Top 10 Fictional Kid Characters Turned Evil

“Night of the Living Dead” (1968)
By the time that Barbra encounters the other characters in the farmhouse, Karen is already seriously ill from the zombie bite she received off-screen. She was just an ordinary kid, but becomes part of the movie’s horrifying climax. Succumbing to her bite, Karen turns into a hungry zombie, as per the well known rules. She proceeds to eat her father’s body, and stab her own mother to death. The scene is incredibly disturbing even today - we can only imagine how terrifying it was back in 1968.

“Teen Titans” (2003-06)
For a show aimed at children, “Teen Titans” has some surprisingly complex character writing. Terra wants to be a hero, but she’s easily manipulated. She finds herself under the control of Slade and begins slipping into the role of villain. Fortunately, Terra eventually sees the error of her ways and teams back up with the Titans to defeat Slade. Unfortunately, it comes at a great cost. Knowing her original hopes and intentions, her descent into evil was tough to watch.

“Interview with the Vampire” (1994)
In this adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel, Kirsten Dunst plays Claudia, who is turned into a vampire by Lestat. We don’t see much of Claudia’s early life. All we know is that her mother died of the plague. Seeing themselves as potential father figures, Louis and Lestat raise Claudia as their own daughter, with Lestat training her in the ways of vampire-ing. Made into a monster, she undertakes some truly brutal acts. Claudia’s cute appearance disguises her penchant for violence. It’s not her fault that she became a vampire, but she sure does relish in the power.

“Pet Sematary” (1989)
Poor Gage just wanted to fly a kite. “Pet Sematary” is arguably Stephen King’s darkest piece of work, containing horrors both real and imaginary. It’s every parent’s worst fear to lose their child, and that’s exactly what happens to Louis and Rachel. Gage inadvertently runs into the middle of the road and is hit by a speeding truck. Despondent and desperate, Louis decides to bury him in the titular cemetery, knowing that it will bring him back to life. And it does, just…not in the way he wanted. Gage comes back as an evil zombie thing and causes the destruction of his entire family. Be careful what you wish for.

“The Walking Dead” (2010-)
The world of “The Walking Dead” is not one for children. The show often explores the psychology of living in a post-apocalyptic zombie landscape, and it had a horrible impact on the mind of Lizzie Samuels. Lizzie is taken under Carol’s wing following the death of her father, but her journey only leads to ruin. Lizzie develops an intense fascination with walkers, so much so that she takes her younger sister’s life to make her into one. Fearing the monster that Lizzie is becoming, Carol takes extreme measures. It’s a disturbing subplot, but no one said a zombie show would make for easy viewing.

“Akira” (1988)
The only thing that Tetsuo did wrong was crash his bike into a psychic. Don’t you hate when that happens? After Tetsuo hits an ESPer named Takashi, he’s taken away by the military. They discover that he is also a powerful psychic, with the power to destroy Tokyo. Tetsuo embarks on a bloody streak of violence in his search for the buried Akira, who can supposedly aid Tetsuo with his newfound abilities. He’s a complex character - one whose anxieties and fears manifest in horrific ways. Witnessing Tetsuo’s downward spiral is as fascinating as it is tragic.

“The Exorcist” (1973)
Everyone remembers Regan as the demonic little girl who spits green bile and spins her head around. But before that, she was just a harmless little girl. Regan begins the movie as a happy and healthy child who shares a good relationship with her mother, Chris. However, she’s possessed by an evil demon. Regan acts increasingly disturbed throughout the movie before going full-on demon mode. Her face, her speaking voice, her mannerisms - everything turns evil, and Regan develops into one of the most terrifying villains in movie history.

“Brightburn” (2019)
The idea of a superhero turning evil has been explored in numerous pieces of pop culture. But making that superhero a child was a unique concept. Like Superman, young Brandon Breyer is an alien who comes to Earth and is adopted by Kansas farmers Tori and Kyle. But Brandon begins exhibiting strange symptoms when he turns 12 years old, and gradually turns into a bloodthirsty supervillain intent on killing as many people as possible - including his adoptive parents. Brandon is an intriguing character who subverts the traditional superhero formula in stunningly violent fashion.

“The Ring” Franchise (2002-)
Samara shares some things in common with “The Exorcist’s” Regan MacNeil. Like Regan, everyone remembers her “evil” version - the one with long black hair and a penchant for crawling out of television sets. But, like Regan, Samara started life as a…relatively normal little girl. She harbored paranormal powers, but she loved her adoptive mother and tried her best to live a normal life on Moesko Island. Unfortunately, she lost control of her abilities and was pushed aside as a social outcast. This only deepened the hurt and made her power grow stronger, culminating in her tragic demise. And with that, the Samara that we all know and fear was born.

“Lord of the Flies” (1963)
One of the most controversial novels of the 20th century, William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” follows marooned schoolboys who become savage and immoral without adult supervision. Roger is arguably the most villainous. He begins the story as a typical kid, albeit one with a darker edge. We soon realize that Roger has always been harboring malicious thoughts - he’s just kept them in check owing to societal expectations. Alone on the island, he’s free to let loose. It is he who takes the life of poor Piggy, and with that act, all innocence is lost.