There are so many horror tropes that sometimes, fans can pick out several in the same movie. Countless haunted house stories also include a creepy child character who seems to know something that no one else does, along with protagonists and minor characters who run upstairs, are scared of clowns, fall when running, and generally behave like so many others do in these films.
One of the horror tropes that has endured the most is that of the "Evil Child." This is, in fact, different from a kid who is simply strange and gives people the creeps. There is a lot to know about this trope and it's fun to think about the popular movies that have used to it to great affect, scaring audiences with a seemingly innocent and sweet young character who ends up being the key to everything that is going on.
According to TV Tropes, this trope is referred to as "Enfant Terrible" and refers to a "cute" kid who manipulates people and hurts them. It's scary to be in their presence as they are out for blood and destruction and they create chaos everywhere that they go. The website explains that these characters are sometimes a "Self-Made Orphan," a "Devil In Plain Sight" (like in The Omen), and scarier than the "Creepy Child" trope since these are real villains. Instead of simply seeming odd or noticing the supernatural figures in their new home, which is a haunted house movie cliche that should go, these evil kids are behind the murder spree or weird occurrences that are going on in the film.
There are many horror movies about evil children, and it's fun to look at various popular horror films to see how this trope has been used. Starting with Esther Coleman (Isabelle Fuhrman) from Orphan, which was released in 2009, allows horror fans to see how a kid who seems strange can actually kill people. The recent prequel Orphan: First Kill looks into Esther's past and shows how she begins pretending to be a child and lying about her age and identity. Both Orphan films use this horror trope by adding the "Evil Orphan" trope which TV Tropes says can be added into the story. John (Peter Sarsgaard) and Kate Coleman (Vera Farmiga) think that something is off with Esther, but she seems sweet and charming, so they ignore their instincts. When they realize the evil truth, it's almost too late.
The Halloween franchise villain Michael Myers is a great example of the "Evil Child" horror movie trope. The 1978 film opens with Michael stabbing and killing his sister Judith. He's only six years old, which makes this even more horrifying. There is no rhyme or reason to Michael's character. He's just simply an evil figure who grows up and continues his killing sprees. This is effective since there's nothing scarier than evil that can't be stopped. Since Michael has been doing this since he was young, it makes him feel even worse, and it makes sense that so many people are devoted to stopping him.
The same elements and story beats are present in every horror movie that uses this trope. The adult characters never believe that anything is up as they are awed by how sweet the child character is. They find other reasons for the confusing and strange things that are happening. Sometimes it takes seeing the kid kill someone else or come toward them with a knife or other weapon in order for the adults to see what's going on.
The Ring is a timeless 2000s horror movie and also one that uses the "Evil Child" trope to great affect. Samara Morgan is horrifying to look at with all that long black hair and the fact that she moves super slowly as she leaves the well that she has been thrown into.
Sometimes the "Evil Child" horror trope isn't used all that well. Hide and Seek may feature a creepy child character in Dakota Fanning's Emily, but the 2005 film is really about the reveal of her father, played by Robert De Niro, and Emily isn't actually evil or dangerous. The trope isn't effective here as audiences aren't afraid of Emily as in this case, she really does seem too nice and innocent to do anything terrible.
Most of all, this trope serves to remind horror audiences that anything can happen in this type of tale and sometimes the most innocent characters are the ones who everyone needs to be afraid of. A child is definitely scarier than a grown-up villain who walks around in a black costume holding a weapon, like so many from popular films. This trope works so well and is so classic that it will absolutely continue to be used in horror films to come.