Horror Film Countdown Day 5 – Movies Anxious Parents Should Avoid

Welcome to our countdown to the most anxiety-inducing horror films for parents!  Today is day five.

Each day, we are covering the films I both love and hate because they’re awesome and they give me panic attacks now that I’m a mom.

Today’s movies are special to my heart, as they each include a very special child.  A child who loves her shoes, a child who loves his mother, a child who was never understood, a child who protects his friends and a child who dreams of escaping with her dearest friend.

Disclaimer: Trigger warnings are a given when you talk about horror, but I’m going to say it anyway.  Many subjects covered by horror films are disturbing to parents in ways we can’t possibly understand and each is unique to the parent and his/her experiences. Tread carefully and know your limits.  If this begins to be too much, there’s no shame in closing the window.  Also, this post contains some spoilers throughout. 

#27. The Bad Seed
(Honorable mention goes to: The Good Son, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Heavenly Creatures & Lord of the Flies)

Baby psychopaths.  Sociopathic children.  Bad, bad, kids.  Whatever you call them, as parents, we’ve all worried about them… what would happen if our sweet children fell victim to these wolves in sheep’s clothing, and we’ve even thought about what would happen if our children turned into them.  For may of us, our parenting styles are guided by a deep desire to prevent our children from becoming just like them, but sometimes… no amount of parenting is enough and you just never know if yours will one day be the child that snaps.

Today we talk about the kids who are bad for no other reason than just because they are.  Not because they are possessed, not because they’re aliens, not because demons in the corn tell them to do bad things.  We’re talking about kids who do bad things just because they can.  What makes these children so terrifying is their ability to slip into the hearts and homes of their victims and unsuspectingly terrorize people.

Sweet little Rhoda… she just couldn’t understand why someone would ever deny her what she wanted – she was a good girl, right?  Doesn’t that mean she deserves what she asks for without question?  Don’t cross her or she’ll show you her pretty shoes with the moon-shaped heels and skip back to her mother without a backward glance.

Most of the time, these children have good reasons for their actions – at least, in their minds.  Jack is just protecting his tribe by killing the weak boys on the island.  Pauline and Juliette just want to be left alone. Poor Henry just wants his mother all to himself and Kevin… well, okay, Kevin really is just bad for no reason, but for the most part, the poor dears, they really are just misunderstood, right?  If only someone had loved them more, shown them they were valued…

All of the children (and young adults) who fit into this category are the most terrifying because you never know what will set them off or even who they really are until it is often too late.  The worst part; these are real children, not motivated by monsters but by their own, deranged minds.  We may watch these movies and feel resolved as the credits roll… but the next time your kid goes to play alone at someone else’s house, how do you know art is not mirroring YOUR life?