Movies
A Look at Some of the Most Memorable Demon Seedlings!
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
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
Movies
‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons Is No Fan of Generative AI: “Defeats the Purpose Entirely for Me”
There has been a lot of talk recently about filmmakers embracing generative AI as part of the filmmaking process, from Darren Aronofsky to Martin Scorsese. But what about filmmakers that are against the use of Gen AI for creative pursuits? You can count 20-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons among that group, which should give you some hope for the future.
In a new chat with The Australian, the self-taught young filmmaker makes it crystal clear that he won’t be using generative AI in any of his upcoming filmmaking projects.
“I think I’m in the same boat as most well-adjusted people,” Parsons tells the outlet. “If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”
“What interests me more is interrogating it artistically,” Parsons notes. “We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That’s become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot.”
He explains, “I’m interested in using that iconography in art – not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents. I definitely want to explore it further in future projects.”
Kane Parsons also notes during the interview with The Australian, “… there’s so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening.”
Backrooms marks young prodigy Kane Parsons’ feature directorial debut, and it’s based on his own series of YouTube videos that were brought to life using Blender, the open-source 3D computer graphics software suite. So it’s no surprise that Parsons, who has hand-made his filmmaking career up to this point, isn’t buying into the hoopla around Generative AI.
His debut feature is the #1 movie in the world, so perhaps he’s onto something.
What’s next from Kane Parsons, you ask? Stay tuned…
You must be logged in to post a comment.