Making Your Hair Stand on End, Here are a Series of Films That Tell Stories About Little Psychopaths!

Kapanlagi.com - Among the horror or thriller genres, films with 'killer child' stories are among the most interesting. Who would have thought that a small child with innocence and funny behavior could perform as a killer on screen with such dedication. Although it's just a gimmick, their acting is beyond the audience's expectations. Many feel that these children are not acting but behaving like themselves. Surely, watching the superb acting of these child actors will bring a different euphoria when watching horror/thriller genre films. Especially for those of you who truly enjoy bloodshed and suspenseful atmosphere in films.

By casting child actors to portray characters that appear brutal, there are certainly various considerations and obstacles. Usually, the film crew will entice child actors with various rewards that they like in order to get the appropriate reactions for the story. In addition, they also usually inform child actors that their dogs have died to get crying reactions. Their actual roles should not be played by young children, as they may have bad memories later in life. Take for example child actress Oliwia Dabrowska in the film SCHINDLER'S LIST, where she played 'The Girl in the Red Coat.' This role traumatized her and made her feel ashamed because she had to witness explicit scenes of murder and other bloody scenes. With the increasing demand for children to play killers or other scary characters, a director certainly plays a significant role. Featuring them in adult films can have a negative impact on their mental stability. Therefore, many film production teams intentionally shoot separate scenes so that these children do not directly experience or witness them. It seems that the editing team has to work overtime to produce films starring child actors as the main stars. So, what are the films with the 'killer child' concept that can make you shudder and amazed at the same time?

1. Orphan

(Credit: imdb.com)

Well, horror or thriller film lovers still enjoy discussing this film in online forums, especially on Twitter. It tells the story of a couple who adopt a 9-year-old child after their own child dies. Esther is a Russian child who has long been a resident of a local orphanage. Esther shows violent behavior in front of Max and Daniel by killing an injured pigeon and hurting her classmate. She also cruelly kills Sister Abigail, the head of the orphanage, because she is suspected of revealing her secret. Esther also attempts to murder Kate and John Coleman's two children, Max and Daniel. 

ORPHAN sparked controversy among adoption groups as it instilled fear of adopting children. This controversy led the film production to change Esther's dialogue in the trailers from:

"It must be difficult to love an adopted child as much as your own," to "I don't think Mommy likes me very much."

Despite receiving some negative responses, ORPHAN won the International Feature Length Competition Golden Raven award at the 2010 Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. The film was also nominated for Choice Summer Movie: Drama at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. Still want to experience Esther's horror? Don't worry, this film has been confirmed to release a sequel titled ORPHAN: FIRST KILL. Stay tuned for Esther's revenge!

2. The Good Son

(Credit: imdb.com)

Starring Macaulay Culkin, THE GOOD SON tells the story of a boy named Mark who is left motherless and has to be sent to the home of Uncle Wallace and Aunt Susan. Mark then meets Henry and becomes close friends with him. Henry displays abusive behavior where he is obsessed with death, which makes Mark uncomfortable. Henry begins to show psychopathic symptoms by encouraging Mark to throw dolls onto the highway, causing a traffic accident. He also plans to kill Connie by taking her ice skating and leading her onto thin ice. Connie drowns and ends up in a coma. 

THE GOOD SON was released worldwide on September 24, 1993. However, the film seems to have received a negative response. Take for example Roger Ebert, who labeled this film as one that should not be watched by children and gave it a half-star rating. Many also criticized the casting of Culkin. Culkin has a cute and comedic image in HOME ALONE. Wow, people still can't seem to move on from Culkin's child star image.

3. We Need To Talk About Kevin

(Credit: imdb.com)

More or less similar to the aforementioned films, this thriller film features a child actor as the main character in a bloody genre. It tells the story of Kevin, who is the first child of Eva and Franklin. Eva is a mother who lacks affection for her child, Kevin. She often feels burdened in taking care of Kevin and once slammed him against the wall, resulting in Kevin's broken arm. When Eva reads a story about Robin Hood to Kevin, for the first time she shows affection and interest. Franklin then gives Kevin a bow and arrow. Kevin grows up as a psychopath and has at least killed several of his classmates and also his father and sister, Celia.

First premiered in October 2009, this film received a fairly good response. Tilda Swinton, who played Eva, won the Best Actress award at the Austin Film Critics Association. Not only that, this film also received the award for British Film of the Year at the London Film Critic's Circle.

4. Pet Sematary

(Credit: imdb.com)

Film adaptation of Stephen King's popular novel with the same title, PET SEMATARY tells the story of an attempt to bring back dead creatures in the Pet Sematary cemetery. Church, the Creed family's cat, is found dead after being hit by a truck. Louis Creed tries to bring the cat back to life by taking it to the Pet Sematary and performing a ritual there.

Not long after, the cat comes back to life. However, the cat becomes vicious and engages in various violent acts. The family also mourns the death of their daughter, Ellie. They plan to bring her back to life as well. Ellie comes back to life and causes bloodshed in the family, eventually killing her own father.

This film earned Rp 7.6 billion in the United States and Canada. It received an average rating of 5/10. Despite being based on a popular novel, the film seems to struggle with its CGI visualization. 

5. The Cinderella Addiction

(Credit: imdb.com)

Well, this film is a new entry. Still discussing about child psychopaths in the film, THE CINDERELLA ADDICTION tells the story of Koharu Fukuura who works in the city as one of the child educators. She lives in poverty. Interestingly, one day her life really falls apart when her grandfather collapses and has to be rushed to the hospital. Her father is also arrested by the police for drunk driving. To make matters worse, her house catches fire. Not only that, she also catches her boyfriend cheating on her with another woman. She loses everything overnight.

While passing the train tracks, she sees someone who is drunk and almost gets hit by a train, and she saves him. That person is the one who brings Koharu's life like Cinderella. Until she meets Daigo's child, who is the child psychopath, Hikari. Hikari shows abnormal behavior for his age.

Although it looks scary and makes you sweat, these series of 'Killer Kid' films will quench your thirst, especially for horror or thriller film lovers. Enjoy watching!

Written by Adelia Dewi Masita

(kpl/mag)