They see dead people — or worse. Scarier horror movie tropes than creepy children are rare, but many of those scary children have gone on to be very successful adults.
Before that she was a Golden Globe Winner and talk show host. Drew Barrymore played the title role in 1984’s FirestarterThe, which was based upon the Stephen KingThe novel has the same name. The Charlie’s AngelsStarring as Charlie McGee (a little girl with pyrokinesis a.k.a. She has the ability of controlling fire with her mind.
Barrymore was just 8 years old when the movie was filmed. But her acting made a big impression on King, who still owns a signed poster of the actress playing Charlie. “It’s hung on my office wall for well over 40 years,” the CarrieAuthor stated this during a March 2021 Episode of Drew Barrymore Show. “Not only were you a great actress [when] very, very young, you were a good person, and you’re still a good person.”
The Wildflower author returned to the horror genre as an adult in 1996’s Scream, but she’s actually not a fan of scary movies despite her “scream queen” reputation. “Funny enough, contrary to probably popular belief, I am terrified of scary movies and do not watch them,” she said during an October 2020 episode of her talk show.
Barrymore: Haley Joel OsmentAfter appearing in a horror film as a child, he became a star. The California native starred in 1999’s The Sixth SenseCole Sear plays a young boy who is able to see dead people. Osment was the second-youngest person to be nominated for an Oscar for his work.
Director M. Night ShyamalanOsment was Osment’s breakthrough actor. Osment auditioned tons upon tons of kids to play Cole. “It was like I had never heard the dialogue before,” the filmmaker told The New YorkerOctober 2014. “He finished the scene and he was crying and I was crying. It was unbelievable to me. I said, ‘Oh, my God. Who are you?’”
Osment, unlike many child stars, continued acting in film or TV afterward. The Sixth SenseAlthough he admitted that he did sometimes choose roles because he believed they would help him shed Cole’s image.
“I’m most well known for being a good kid and the moral center of the movie,” he explained to The New YorkerIn the same interview. “It’s telling that most of my current roles are dark and nasty. It’s not about running away from what I did as a kid, but it’s a way to keep things fresh and challenging.”
Scroll down to see what some of Hollywood’s most frightening children have been doing since they appeared on film screens.
