Recent horror hits The First Omen and Immaculate are the latest in a long line of "evil child" movies. These films play on pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood, delving into the dark side of family life and mining this material for scares. It's a subgenre that goes way back to classics like The Innocents, Rosemary's Baby, and The Exorcist. The success of the latest additions to this trope proves that this kind of story still resonates with audiences; in fact, a Rosemary's Baby prequel is set for release later this year.

The best horror stories invert the expected, putting a frightening spin on things that are meant to be pure and good. This is why scary children appear so frequently in the genre, from Pet Sematary's Gage to The Ring's Samara. Indeed, the subgenre is sprawling and seemingly timeless, offering thrills, chills, and occasionally, even a few insights into childhood. These are the best movies about evil children, terrifying stories that will keep parents, siblings, and pretty much every adult awake at night.

10 'Trilogy of Terror II' (1996)

Directed by Dan Curtis

"You never wanted me." The Trilogy of Terror films are made-for-TV horror anthology movies by Dan Curtis, director of the original Dark Shadows TV series. The production values aren't great, and the stories vary in quality, but the best are actually underrated. One of the freakiest is "Bobby," about Alma (Lysette Anthony), a woman whose young son, Bobby (Blake Heron), drowns. Shattered by grief, she uses a dark talisman to raise the boy from the dead, but something is off about the version of Bobby that returns.

Anthony appears as a different character in each segment, delivering terrific and believable performances as a person broken by loss and loneliness. Unfortunately, Heron is not great in his admittedly challenging role. However, the movie compensates with a compelling story that escalates to truly grim places; Alma is tormented and tricked in the vilest of ways. Though rough around the edges, Trilogy of Terror II is a surprising amount of fun and a great slice of '90s horror nostalgia.

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9 'Goodnight Mommy' (2014)

Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala

"I see, I see." In a remote countryside home, twin brothers Lukas (Lukas Schwarz) and Elias (Elias Schwarz) eagerly await the return of their mother (Susanne Wuest), who has undergone extensive facial surgery. However, when she arrives, her bandaged appearance and strange behavior unsettle the twins, leading them to question her true identity. From here, Goodnight Mommy unfolds as a slow-burn psychological horror, repeatedly subverting viewer expectations.

Some horror fans might find Goodnight Mommy a little too bleak and icy for their tastes, but there's no denying its creepiness and taut construction.

A dark atmosphere is at a premium here, alongside themes of grief, isolation, and broken trust. Indeed, rather than using gore and over-the-top violence, Goodnight Mommy unsettles the audience with subtle visual cues and ever-increasing dread until the climax, when it ceases to hold back. The directors use these elements to deftly spin a twisted tale of familial cruelty. Some horror fans might find it all a little too bleak and icy for their tastes, but there's no denying its creepiness and taut construction. An English-language remake starring Naomi Watts was released in 2022, but the original Austrian version is better written and harder-hitting.

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8 'Eden Lake' (2008)

Directed by James Watkins

"Follow the blood!" Eden Lake is the feature debut by The Woman in Black's James Watkin, who also helmed the upcoming Speak No Evil with James McAvoy. It centers on a young couple, Jenny (Kelly Reilly) and Steve (Michael Fassbender), who head to a picturesque lake for a romantic getaway only to be tormented by a group of sadistic youths.

Eden Lake was part of a wave of British movies in the late 2000s that dealt with issues of crime and social decay in that country, especially the supposed menace of young hoodlums, or "hoodies." It's arguably the best example of this subgenre, putting a fresh spin on tropes from films like Deliverance, Last House on the Left, and Lord of the Flies. Clocking in at just 90 minutes, Eden Lake is lean and mean, elevated by believable lead performances and a plot that doesn't meander. This kind of horror could have easily become goofy and laughable, with everything riding on how intimidating the teens come across. Fortunately, Eden Lake pulls it off.

7 'The Brood' (1979)

Director: David Cronenberg

"They're her children. More exactly, they're the children of her rage." Frank Carveth (Art Hindle) is grappling with the emotional fallout of his estranged wife Nola's (Samantha Eggar) involvement in a controversial psychiatric treatment known as "psychoplasmics." Soon, Frank and Nola are terrorized by murderous children somehow connected to Nola's therapy sessions.

The Brood is one of David Cronenberg's signature body horror films and ranks among the most discomforting statements on parenthood. Inspired by Cronenberg's painful divorce, The Brood is one of his more personal projects. It's fundamentally about the pain of family breakdown. "The Brood is my version of Kramer vs. Kramer, but more realistic," he explains. Consequently, The Brood has a surprising emotional heft for a sci-fi horror. Though it features disturbing visuals and gross-out effects, it's the psychodrama that stands out most, representing a big step forward from Shivers and Rabid, the body horrors that preceded it, by combining their shock value with philosophical depth.

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6 'Orphan' (2009)

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

"I had to kill her because she was going to tell on me." Grieving couple Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John Coleman (Peter Sarsgaard) adopt a mysterious nine-year-old girl named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrmann) after losing their child. Initially charmed by Esther's intelligence and artistic talents, Kate soon begins to suspect that there is something deeply sinister lurking beneath the girl's innocent facade.

Orphan rehashes many conventions of the "evil child" subgenre but enlivens them with enough freshness to make them creepy again. It somewhat loses focus in the third act and falls back on bog-standard horror plot developments, but the first half is punctuated by enjoyable dark humor and well-executed scares. On the acting side, Farmiga and Sarsgaard do a lot of heavy lifting, but it's really Fuhrmann who shines. This kind of film fails if the child actor doesn't deliver, but Fuhrmann does everything the movie asks of her and then some. She's intense without being ridiculous and very, very frightening.

5 'Who Can Kill A Child?' (1976)

Directed by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador

"Something strange had happened to the kids on the island." Who Can Kill A Child? is a Spanish horror movie from filmmaker Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, who also directed the influential slasher The House That Screamed. The plot revolves around English couple Tom (Lewis Fiander) and Evelyn (Prunella Ransome), who take a vacation on a secluded island. Upon their arrival, they discover that the island's adult population has mysteriously vanished, leaving only the children behind. Worse still, the kids have become dangerous and aggressive.

The story closely mirrors many horrors that followed and took inspiration from it, Eden Lake chief among them. But Who Can Kill A Child? has a rough-and-ready meanness that its imitators lack. It's gritty and artful, immersive despite its meager budget and utterly unafraid. Story-wise, the movie feels almost like a zombie story but with kids instead of walking corpses and frequently arresting visuals. This tone comes courtesy of cinematographer José Luis Alcaine Escaño, who would go on to collaborate with Pedro Almodóvar. Taken together, these elements add up to a thrilling horror with a ton of character.

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4 'The Omen' (1976)

Directe by Richard Donner

"I don't know if we've got the heir to the Thorn millions here or Jesus Christ Himself." The quintessential adoption horror story, The Omen tells the story of the Thorn family, who adopt a young boy named Damien (Harvey Spencer Stephens) following the tragic death of their child. As Damien matures, sinister occurrences unfold, revealing him to be no ordinary child but rather the foretold Antichrist.

The Omen was a massive hit at the box office, putting iconic director Richard Donner on the map. He flexes his visual muscles here with unconventional camerawork, evocative lighting, and slow-building suspense. Donner is particularly good at conjuring a terrible sense of dread, which pervades the entire affair and is a key factor in distinguishing The Omen from most of the copycats that followed. Not to mention, it's simply a well-told, classic horror story. The mystery elements are especially effective, and the violence, when it finally comes, is a worthy payoff.

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3 'The Innocents' (1961)

Directed by Jack Clayton

"We lay, my love and I, beneath the weeping willow. But now, alone, I lie." Young governess Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) is hired to care for two orphaned children, Flora (Pamela Franklin) and Miles (Martin Stephens), at a remote English estate. She quickly becomes convinced that the estate is haunted by the malevolent spirits of the former governess, Miss Jessel (Clytie Jessop), and the valet, Peter Quint (Peter Wyngarde), who exert a corrupting influence over the children from beyond the grave.

Today, The Innocents is regarded as a classic of psychological horror. Fans praise the screenplay's depth and subtle storytelling. Martin Scorsese counts himself among them, once naming The Innocents as one of the scariest horrors ever made. Guillermo Del Toro has also cited it as a favorite, acknowledging its influence on Crimson Peak. "[Jack Clayton's] camera style on The Innocents contains some of my favorite shots of all time," he has said. It's easy to see why these directors embraced the film: The Innocents is a master class in elevated horror, boasting nuanced performances, moody cinematography, and some of the finest child acting found in the genre.

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2 'Rosemary's Baby' (1968)

Directed by Roman Polanski

"He chose you, honey! From all the women in the world to be the mother of his only living son!" Rosemary's Baby is the mother of all pregnancy horrors. It features Mia Farrow in a star-making turn as a young wife who becomes pregnant under mysterious circumstances and begins to experience disturbing hallucinations and paranoia. The film fires on all cylinders, from the screenplay to the meticulous direction to the absorbing performances, particularly from Farrow and Ruth Gordon in an Oscar-winning turn.

Rosemary's Baby set a new standard for the horror genre and quickly became one of the genre's touchstones. It accomplishes a fine balance between restraint and shock value, keeping the viewer guessing as to whether the conspiracy is real or simply in Rosemary's head. The movie mostly holds back, but the shots where it delivers, like the glimpse of the demon, are vivid and memorable. The ending is also a great instance of letting the viewer's imagination do the work, as audiences never see the baby but only Rosemary's horrified reaction to it.

1 'The Exorcist' (1973)

Director: William Friedkin

"What an excellent day for an exorcism." The Exorcist is one of the few movies that can compete with Rosemary's Baby in terms of influence. The classic tale of Regan MacNeil's (Linda Blair) possession and the troubled priest (Jason Miller) enlisted to save her brought horror to new levels of critical respect. Subsequent big-budget, star-studded horrors like The Omen and The Amityville Horror wouldn't exist without it.

The Exorcist still feels modern and has aged better than most '70s horrors. Although the scenes of head-swiveling and projectile vomiting are the most iconic, it's really the rich characterization and general realism that make The Exorcist work. Plus, the character of Regan, a seemingly innocent young girl turned deeply evil, resonated with viewers, who were perhaps anxious about the changing behaviors of the upcoming generation. Regan has become a totem, frequently parodied and endlessly copied by lesser horrors. Overall, The Exorcist is a diabolically inspired movie, and Regan is the most unforgettable evil child of them all.