Photo credit: flickr/DiscoWeasel
You might think you’re safe but these spawns of evil have murder in mind.
Far from pure, these nefarious killer kids are more than rambunctious trouble-makers.
Playing for them includes horror, torture and murder.
Discover the evil that lurks within the following novels, written by cleverly macabre authors who tell the tales about little terrors who will chill your heart and make your flesh crawl.
– Updated 2/9/2020
Not So Innocent: 7 Stories About Sinister, Killer Kids
1) The Loveliest Dead, by Ray Garton
Ray Garton – Master of Terror – is renowned for horror-filled, paranormal storytelling.
With over sixty books to his name, he enjoys mixing gore and mayhem with terrifying characters and creepy ghouls.
Supernatural thrills are found in The Loveliest Dead, where we follow the story of the Kella family who deal with the suspicious death of one of their sons, who was only four years old when he passed over.
When they move to Eureka, California for a fresh start, they discover that their wonderful new home is haunted by a nasty little spook who rings a bell for the tortured family.
2) The Sopaths, by Piers Anthony
It’s one thing when children act out by throwing tantrums and pouting when they don’t get their way.
It’s quite another when they resort to looting, killing and debauchery.
The village that Anthony writes about contains families who each harbor at least one of these “children”, called Sopaths.
Olive is Abner Slate’s three year old daughter.
She murdered her Mom and brother, which propels Abner into action, to try and put a stop to the mayhem.
Far removed from the author’s love for magic and fantasy, The Sopaths is a dark deviation, which was written when his own daughter died.
3) We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver
A global bestseller, We Need to Talk About Kevin is a chilling story about an adolescent who’s a sociopath.
His mother never wanted him and we wonder why.
Eva writes letters to Frank, her estranged husband, where she retells the story about Kevin’s upbringing – from a willful child to a soulless, murderous teen.
As we live through Eva and her quest for answers, we discover how deeply her guilt runs as she blames herself and attempts to discover the clues that could’ve shed some light on his behavior.
This thriller will keep you guessing right up until the terrifying end.
4) The Fifth Child, by Doris Lessing
Doris Lessing is a much celebrated and Nobel Prize winning author who has created a terrifying drama much like The Omen.
We meet the demon baby – Ben Lovatt – born to parents David and Harriet, who try to eke out an existence for their five children in the late 1960’s.
Living in rural England, they try to scrape by as they deal with the criminal elements closing in, until Ben proves to be far worse than anything they fear outside the home.
5) The Midwich Cuckoos, by John Wyndham
More often known for the post-apocalyptic genre, Wyndham produces the chills in his famous, scary story The Midwich Cuckoos, which has been made into two films – one of them known as Village of the Damned, adapted by John Carpenter.
Written in 1957, The Midwich Cuckoos tells a horrific tale about a town where women are giving birth to alien children who use mind control to commit murder and eventually try to take over the town and the world.
It’s bad enough to have aliens wreaking havoc, but when they’re seemingly sweet and innocent children, prepare for your blood to freeze!
6) The Other, by Thomas Tryon
This is Thomas Tryon’s first novel, which set the tone for many more chilling tales and thrilling stories that followed, making the author a celebrated storyteller among others.
The Other is a nail biting, horrifying character exploration into the twisted lives of brothers Niles and Holland Perry – who are thirteen year old, identical twins.
One of the twin brother’s is dead-set on spreading terror and evil in the summer of 1935, where the other brother’s loyalty is tested as he tries to figure out what’s going on.
Will he stand by while his brother rages on, letting the horror continue?
7) The Bad Seed, by William March
Updated 2/9/2020 – William March tells the story about a seemingly pure and innocent child in the 1950’s, who is in reality – an evil little girl whose favorite games include murder and inflicting pain.
Rhoda Penmark just happens to be a serial killer hiding behind a sweet façade, which fools her mother and the townsfolk for quite a while.
The Bad Seed was a best seller and a finalist in the National Book Awards.
It was adapted for the stage where it had a long, successful run and was made into a film.
Prepare to be chilled by this shocking little terror!