There is no scarier thing than a rotten child.

Children in our culture as supposed to be small innocent angelic creatures, to be taught and raised as your own image.

They are denied every single negative trait, commonly acquainted with adults, and their faults are a result of bad influence during childhood – broken home and so on.

Themselves, little angels are as pure as gold and to be perceived as one. This common belief is represented in movies, working upon our fears, when presumably innocent little fellow turns out to be a son of the Antichrist.

We do not believe in pure evil, that is why horrors using that notion are so scary. And kids can be quite imaginable in wrongdoing, mostly when they start growing up. Little girls are getting special powers (Carrie, The Ring) or start misbehaving at table (The Exorcist) and they always love daddy a little too much (The Orphan).

Little boys are carriers of devil seed (Omen, The messengers).They’re scary as hell, in a word.Here’s a completely subjective list of the most rotten devils from the bowels of the hell.

10. Patty McCormack as Rhodsa in The Bad Seed ( dir. Le Roy, 1956)

Little sociopath in a ruffled skirt and ponytails. She gets everything she wants at all costs. Plus Oscar nomination for McCormack.

9. Isabelle Fuhrmann as Esther, The Orphan (dir. Collet-Serra, 2009)

Movie about how a little girl loves her daddy and her Electra complex. Played well by a 12-year-old.

8. Maria-Victoria Dragus as Klara, White Ribbon (dir. Hanneke, 2009)

Not exactly a horror, Haneke’s movie shows what comes out of battered children. Again, played well by all-children cast.

7. Twins Grady, Shining (Kubrick, 1976)

We all know the story, but it doesn’t make it less threatening. Danny come play with us…

6. Eli, Let the right one in (dir. Alfredson, 2008)

Swedish original version of later Hollywood remake. If it wasn’t for the bloody part, it’s a beautiful story about friendship and sacrifice.

5. Harvey Stephens as Damien, Omen (dir. Donner, 1976)

What can grow out of the child, whose father is the Antichrist? Ask Rosemary.

4. Linda Blair as Reagan, The Exorcist (dir. Friedkin, 1973)

Typical symptoms of growing out of age, including moodiness, often arguing and door-slamming.

3. Children, Children of the Corn, (Kiersch, 1984)

Mass murders and voodoo rituals, led by a small boy.

2. Horrible brood, The Brood, (Cronenberg, 1979)

Nigthmare of some fresh mothers? Allegedly the director has been going through nasty divorce during shooting of The Brood

1. Samara, The Ring (Verbinski, 2002) or japanese version Ringu (Nakata, 1998)

With no doubt, a number one of all evil children. Disgustingly attached to the parent, leaves people with weird faces. Just bad. Plainly bad.