Children in horror

[alkytrio666]

Originally Posted by Mictlantechutli

Kill the kid.

I fail to see how kids are somehow more special than grown-ups. If you answer "innocence" then you probably don't know shit about children. There have been child murderers since the dawn of man.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_k...2/index_1.html

If anything they are less important to society, because they don't know anything. I'll admit that a director needs to be careful not to terrorize a child actor on the set, but as a character in a film - anything goes.

Anything less is self-censorship.

Smell flowers much?



This is actually the best thread we've had in weeks, so I thank you, Stubbs, for that.

I tend to agree with Rayne...what's so damn scary about most child-based horror movies is a loss of innocence.

In The Exorcist, Ragen had barely seen the outside of her mother's house, and now she's forcefully masterbating with a cross, and sticking her mom's head in the bloody remains.

In Children of the Corn, an entire town's children lop off their parents, the ones who have raised them, loved them, taught them...and they turn around and slaughter them.

We can even trace this sickly theme back to early films such as M (1931). The most horrifying scenes are the one in which we see Lorre slowly seduce a small girl with things like candy, or a balloon. They don't know any better, so, innocently, they go along with the friendly man. We all know what happens after that.

Another great example is Night of the Hunter.

Do I think children should be eliminated from horror movies? Absolutely not.

Do I think children in horror movies add a kind of horrifyingly disturbing element? Absolutely.

[Shadow]

I agree!
You ask for scares, you ask for horror. You want something shocking there it is for you. Children in horror, victim or villian is disturbing. Exactly what we look for in horror.

[bloodrayne]

Originally Posted by Mictlantechutli

Kill the kid.

I fail to see how kids are somehow more special than grown-ups. If you answer "innocence" then you probably don't know shit about children. There have been child murderers since the dawn of man.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_k...2/index_1.html

If anything they are less important to society, because they don't know anything. I'll admit that a director needs to be careful not to terrorize a child actor on the set, but as a character in a film - anything goes.

Anything less is self-censorship.

You're negating the 'protection' factor...Most animals are genetically programmed to protect their young in order to perpetuate their species...The larger mammals who are only capable of producing 1 or 2 offspring per year, are even more protective, as it's more of a necessity...Humans are among those...So, we can't help but feel it

[bloodrayne]

Originally Posted by alkytrio666

Do I think children should be eliminated from horror movies? Absolutely not.

Do I think children in horror movies add a kind of horrifyingly disturbing element? Absolutely.

I agree 100%...It definitely adds an element that really can't be obtained in any other way

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by bloodrayne

You're negating the 'protection' factor...Most animals are genetically programmed to protect their young in order to perpetuate their species...The larger mammals who are only capable of producing 1 or 2 offspring per year, are even more protective, as it's more of a necessity...Humans are among those...So, we can't help but feel it

I agree.
It could be looked at as a weakness (not that I believe it a weakness to protect your young) when it comes to horror films. They have found what scares us and work on it.

I hope I put my point across ok there.

[Demonique]

I feel that having children in a horror movie adds verisimilitude to the story. Our world is one of people of all ages. When a horror movie has a world of only adults, there is a missing aspect to the realism. Yes - these movies are, of course, contrived but I like seeing a more rounded world. As to what ages the actors should be, I think it depends on the child. Some children are too young at 12 and some are old enough at 6. Each child has differing amounts of internal fortitude. I hear that most children find the 'make believe' fun at any rate.

[AsylumSeeker]

I wonder if they are looking at it from the standpoint of what some of the kids go through on set while filming these things and any lasting scars that could leave on their psyche. Linda Blair has said that they took alot of care to try to make it a game on the set of The Exorcist, but she still had nightmares and had to perform some pretty horrific things. Not to mention the way people treated her afterwards. People would run away from her in the street and everyone seemed to confuse her with the character. There was really no gore in that movie. In a gorefest kind of movie with a kid, he/she would have to see all of this stuff and be present with the weapon/etc. to understand what was going on enough to react on film.

I believe that child actors these days are far more sophisticated than back then. Not only have they been exposed to far more in terms of movies and extremes than they have been at any point in time before, but most of these kids are basically slave labor for the parents to suck off of. They are 7 going on 30 in some ways and are far too jaded by the time they are 13.

I would be more willing to back a ban on using child actors whose parents treat them like a blue ribbon pig and suck off of them, than to say that horror films alone are bad for them. I'm sure with the SAG protections they give to child actors and the big hullaballoo over all the teen star turned crack addict/armed robber that there is some kind of counselling taking place. If not, that would certainly be something to ensure. I do believe they should be very careful what children they choose for these types of parts and make sure that the child is mature enough to handle it.

[mordrid]

Children in horror in my opinion represents two factors, innocence and our own helplessness. Example, Night of the Living Dead. Probably the most disturbing scene from that entire movie was the daughter turning into a zombie and killing her mother. The innocence of the child is gone and love of the child made the mother helpless to defend herself.

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by AsylumSeeker

I wonder if they are looking at it from the standpoint of what some of the kids go through on set while filming these things and any lasting scars that could leave on their psyche. Linda Blair has said that they took alot of care to try to make it a game on the set of The Exorcist, but she still had nightmares and had to perform some pretty horrific things. Not to mention the way people treated her afterwards. People would run away from her in the street and everyone seemed to confuse her with the character. There was really no gore in that movie. In a gorefest kind of movie with a kid, he/she would have to see all of this stuff and be present with the weapon/etc. to understand what was going on enough to react on film.

I believe that child actors these days are far more sophisticated than back then. Not only have they been exposed to far more in terms of movies and extremes than they have been at any point in time before, but most of these kids are basically slave labor for the parents to suck off of. They are 7 going on 30 in some ways and are far too jaded by the time they are 13.

I would be more willing to back a ban on using child actors whose parents treat them like a blue ribbon pig and suck off of them, than to say that horror films alone are bad for them. I'm sure with the SAG protections they give to child actors and the big hullaballoo over all the teen star turned crack addict/armed robber that there is some kind of counselling taking place. If not, that would certainly be something to ensure. I do believe they should be very careful what children they choose for these types of parts and make sure that the child is mature enough to handle it.

Very good points made there. I would agree. I have always found it strange to see a film rated 15 etc have children in the film. You do worry just how much they are exposed to and if their parents care.

[stubbornforgey]

Alot of the scenes depicted here are seen in both horror or non.
So why the big song and dance about children in horror and yet not in other dramas'...
I mentioned 'train spotters'..the scene in that one.'very disturbing' to say the least..especially since the child in that was merely a toddler.

Should there be an age limit placed on these child actors..?
this is my question..and if so..how old ..?


It was rumoured that Carrie-Ann from Poltegeist..had mental problems
after shooting the movie.
It was written that Drew Barrymore almost killed herself after Firestarter..
and so forth.
So should there be boundries placed on this topic...

oh and Alky :D

we will get our forum topics back eventually !!