Horror can always be counted on to transform the most innocuous concepts into unsettling nightmares, especially when it comes to exploring themes of parenthood.
In horror, children frequently veer straight into creepy territory with unsettling statements and empty stares. Creepy kids in horror have been a long-running archetype, turning out iconic characters like Antichrist Damien Thorn in The Omen, The Bad Seed’s Rhoda Penmark, and the possessed Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist.
This week’s streaming picks highlight some of horror’s most unnerving children.
Here’s where to stream these creepy kid horror movies this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
The Brood – Criterion Channel, Max
Frank Carveth (Art Hindle) is in the midst of an embittered separation process from his estranged wife Nola (Samantha Eggar), a woman currently undergoing experimental therapy. Her psychotherapist, Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed), has developed an experimental process that allows his patients to let go of their suppressed emotions via physical manifestations on their body, weird growths, and skin anomalies. That means Nola channels all of her rage into a brood of psychically manifested children, who then act on her fury through murder. It’s visceral body horror meets genuine family tragedy and drama that could only hail from the brilliant mind of David Cronenberg.
Burial Ground – Midnight Pulp, SCREAMBOX
This Italian zombie siege movie directed by Andrea Bianchi brings the zombie mayhem. An archaeologist accidentally unearths zombies from a crypt near a sprawling mansion. They go on a rampage, causing the archaeologist’s arriving guests to lock themselves inside and try to survive the night. But the one thing that makes this stand out as a must-watch, beyond the nihilistic tone and great gore, is then 25-year-old Peter Bark’s performance as young child Michael. As if Bark’s eccentric portrayal isn’t enough, Michael harbors a disturbing sexual attraction to his mom. It’s as insane as it sounds. Even better is that this pick is currently free to stream this month on SCREAMBOX, giving you even more reason to watch the most unhinged child depicted in a horror movie.
The Hole in the Ground – Kanopy, Max
Evil Dead Rise writer/director Lee Cronin’s feature debut showcases the director’s ability to instill dread. After moving to the countryside, a single mother begins to worry her son might not be her son anymore after he disappears into the forest with a mysterious sinkhole and returns hours later. Featuring one of the creepier kids in modern horror, Cronin gives a unique spin on familiar Irish folklore. Beyond fascinating lore, The Hole in the Ground delivers unnerving atmosphere with an eerie child that keeps his unsettled mother, and the viewer by proxy, on edge.
The Innocents – AMC+, Shudder
The Innocents is a provocative look at the fine line between good and evil and the darker side of innocence. Four compelling performances ground the disturbing horror, adding complex emotions and morality to fuel the tension. Writer/Director Eskil Vogt crafts a stunning portrayal of childhood morality with a tale of four children discovering supernatural abilities over a summer. Vogt twists the knife further by setting it under the bright Nordic sun; the terror these kids commit happens right under the adults’ noses, often in plain sight, with no one the wiser. The emotional authenticity heightens the horror, creating one of the most viscerally disturbing depictions of childhood in recent memory.
Ouija: Origin of Evil – Netflix
Skip Ouija and go straight to this sequel/prequel from director Mike Flanagan, who cowrote the screenplay with Jeff Howard. The follow-up to the 2014 film rewound the clock to 1967 for an almost unrelated prequel, save for one visual tie-in post-end credits. It follows a single mother and her two daughters, who run a séance scam business from their Los Angeles home. Naturally, a Ouija enters the equation and turns their lives into a waking nightmare. Look for clever period details and the requisite Easter egg of Flanagan’s Oculus mirror. Most of all, expect scene-stealer Lulu Wilson (The Wrath of Becky) to unleash maximum terror as the film’s resident creepy kid.
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