There is something innately horrific seeing children at the mercy of supernatural forces or being the beneficiary of evilness and wrath. Viewers of the horror genre understand that it is another level of spookiness when we see killer kid movies having uncanny prowess.
Here, we have compiled a list of killer kids horror movies, with children playing the center stage of eerie and sinister events.
List of Killer Kid Movies
The Exorcist
Release Date: 26 December 1973
Director: William Friedkin
Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, Thomas Bermingham, William O’Malley, Peter Masterson, Robert Symonds, Barton Heyman, Rudolf Schündler, Arthur Storch, Vasiliki Maliaros, Titos Vandis, Dick Callinan, William Peter Blatty, Eileen Dietz
IMDB Rating: 8
Plot: The Exorcist is a classic and highest-grossing horror film until the release of It in 2017. It has won two Oscars also.
The movie is about a 12 years old girl, Regan, who got possessed by demonic powers. After playing with an Ouija board, the girl began acting differently and exhibiting abnormal strength. Her mother, Chris MacNeil, an actress, takes help from two priests to perform an exorcism. What follows is a series of horrific events involving a very young kid, Regan.
The movie is still considered a marvel of excellence and a masterpiece after all these years. The Exorcist inspires horror and gothic cinema to this day.
Pet Sematary
Release Date: 21 April 1989
Director: Mary Lambert
Cast: Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Matthew August, Richard Collier, Denise Crosby, Elizabeth Ureneck, Miko Hughes, Blaze Berdahl, Brad Greenquist, Michael Lombard, Susan Blommaert, Kavi Raz, Mary Louise Wilson, Andrew Hubatsek, Stephen King, Chuck Courtney
IMDB Rating: 6.6
Plot: Pet Sematary is an adaptation of a novel by iconic Stephan King. The movie revolves around a young couple, Doctor Louis Creed and Rachel creed, their two kids and pet, a male cat called Church. Later on, we see unexpected things started occurring after the death of the Church. The resurrection of killer child Gage is a haunting image that lingers on. The movie successfully raises many questions in the mind of viewers and lacks a single dull moment.
The same movie got remade in 2019, but nothing can beat the original Pet Sematary. It is also interesting that Stephen King once also mentioned it being his only novel that haunts him.
The Ring
Release Date: 18 October 2002
Director: Gore Verbinski
Cast: Naomi Watts, David Dorfman, Martin Henderson, Daveigh Chase, Brian Cox, Shannon Cochran, Jane Alexander, Lindsay Frost, Amber Tamblyn, Rachael Bella, Richard Lineback, Pauley Perrette, Sara Rue, Sasha Barrese, Adam Brody, Joe Chrest, Maury Ginsberg
IMDB Rating: 7.1
Plot: The movie starts when two young friends Katie and Becca, are talking about a cursed tape. This cursed tape kills its viewers after seven days. Katie, who has seen it, got killed after seven days, along with her friends. Rachel, her aunt, started investigating the tape and watched it herself. The videotape contained unsettling and ghastly imagery. What was terrifying was that her young kid, Adrian, also watched it.
The film sends some serious goosebumps down your spine. It gives you genuine fear in the pit of your stomach. It is also interesting to note that it is a remake of a Japanese horror movie; that will terrorize you for days to come.
The Amityville Horrors
Release Date: 15 April 2005
Director: Andrew Douglas
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Jesse James, Jimmy Bennett, Chloë Grace Moretz, Rachel Nichols, Philip Baker Hall, Isabel Conner, Brendan Donaldson
IMDB Rating: 6
Plot: The Amityville Horrors is a spine-chilling movie based on a real-life event. In 1974, a man named Ronald Defeo Jr. killed six of his family members in his house.
Later on, George Lutz, his wife, three children, and their pet dog moved into the same house. But soon, they start experiencing paranormal activities. Their kid Chelsea becomes friends with one of the ghost’s kids, Jodie. What follows is a series of eerie and cursed events.
It is a remake of a 1979 movie with the same name. It is one of the most haunted house stories movies with the added spookiness of credibility. Moreover, it is a treat for Ryan Reynolds fans.
Hide and Seek
Release Date: 18 January 2005
Director: John Polson
Cast: Robert De Niro, Dakota Fanning, Famke Janssen, Elisabeth Shue, Amy Irving, Dylan Baker, Melissa Leo, Robert John Burke
IMDB Rating: 6
Plot: Hide and Seek is an American psychological horror film with high profile cast of Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning.
The movie is about a young 9-year-old girl named Emily, who lost her mother to suicide. The father and daughter duo move to another house where she makes an imaginary friend named Charlie. She plays hide and seek with her imaginary friend and embarks on her killer journey. But the film also has a twist in store for its viewers.
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Orphan
Release Date: 21 July 2009
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett, Margo Martindale, Karel Roden, Aryana Engineer, Rosemary Dunsmore, Genelle Williams, Lorry Ayers, Brendan Wall, Jamie Young, Landon Norris, Mustafa Abdelkarim
IMDB Rating: 7
Plot: The movie Orphan is a psychological horror movie centering around a couple who decides to adopt a mysterious 9-year-old girl Russian girl, Esther. But this seemingly innocent girl has a dark past that will cast a shadow in their happy lives. A sinister killer kid is playing her horrible games but, there will be a twist in the end. It is a disturbing movie at many psychological levels and can linger on your memories.
Case 39
Release Date: 13 August 2009
Director: Christian Alvart
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland, Bradley Cooper, Ian McShane, Callum Keith Rennie, Kerry O’Malley, Adrian Lester, Georgia Craig, Cynthia Stevenson, Alexander Conti
IMDB Rating: 6.2
Plot: Case 39 is an American supernatural horror movie about a killer kid that keeps you at the edge of your seat. The movie centers around a social worker who takes her 39th case of a young ten-year-old girl called Lillith. She takes Lillith in her own house only to find out that things are not as simple as it seems. A string of supernatural incidents keeps on happening and, a row of murders takes place. These horrific, paranormal incidents and suspense make this movie all the more likely to watch.
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Release Date: 2011
Director: Lynne Ramsay
Cast: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell, Rocky Duer, Ashley Gerasimovich, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Alex Manette
IMDB Rating: 7.5
Plot: We Need to Talk About Kevin is a psychological horror drama about a killer kid named Kevin, who is inherently not a sweet little boy. This movie is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver.
In the movie, we see Eva Khatchadourian quits her work to become a mother. But later, she faces difficulty bonding with his son. She even throws his son against the wall.
The film deals with the sadistic behavior of Kevin and the horrendous acts he commits. It is a soul-shaking movie that lingers on your conscience, especially if you are a parent yourself.
The Orphanage
Release Date: 20 May 2007
Director: J. A. Bayona
Cast: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla, Geraldine Chaplin, Andrés Gertrúdix, Edgar Vivar, Óscar Casas
IMDB Rating: 7.4
Plot: The Orphanage is a Spanish gothic supernatural horror movie that deals with Laura, who visits her childhood orphanage and plans to reopen it. She has a 7-year-old son, Simon, who befriended an imaginary friend named Tomas. These two boys, along with other orphans, play nasty games. Yet, something more dreadful awaits them. It is a perfect specimen of atmospheric haunted house horror films, bound to entrance its viewers.
Above are some of the killer kid movies jam-packed with ghastly, direful, and spooky settings and scenes. They say that children can see the hidden world and are portals between both worlds. Killer kids portrayed in horror movies can be entertaining to watch and doomed to linger on your conscience for years to come. Have spooky fun!