really affected me when I saw it as a boy in the mid seventies. It still hits a nerve. The boy in the OMEN was great. The music score throughout the original was so freaky with the chanting monk choir.The OMEN remake was crap, not even close to the performances and feel of the original. I can't help but think it's just a matter of time before some studio wants to remake THE EXORCIST. That, and JAWS would be the most difficult horror classics to remake. You really got to have something special to attempt to match what has been done.
Yep I agree with Grudge4life, I find Kids and Clowns 2 of the creepiest things ever! And Dolls too. And being a woman...I find the concept of being pregnant with some demon or alien spawn....just terrifying!
All in all its a pretty good list!
You did just did that. You put something from RZ's halloween in there. Go chew on some glass and think about what you just did. Look at that list....look at it. "One of these things is not like the other, one of these....."
Anyone remember that film called "I don't want to be born"? Think it had Donald Pleasence and Ralf Bates in it if I remember right? It would fit in this list though but maybe in a cheesy list for nautly kid films.
I too was gonna mention the Brood. Cronenberg is win. What the hell's the name of that film where the 3 kids are born on the day of a Lunar eclipse and this somehow causes them to be sociopathic killing machines? Totally slipping my mind at the meoment, but a decent flick despite the blindingly awful premise.
I find it strange that Jeff would print false information about Linda Blair and the circumstances surrounding her in "The Exorcist". Take a look for an interesting segment from a British television show called "Fame Factor" in which they discuss the false rumours with Linda Blair. This clip also features many interviews with William Peter Blatty (for those of you who don't know, the author of "The Exorcist"), Ellyn Burstyn, and a number of other individuals involved in the making of the film. The most compelling information comes from Linda Blair herself. I think it's really unfortunate that people don't understand the difference between fact and fiction. After all, it was just a movie.
"(including every single Asian horror flick)."
huh, I'm going to pretend I didn't read that part, not really professional to make such judgments now is it? And c'mon Rob Zombie's Halloween? You're killing me.
The Brood should definitely be here. Great list otherwise with the exception of the Halloween remake. It doesn't fit into the mold of these other creepy classics.
The Brood should definitely be here. Great list otherwise with the exception of the Halloween remake. It doesn't fit into the mold of these other creepy classics.
The kid in The Ring, Samara, is the scariest kid monster. She scared to doodoo out of me when she came out of the TV and jump-walked across the floor.
Great movie, too. Children of the Corn was lame, let's face it.The kid from Pet Semetary was really creepy, too. Especially when he cut Fred Gwinn's achilles tendon and then carved him up.
Uhhhh, the first "Creepy Kids" of literature were little Miles and Flora of "Turn of the Screw".
The excellent film version made in 1961, "The Innocents" gave us two extremely talented young actors, Martin Stephens and Pamela Franklin, who seem to be playing some really evil mind-games...or are they?
Yes, Cassavetes IS the vessel in "Rosemary's Baby" and it causes him to transform...but it WAS a dream sequence, so who knows?
The Devil is an evil spiritual being, right?
I don't think he has a body.
Hence the possessions..
No mention of the children from "The Brood"? And I agree Gage Creed from Pet Semetary (aware of the typo) should be included on the list. Nothing about The Orphanage either? Shame. At least that would have given you a respectable Top 10 list.
Last of all I need to mention the little girl from the original Night of the Living Dead. And the kid from the Twilight Zone movie. The choices just go on and on. 2 minutes and I already have a better and more complete list.
Have some self respect and standards man. Put a little effort into it next time.
At least make me laugh by putting Robin Williams performance in Jack on there. Robin Williams at 50+ playing a kid... that is creepy. In so many ways.
Thank you for using Zombie's HALLOWEEN - there are a lot of people who love it as much as the original!
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