Ever since the earliest monster film,The Golem(1915), terrifying creatures have appeared in different forms throughout cinema. A majority of monster movie flicks force audiences to tap into their subconscious, with many representing repressed psychological and societal fears. However, hidden within this horror sub-genre are the worst monsters of them all - the ones that prey on the most innocent. One of humanity’s most primal fears is to protect children, and many viewers also remember what it was like to be scared of monsters lurking under beds. This is what makes movie monsters that eat children so much more terrifying than the rest, and here are 10 of the most relentless ones of them all.
The Blob - The Blob (1988)
A remake of the 1958 movie of the same name,The Blob(1988), features one of the most merciless killers on this list. Also known as the Blob, the creature is a red, gelatinous shape-shifting alien that arrived on Earth following a meteorite crash. What makes the Blob so terrifying is the fact that nothing seems to quench its hunger, and its motive is to consume all organic matter in its path. This leads it to grow significantly as the movie progresses, with its only real threat being low temperatures.
The Blobis a horror film known for its gruesome kills, and it doesn’t shy away from killing off kids. After the creature attacks a movie theater, leading lady Meg rescues her brother Kevin and his friend Eddie from the scene. The group makes their way into the sewers, where, unbeknownst to them, the Blob is also lurking. As they attempt to flee from its attacks, the Blob consumes a young Eddie, with this brutal death showing that no one is safe from the creature’s hunger.
The Boogeyman - The Boogeyman (2023)
Based on the 1973 short story of the same name by Stephen King,The Boogeymanis somewhat of a sequel to King’s story. Lester Billings, the lead character in King’s story, goes to visit a therapist called Will Harper. While there, Lester explains that an evil entity known as the Boogeyman latched onto his children, killing all three of them. This is where the film continues the narrative of the book, and shows that Lester died in the Harper household, passing the entity on to Will’s two children, Sadie and Sawyer.
Throughout the rest of the movie, Sadie and Sawyer are completely tormented by the Boogeyman. Sawyer, the youngest and most vulnerable, gets the worst of it, and is relentlessly pursued by the creature. Whereas in myths, the Boogeyman only eats naughty children, both King’s short story and the movie use the monster torepresent the consequences of parental neglect. It isn’t until the Harpers come together as a family unit at the end that the Boogeyman seemingly stops its bloodthirsty pursuits.
The Other Mother - Coraline (2009)
Despite being a children’s film, the Other Mother featured in Henry Selick’sCoralineis by far one of the most terrifying movie monsters. Adapted from Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name,Coraline is a horrifying fable that cautions childrento be careful for what they wish for. The film follows Coraline Jones, a young girl who has just moved into the Pink Palace apartments with her extremely busy parents. Frustrated at her own boredom and loneliness, Coraline travels through a small door in the wall, which takes her to an idealized alternative dimension. While there, she meets her Other Mother and Other Father, who have buttons for eyes.
While her new reality seems perfect at first, the Other Mother has far more sinister plans for Coraline. It’s revealed that she’s actually a terrifying witch known as the Beldam, and she plans to sew buttons into Coraline’s eyes, trapping her forever. She’s a master manipulator, and tricked three other children before Coraline, locking their souls away in a dark room. While it’s never shown that the Other Mother eats children, it is heavily implied. At one point, the black cat tells Coraline that the Other Mother just wants something to eat, which is later confirmed by the ghost children who say, “She said that she loved us… but she locked us here… and ate up our lives.”
The Monster - The Cellar (1989)
WhileThe Cellarisn’t the best-known horror movie on this list, its child-eating monster is one of the most terrifying in cinema. The film follows the Cashen family, who move into an old house in the Texas desert. What they aren’t aware of, however, is that they are going to be terrorized by a creature that lives underground. While the creature isn’t seen much in the film, it has a truly grotesque form, where it was created by Native Americans to contain the evil that dwelled in the desert.
The Cellaris a great example of a movie that pits the child up against the monster. It’s the son of the family, Willy, who first begins to notice that something isn’t quite right with the house. Eventually, the monster attacks him, though his father and stepmother are in disbelief about the whole situation. The monster’s indiscriminate approach to who it kills makes it all the more terrifying, and Willy has to push himself constantly to bravely face it and keep his family safe. It’s a great representation of the fear many children have about going in the basement, except this time, there really is something there.
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The Bughuul - Sinister (2012)
Implied to be the source material for myths of the Boogeyman, the Bughuul featured inSinisternot only eats children, but also makes sure their entire family dies first. The Bughuul is rarely seen in the film, often cloaked away in the shadows, appearing briefly in the snuff films discovered by Ellison Oswalt. It’s through these films that Ellison learns that these children were not acting on their own impulses, but were rather being manipulated by a darker entity. Ellison tries to move his family out of the house to keep them safe, but it’s already too late.
The Bughuul’s modus operandi is to manipulate the minds of children, convincing them to kill their families. It’s unclear how he decideswhat child to pick inSinister, but it appears as though it’s dependent on vulnerability and emotional instability. The children make Super 8 videos of their families, firstly looking happy, before cutting to the brutal murders. After they kill their families, the Bughuul instructs them to draw the murders and label the victims' bodies, where he then eats their souls.
The Clöyne - Clown (2014)
At first glance, a seemingly harmless antique clown suit is the primary antagonist of Jon Watts’Clown. Kent McCoy, a real estate agent, finds the suit in the basement of a house he’s selling. He decides to wear it to his son’s birthday party, after their previously hired party clown is unable to attend. However, after putting the suit on, he is unable to take it off, and slowly it becomes a part of his skin. Not only does Kent have to deal with disastrous physical transformations, but he also gains an insatiable appetite for children.
It’s revealed that the clown suit is actually the hair and skin of an ancient demon known as the Clöyne. Knowing what he will become, Kent attempts to commit suicide, though he quickly regenerates from his wounds. Eventually, Kent succumbs to his hunger for children, allowing the Clöyne to fully take over. It takes the fear of clowns and twists it into something far more horrifying, as Kent completely loses his sense of self as he transforms into the bloodthirsty monster. The Clöyne unsympathetically takes down every child in its path, even sneaking into a Chuck E. Cheese to continue its massacre.
The Tooth Fairies - Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)
To many, the tooth fairy is a beloved childhood figure, but Guillermo del Toro turns them into malevolent creatures inDon’t Be Afraid of the Dark. The film follows 8-year-old Sally, who has moved into Blackwood Manor with her father and girlfriend, Kim. While there, the tooth fairies begin communicating with Sally through an ash pit they are trapped in, manipulating her into freeing them. Quickly, their true nature is revealed, and they begin to torment Sally.
The tooth fairies hunt Sally, and rip Kim’s dress to isolate her further from her family. Of course, no one believes her at first, until Kim learns the truth from a worker named Mr. Harris. While these creatures appear to be tooth fairies, they are actually called Homunculi, and plan to turn humans into more of them. While the on-screen deaths are all adults, the Homunculi make it adamantly clear that they prefer to take children, which is why their pursuit of Sally is so brutal and relentless. Their small size might make them seem less intimidating, but it only adds to the fear that they can easily fit through the smallest of crevices to continue their attacks.
The House - Monster House (2006)
Monster Housemay be anotheranimated horror filmgeared towards children, but the sentient, carnivorous monster spares no mercy for the young ones. It seems at first as though the house’s owner, Mr. Nebbercracker, is who the children should fear - but really, he’s just trying to keep them safe from the truth. After Mr. Nebbercracker suffers a heart attack, his neighbor, DJ, begins to suspect that the House might be responsible for the disappearance of his babysitter’s boyfriend. He enlists help from his friend Chowder and a girl called Jenny, where they discover the dark truth behind the monstrous house.
The House has an extremely unsettling appearance; that even when it hasn’t come to life, it still looks as though it’s warning people to stay away. Once Mr. Nebbercracker is gone, the House begins to transform into a monster, complete with a gaping mouth and limbs formed from various household objects. Not only is it physically terrifying, but it is incredibly intentional in everything it does. The House wants to consume the children that dare to venture near it, whether they are innocent or not.
The Pale Man - Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Guillermo del Toro is known for his iconic movie monsters, and the Pale Man fromPan’s Labyrinthis no exception. This chilling creature has quickly solidified itself as one of the most iconic in modern cinema, with its nightmarish appearance haunting fans since the film’s release. The Pale Man has an emaciated, corpse-like body, with his eyeballs in the palms of his hands. The film’s protagonist, 10-year-old Ofelia, is given the task of retrieving a dagger from his lair, and is warned not to eat any of the food there.
While it seems like a silly request, it becomes immediately clear why it exists after Ofelia enters the creatures' lair. Even thoughthe creature has a luscious feast in front of him, he still will only eat children. The walls of his lair have paintings of the Pale Man eating helpless children, refusing to show them any mercy. The Pale Man also keeps a pile of the children’s clothes and shoes in the corner of his room as twisted trophies, leaving no remnants of their physical bodies behind.
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Pennywise - IT (2017)
Pennywise the Dancing Clown was already a household name thanks to Tim Curry’s portrayal, but Bill Skarsgard made the creature even more horrifying. Based on Stephen King’s book of the same name,ITfeatures a shape-shifting creatureswhose favorite meal is children. The creature primarily takes on the form of Pennywise to lure children in, though he’s seen taking various nightmarish forms when tormenting the Losers Club.
While he’s shown to easily take down targets, such as Billy’s younger brother, he plays a game of cat and mouse to break down others. Pennywise is shown to prey on the psychological vulnerabilities of the Losers Club, as he’s unable to kill children who aren’t afraid of it. Not only is this terrifying in its own right, but Pennywise is also shown to be able to manipulate the adults of Derry. Therefore, it’s up to the children to come together to take him down, as they are completely isolated in their suffering. Out of all the monsters on this list, Pennywise is by far the most iconic child-eating monster, and one of the most fearsome movie villains of all time.
