5) Samara Morgan from The Ring. In terms of contemporary horror, she is probably one of the evilest kids to savage the big screen in recent years. I guess she has good reason though - her adoptive parents couldn't handle her telekinetic powers, so they put her in a garbage bag and threw her down a well. That would peeve me off, too. These days, Samara spends her time producing abstract snuff cinema, and making creepy prank phone calls ("Seven Days!!!"). Naughty, naughty Samara.
4) Isaac from The Children of the Corn. He's a youth preacher who gains and controls a cult following of local children, dedicated to murdering parents. This kid may have some daddy issues. His name kind of says it all, doesn't it? I mean, he's named after a child in the first testament of the Bible who was going to be sacrificed by his father, Abraham. Maybe he harbors some paternal bitterness on a subconscious level, or maybe he's just psychotic. Either way, he's not a son I'd like to have.
3) Regan from The Exorcist. Poor girl - it really wasn't her fault. She just happened to be a vulnerable target for a demon (in the movie it's Satan himself, in the book it's "Pazuzu"). She went from "sugar and spice and everything nice" to "evil and vile, and all things hostile" in one fell swoop. From projectile vomiting to blasphemy, she's definitely one of the rudest little snots in horror movie history.
2) All the Kids from Village of the Damned. At least they're hard to miss, with their albino coifs and all. Still, spotting one across the street probably wouldn't do you any good anyways - they've got emotional telekinesis and can possess you to harm yourself, even at a distance. I'd be basket case if I had one of these little demons for a child. "Mommy, get me a bowl of ice cream - or I'll make you put your head in the oven." No thanks. And they can read your mind, too! So even if you do as they ask, but are fantasizing about what you'd really like to do to them, they'll have you jump off a roof or something. Lazy little brats.
and finally,
1) Damien from The Omen. I'm not talking about the remake either (you know, the one where Liev Schreiber cries like a little girl for 2/3 of the film) - I'm referring to the original devil spawn. This kid is literally the devil incarnate. The scariest thing is that you don't ever physically SEE the kid do anything evil, it is only inferred and then justified when his identity (and birthmark) are revealed. Causing your nanny to commit suicide, and then murdering your unborn sibling are NOT acts that can be chalked up to a "phase". This kid needs a little more than guidance counselling.
Point being, if creepy little kids give you the chills, check out tonight's screening of The Children, where a family vacation turns to mayhem and the kids turn murderous. Maybe one of the little hellions in this British film will make the list. It plays tonight, Oct 2nd at The Plaza at 11:30 PM.
