Children in Horror

Whilst deciding what characters to include within our film opening we had to make the decision as to what age the protagonist should be, we then questioned why the villains in horror movies are nearly always children or targeting children. We decided to look at some prime examples of children in horror and why the character was a success at portraying horror.

Horror movie villains used to just be typical monsters, vampires and ghosts etc until the idea of children portraying the villains came in, the direction allows evil to come from an unlikely source, especially with them looking so innocent.

Esther Coleman- From Orphan (2009)

• Poses as a nine year old Russian orphan when in actual fact she's a thirty-three year old woman from Estonia named Leena Klammer.
• Manipulative and deceptive.
• Her hobbies include seducing her adoptive father and killing her adopted families.

Samara Morgan - From The Ring (2002)

• Samara was pushed down a well by her adoptive mother and died seven days later which created a cursed videotape to portray the horrors of her life.
• Her powers include her being able to appear as a ghost, water manipulation, body possession and spider walking.
• An addition to her character is that she is hydrophobic, meaning the fear of water.

Rhoda Penmark - From The Bad Seed (1956)

• She is a sociopathic, eight year old girl who has evil tendencies that are genetically inherited.
• She appears as a bright and talented con artist through coming across as a perfect angel to made of the adults she meets 
• However, children can see beyond her 'perfect angel' act and see who she really is and therefore avoid her.

Toshio Saeki - From Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)

• After Toshio witnesses the murder of his mother he is drowned in the bathtub which results in him becoming a ghost that goes on to haunt and torture many. 
• Often seen without clothing and as chalk-white as his mother, in addition, Toshio was the only ghost that haunted his victims instead of killing them. 
• Toshio is capable of controlling anyone claimed by the curse under his control. 

Danny Torrance - From The Shining(1980)

• Danny has the 'shining' which allows him to read people's mind and speak with others that have the 'shining' ability as well, making him a target of the hotel. 
• He has the ability to see past, present and future events through his 'guide' - Tony. 
• As he grows up he uses his ability to set out a career with the nickname 'Doctor Sleep'. 

Carol Anne Freeling - From Poltergeist(1982)

• Being the youngest child of three she appears to be very wise beyond her years.
• Her ability to know what is happening before anyone else around her does. 
• She is presented as very innocent before and after her abduction and battle for her soul that would rage on for the next six years of her life. 

Regan MacNeil - From The Exorcist(1973)

• The twelve year old is caught between her mother's grueling working schedule and the fact that her parents are in the process of a messy divorce.
• She is described as shy and devoted to her mother (making clay animas as gifts for her and a giving her a rose each morning) 
• Regan is eventually revealed to have psychic healing powers, which is why the demon attacked her previously. 

Damien Thorn - From The Omen(1976)

• He is the Antichrist and the son of the Devil. However, it was only around the age of 5 when people noticed something strange about him. (When his nanny hung herself at his birthday party claiming to have done it for him). 
• Damien was an orphan that was brought into a family of politics as a replacement for their still born baby although they were not aware of his true heritage. 
• Unaware of his own powers, he unwillingly kills the majority of his victims which is an unusual trait for a child in a horror film. 

Grady Twins - From The Shining(1980)

• Their fairly neutral facial expressions help to portray their meaning in the film- to scare.
• Don't have a huge role to play in the film, however they are very rememberable 
• Identical everything from head to toe- this adds to the horror of the scene / identical twins are fairly rare and they don't tend to dress the same.

Isaac Chroner - From Children of the Corn(1984)

• Isaac was a teen preacher, leader of the fanatical teen cult called 'The Children of the Corn'. 
• He's a human representative of the demon god spirit 
• He wears a big black hat, not usually worn by a child which suggests he's wise beyond his age.