International Day of Creepy Kids

A child – a human cub, a bundle of joy, a commitment, and for many, the meaning of life. Children represent so much to us. One thing is certain: everyone was a child once, and some stay in that developmental stage well into adulthood, at least mentally. Children are also a symbol of the future, of something pure that everyone must protect, and crimes against children are considered the worst of all. And rightly so! Sometimes, however, we find ourselves in situations where we need to watch out for these little drooling bundles of joy.

Taking something small and cute and turning it into something terrifying, something that’s out for your throat, is a functional model used by many authors and filmmakers. A quiet child’s cry in the middle of the night in a place where no one expects it can scare the living daylights out of even the toughest guys. The combination of childhood innocence and horror attacks our primal instincts, and creators are well aware of it.

Kids who are definitely not right are common in popular works. In Euro-American culture, this was particularly evident in the 1960s, when films full of devil-possessed children, little antichrists, and demons began to emerge. In Asia, especially in Korea or Japan, such children are rooted in ancient folklore. They are often cursed souls, dishonored beings craving revenge. In short, nothing you want to hold in your arms.

On the occasion of International Children's Day, I have selected five of the creepiest kids. Yes, we must protect and care for children, but it is also important not to forget that there are cases you need to watch out for like hell.

Regan MacNeil – the girl who embodied nightmares

At first glance, an ordinary twelve-year-old girl. Kind, playful, with a smile you’d expect to see on a family movie poster. But then things start to happen. Walls shake, beds levitate, and Regan speaks with a voice that belongs to no one from this world.

The character Regan MacNeil comes from the cult horror film The Exorcist (1973), directed by William Friedkin based on the novel by William Peter Blatty. The film became a milestone in the horror genre – it shocked audiences with its brutality, psychological depth, and terrifyingly realistic depiction of possession.

Little Regan was played by the then-fourteen-year-old Linda Blair, whose performance earned her an Oscar nomination and secured her a place in horror history forever.

In the story, Regan is possessed by a demon named Pazuzu, which gradually transforms her body and mind. It is the contrast between childhood innocence and extreme manifestations of evil (profanity, self-harm, levitation, speaking backwards) that made this character a literal nightmare for an entire generation. The Exorcist wasn't just a movie – it was a cultural event. It sparked scandals, caused fainting in cinemas, and remains one of the most influential horror films of all time.

Samara Morgan – the girl from the well who haunts generations

You almost never see her face. Long black hair covers it. She moves jerkily, slowly, but relentlessly. And when the phone rings, you have exactly seven days. Plus, she has that annoying habit of crawling out of the TV and making the whole room turn blue.

Samara Morgan is the iconic character from the horror film The Ring (2002) – an American remake of the Japanese film Ringu by Hideo Nakata. In the American version, she was played by actress Daveigh Chase, and thanks to the chilling combination of a child's appearance and supernatural horror, she became one of the most famous characters in modern horror.

Samara is an adopted girl with a mysterious past and a terrifying ability to "implant images into the minds of others." After being murdered and thrown into a well, her spirit persisted in a cursed videotape – and everyone who watches it becomes her next target. Few horror characters have managed to root themselves so deeply into pop culture as Samara – the embodiment of a modern technological curse.

The film The Ring was directed by Gore Verbinski and became a mega-hit – it brought a wave of American remakes of Japanese horror films and cemented Samara among the scariest characters of the 21st century. Her iconic "seven days" and the scene where she crawls out of the TV are now classics.

Gage Creed – an angelic face with a demon inside

Gage is a small, smiling toddler you’d want to hug – at least at the beginning. In the film Pet Sematary, based on the novel by Stephen King, Gage Creed is the innocent victim of a tragedy – and at the same time, the centerpiece of one of the most terrifying demonstrations of what happens when someone tries to cheat death.

The story follows the Creed family, who move near a mysterious Indian burial ground. When Gage tragically dies in an accident, his desperate father decides to bury the boy there – and thus opens the door to something dark. Gage does return… but he is no longer himself.

In the 1989 film version (and again in the 2019 remake), he returns as a small, sadistic killer with devilish malice, attacking his own family members with a knife. The creepy combination of childhood cuteness and cold-blooded violence makes Gage one of the most disturbing characters in all of King's work.

Pet Sematary is more than just a horror movie – it is a warning about the price of grief, about things that should remain dead. And Gage Creed is its most powerful symbol.

The Grady Twins – Come play with us…

Two identically dressed little girls appearing in the hallways of the abandoned Overlook hotel are one of the most iconic images from the horror film The Shining (1980) by Stanley Kubrick. Although they only have a few moments in the film, their gaze, synchronized speech, and the sudden cut to their brutally murdered bodies are among the scariest scenes in film history. For these two little girls, just a few short shots were enough to become pop culture icons.

The Grady Twins are the ghosts of the daughters of the former hotel caretaker Delbert Grady, who lost his mind and killed his entire family with an axe. Their souls remained trapped in the hotel corridors and appear to little Danny Torrance as a warning – or as part of the evil consciousness of a place that feeds on human madness.

Typical pastel blue dresses, blank expressions, and calm, almost hypnotic behavior in contrast with their bloody past made them a symbol of lost innocence and horror in its purest form.

Toshio Saeki – a quiet and very suspicious child

Pale, almost transparent. There is emptiness in his eyes and a cat’s meow in his throat. Toshio Saeki is a terrifyingly quiet ghost who became a symbol of modern Japanese horror. He appears in the horror series Ju-On (The Grudge) by director Takashi Shimizu – and later in the American version The Grudge.

Toshio is the son of Kayako Saeki, another ghost and victim of a brutal murder. After the massacre committed by a jealous father, their house becomes the center of a constantly spreading curse. Everyone who enters the house – or even meets someone who has been inside – is doomed to a tragic end. In this spiral of death, Toshio plays the role of an eternal observer, but also the role of a direct instrument of destruction.

His characteristic appearance (white skin, black eyes, naked body) and unexpected, almost grotesque appearances in shadows, bathrooms, or corners of rooms evoke tension and horror in viewers. His look is inspired by Japanese folklore – specifically the yūrei (a ghost of a deceased person with a restless soul) and onryō (a vengeful spirit). Toshio is quiet, creepy, and unsettlingly present – and that is exactly what makes him one of the most iconic horror child characters ever.

It is definitely worth mentioning other children who spread fear and ruin in their stories. Damien Thorn from The Omen as a little Antichrist who gives hell a child's face. Esther from the film Orphan, who has more secrets than years. Isaac Chroner from Children of the Corn, a fanatical preacher of school age. Wednesday Addams – the queen of black humor and family funerals. Or Brandon from Brightburn, who proves that if Superman is born with bad morals, we all regret it. Creepy kids are simply fun and terrifying at the same time – whether they scream, whisper, or just stand silently in the dark.

author Karel Krajča