Top 10 Scariest Babies in Movies

“Dead Alive” (1992)
Before he was an Oscar winner, Peter Jackson gave us this cult classic zombie movie, which is 50% gore, 50% slapstick, and 100% bonkers. While it’s hard to single out the film’s most bizarre creature, Baby Selwyn certainly makes an impression. The result of two zombies who um… bit into each other, one can’t help but laugh and cringe at this unsightly offspring. With an oversized head, buck teeth, and demonic eyes, Baby Selwyn could easily be mistaken for a long-lost Garbage Pail Kid. Not even barbed wire can keep this freaky baby in its carriage and once he’s loose, the monkey bars get downgraded to the second-most dangerous thing on the playground. Don’t hesitate to use that blender!

“A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child” (1989)
If you’ve ever wondered what Freddy Krueger was like as a baby, this sequel will make you wish you hadn’t. Dreaming about Freddy’s mother, Amanda Krueger, protagonist Alice is given a first-hand look at how the nightmare began. Amanda, meanwhile, relives her worst nightmare, except taken up to eleven. Seconds after being reborn, baby Freddy rushes from the delivery room to a church. Upon recovering his iconic outfit, the little bundle of fear grows up fast. Freddy has come back numerous times over the years, but this is one of his most unique resurrections. Honestly, we think baby Freddy might be even creepier than his fully grown self. With his alien-like body and ear-splitting cry, he’s well and truly the stuff of nightmares.

“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” (2012)
One would expect a vampire baby to be eerie, but “The Twilight Saga” has never put an emphasis on horror. So, when Bella and Edward bring Renesmee into the world, we don’t think the filmmakers meant the newborn to freak out so many moviegoers. What’s apparently supposed to be a touching moment is undermined by a CGI baby that makes “Rugrats” look realistic by comparison. Baby Renesmee is just plain unnerving, with a soulless face that always feels as if it’s about to slide off of her head. If you think that’s petrifying, you should see the animatronic baby they were originally going to use. Whether you prefer the uncanny valley newborn or “Chuckesmee,” we’d much sooner deal with the Loch Ness monster.

“Dawn of the Dead” (2004)
It’s depressing and disturbing whenever we see a zombified child, but Zack Snyder took this concept to another level in his “Dawn of the Dead” remake. While few people are guaranteed survival in any horror movie, it’s usually safe to assume that pregnant women will make it out alive. From the second Luda is scraped by a zombie, though, it spells doom for both her and her soon-to-be-born child. As messy as the baby’s birth is, it’s what comes after that really gets under our skin. With dead eyes, decrepit skin, and a green glow, Luda’s baby isn’t spared the same fate as her mother. Bridging the unnatural gap between new life and death, the zombie baby forces our heroes to make a heartbreaking decision.

“It’s Alive” (1974)
This devilish baby was designed by makeup artist extraordinaire Rick Baker, then an up-and-comer in the industry. You can see Baker’s signature style here, from the child’s bulbous head, to the wide eyes and fiendish fangs. While it’s mainly kept in the shadows, one glimpse is enough to send a shiver up anyone’s spine. The baby looks like Nosferatu’s hellspawn, but the parents are actually Frank and Lenore Davis, who learn the true meaning of unconditional love. Appearances aside, what makes the Davis baby so unsettling is that there’s still a human being in there. He may start slaughtering people right out of the womb, but the little guy doesn’t know any better. He’s murderous, yet misunderstood, making the Davis baby equally frightening and tragic.

“Alien” (1979)
In a film dripping with terror and tension, the most horrifying scene comes courtesy of this slimy puppet. Executive Officer Kane’s literal close encounter with the facehugger is only the beginning of his troubles. In due course, he becomes the host for an alien embryo. The crew learns this the hard way over a meal, when Kane feels a growing pain in his chest. Making everyone lose their appetites, the alien bursts out of Kane’s chest, hence the name, and soon enough matures into a full-blown xenomorph. Having a lethal alien on the loose is one thing, but the idea of another species growing inside you without your knowledge is even more disturbing. The sudden “birth”? That’s the most gut-wrenching thing of all.

“Trainspotting” (1996)
If “chasing the dragon” is slang for smoking heroin, then we guess “facing the baby” is slang for going cold turkey. Sealed in his old room, addict Renton goes through a withdrawal so emotionally-scarring that it puts all of drug PSAs to shame. Amongst other things, Renton hallucinates about Sick Boy and Allison’s baby, who died due to negligence. Baby Dawn crawls across the ceiling like a spider, making for a trippy and traumatizing image. While Dawn moves gradually, there’s nowhere for Renton to run or hide. He eventually comes face-to-face with Dawn, who turns her head around like Regan MacNeil and drops down. If director Danny Boyle’s intention was to scare us away from drugs for life, then Baby Dawn got the job done.

“Son of the Mask” (2005)
Watching “Son of the Mask,” the audience is constantly left asking, “What were they thinking?” Why would you make a sequel to a Jim Carrey movie without Jim Carrey? Why would you make Jamie Kennedy and his baby the focus? Why would you bring the baby to life with some of the worst and most appalling CGI effects in cinematic history? The filmmakers don’t seem to understand that what works in a cartoon doesn’t always translate well to live-action. So, when baby Alvey starts impersonating Michigan J. Frog and Woody Woodpecker, it doesn’t come off as charming or funny. It’s just grotesque, making little kids in the theater dart out of the theater in horror while parents hurl into their popcorn buckets.

“Eraserhead” (1977)
It’s been theorized that “Eraserhead” was inspired by David Lynch’s fear of becoming a father. Lynch tackles parental anxiety in a way that only he can, giving us one of cinema’s strangest babies in the process. Unlike some of the other tots on this list, Henry and Mary’s baby possesses few human characteristics. It looks like the offspring of a chicken that mated with a blobfish, which was subsequently eaten by a snake and digested. Not only is the baby repulsive, but its relentless crying would drive anybody to madness. At the same time, we empathize with the baby, which can’t survive without its bandages. When Henry finally puts the baby out of its misery, it’s ghastly, but also an act of mercy.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Maggot Baby
“The Fly” (1986)

Dren
“Splice” (2009)

Glen
“Bride of Chucky” (1998)

All of Them
“Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2” (2004)

Big Baby
“Toy Story 3” (2010)

“Rosemary’s Baby” (1968)
What’s scarier than an alien growing inside you? How about the antichrist himself! Ironically, the scariest baby in cinema is one we never see. The antichrist’s presence is felt from the moment he’s conceived, however. The film keeps us guessing whether the titular Rosemary is really carrying Satan’s seed or if she’s plunging into insanity. Shortly after the birth, it’s confirmed that Rosemary’s baby is indeed the product of the devil and he even has his father’s eyes. Although little Adrian will inevitably grow up to doom humankind, maternal instinct nevertheless kicks in and Rosemary embraces her newborn - which may be the most haunting thing of all. Whatever the antichrist looks like, he possesses a face that only a mother - and a satanist - could love.