Who Can Kill a Child? The Top 20 Killer Kid Movies

Broadly drawn characters and a ridiculous plot only heighten the deliciously dark fun of this popcorn thriller.

This prototypical killer child movie finds an American diplomat and his wife taking in a child who turns out to be the son of Satan. Deadly "accidents" seem to follow the kid around, as do fanatical nannies who tend to toss themselves off of rooftops. A chilling entry in the Satan-centric films of the late '60s and '70s, The Omen single-handedly ensured that no child would ever again be named Damien.

A demented Shirley Temple-type named Rhoda cold-bloodedly kills anyone who prevents her from getting what she wants in this black-and-white classic. I'm not sure how seriously this movie was taken in its day, but it's hilariously campy fun now -- with the theatrical overacting and the chess match between Rhoda and the family's caretaker, LeRoy, who sees her for what she is and tells her that they have special pink electric chairs for little girls like her. The tacked-on ending -- in which Rhoda experiences biblical retribution -- is the icing on the cake.

This smartly crafted supernatural thriller plays like Ransom meets The Omen, as a quartet of ne'er-do-wells (including Lost's Josh Holloway) kidnap a wealthy family's son, only to realize that they've basically captured Damien. The eerily composed tyke has a talent for getting inside people's heads and making them want to kill.

A mysterious (alien?) force impregnates the women of a small British town, who then give birth to blonde, bright-eyed children who are mature beyond their years and have the power to read minds and control the actions of others. Sort of like Miley Cyrus.

This mix of Village of the Damned and Devil Times Five plays on the astrology craze of the '70s, as three children are born in the same town on the same night under a particularly odd alignment of stars...or whatever accounts for astrological readings. A decade later, as their 10th birthday approaches, the three suddenly team up to kill as many people as possible -- shooting, stabbing, strangling and even running over victims in mild-mannered, sociopathic ways. While it doesn't necessarily make much sense, Bloody Birthday is quick-paced, fascinating and disturbing -- largely because it's so well done.

A psychologist specializing in "psychoplasmics" -- the physical manifestation of a person's rage -- treats a woman whose manifestations go well beyond the usual welts and scars. She actually births little mutant kids who kill anyone she feels anger toward. The little blonde monsters are malformed approximations of her real daughter -- down to the footed pajamas -- whose screeching fits of rage usually result in blunt-force head trauma. Arguably director David Cronenberg's most enjoyable picture.

Is there any more frightening cinematic child image than that of Samara crawling out of the well on TV...and then out of the TV? Here's a reminder. If only they had TiVo, they could've paused...

This mostly English-language Spanish production has the apocalyptic feel of The Birds, but with kids instead of fowl. A British couple vacationing on a small Mediterranean island discovers that all of the adult inhabitants have been murdered by the children. Although we never get a definitive explanation of why the kids are so hostile towards adults, the film begins with a prologue detailing the long line of atrocities committed against children during the 20th century's wars, implying that somehow the kids have internalized resentment towards grown-ups. So basically, they're typical teenagers.

This terrifying French film delivers classic chills from marginally pubescent punks who remain mostly in the shadows, stalking and tormenting a couple staying in an isolated mansion. Awesome, powerful stuff.