An abandoned cabin in the middle of the woods, a cut phone line, pouring rain, and a mysterious figure lurking outside. Is there anything better than a horror movie? The suspense is exhilarating and leaves us at the edge our seats (and sleeping with the lights on for about a week).
And while the genre has tons of classic tropes, (slow-moving killers in masks, anyone?) one that always stands out are the kids from classic horror movies. In film, kids normally represent a sense of innocence and vulnerability that leaves audiences holding their breath. Will they be alright? Why are their toys always so creepy? And, how do they always have a knack for talking to ghosts?
No matter the supernatural state of the kids from classic horror movies, the child actors who portrayed them used their talents to create some of the most memorable moments of scary movies. It’s hard to imagine what it was like filming or being on the set of something to scary. So, whatever happened to most of them? Do they still act? What do they look like now?
Daveigh Chase From The Ring
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Anyone who watched The Ring remembers the terrifying girl from the video tape.
The movie was so scary we were convinced that seeing it in real life means we would die in seven days. Fortunately, we’ve all managed to see the “cursed tape” and live beyond the seven-day death promise. Daveigh Chase played the supernatural killer child Samara, and her cursed message was absolutely haunting.
Since working on The Ring, Chase went on to voice Lilo in Lilo & Stitch and continued to voice the character in spinoffs.
Unfortunately, she’s had a few run-ins with the law. In 2017, she was arrested for stealing a vehicle, and a year later she was charged with misdemeanor drug possession. Nowadays, she continues to pursue her acting career. She voiced Kiwako Seto in the Let It Die video game and went back to her horror roots in the mystery thriller Jack Goes Home.
David Dorfman From The Ring
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Investigative journalist Rachel Keller’s (Naomi Watts) son Aiden (David Dorfman) watches the cursed tape.
While he was the protagonist in the original with Naomi Watts, in the sequel he becomes possessed himself by Samara, who was once again played by Daveigh Chase.
After starring in a few horror movies, Dorfman turned to academia — and he is kind of a genius. He attended UCLA at the age of 13, graduated as valedictorian, and went on to study law at Harvard. You know, typical kids from classic horror movies things.
Mischa Barton From The Sixth Sense
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In The Sixth Sense, Mischa Barton appears as the first ghost Cole Sear helps.
Her performance as Munchausen-by-proxy victim Kyra Collins is rather unsettling — does anyone else remember being very disturbed as she starts to violently vomit? The movie proved to be a breakout role for Barton and helped to launch her career in young Hollywood.
Her real notoriety came a few years later when she landed the role of Marissa Cooper in the teen drama The O.C.
Barton left the show in 2006 so she could focus on films. Her 20s were somewhat tumultuous. She had some issues with substances along with some depressive episodes that landed her in the hospital.
Fortunately, Barton has found her footing and has returned to television. She joined the cast of the reality show reboot of The Hills in 2019.
Haley Joel Osment From The Sixth Sense
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Four simple words turned into one of the most memorable lines in horror history: “I see dead people.”
Haley Joel Osment starred in the horror classic as Cole Sear, a young boy who was able to communicate with ghosts who had unfinished business on Earth. The role was pivotal for Osment’s career, and his performance was so impressive that he was nominated for an Academy Award.
After working on the The Sixth Sense, Osment turned to voice acting.
He did voiceover work for shows like Hey Arnold! and Family Guy. He also lent his voice to the main protagonist of the Kingdom Hearts video game franchise, Sora.
Osment reemerged as a live actor with a role in Kevin Smith’s bizarre Tusk and a guest role as a tech investor in HBO’s Silicon Valley. In 2019, he made a return to the horror genre in the movie The Devil Has a Name.
Lisa and Louise Burns From The Shining
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A long hallway, floral wallpaper, and one very creepy set of twins became one of the oft-parodied horror tropes.
The twins, also known as the Grady daughters, were played by Lisa and Louise Burns. Funnily enough, they aren’t actually twins but just sisters who look incredibly alike. Despite the recognition from the horror film, their careers never really took off. In fact, they never really made another appearance in Hollywood again.
So, what happened to them?
Well according to VH1’s, Where Are They Now? the siblings live in London, U.K., and are still very close. Not same-dress-in-a floral-hallway close, but still. One became an I.T. manager and they other went into licensing negotiation. We guess they will be remembered as the Grady twins forever, and ever, and ever…
Danny Lloyd From The Shining
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While the Grady sisters have become more ubiquitous to The Shining, the real child star in the film was Danny Lloyd.
When Danny Lloyd was filming The Shining he didn’t actually realize he was in a horror movie. Although Stanley Kubrick is known for pushing his actors to their limits, the director tried to keep the children’s filming experience as pleasant as possible, even cutting together different shots to make Lloyd seem more scared.
After filming ended, Lloyd seemingly quit acting. He is now a biology professor at a community college in Kentucky.
Isabelle Fuhrman From The Orphan
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Isabelle Fuhrman’s portrayal of Esther in The Orphan has a bizarre horror twist.
We won’t spoil it here, but viewers are likely even more impressed with her performance once it’s revealed. The movie garnered critical acclaim and a Young Artist Award nomination.
Fuhrman has continued acting in movies like The Hunger Games and made an appearance in the 2013 Showtime drama Masters Of Sex.
Ty Simpkins From Insidious
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When Ty Simpkins starred in Insidious, he was already a seasoned actor.
He got his start in Hollywood at just three-weeks-old and has been acting ever since. His role as Dalton Lambert came at the age of nine and he went on to appear in the sequel, Insidious: Chapter 2 a few years later. Who else was unable to sleep after both these movies?
His most notable role came when he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Harley Keener in Iron Man 3.
Remember the kid who helps Tony Stark get his suit back together? He also made a cameo in Avengers: Endgame. He returend to his horror roots for the final installment of the franchise, Insidious: The Last Key, in 2018.
Miko Hughes From Pet Sematary
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Miko Hughes starred in the 1989 movie adaptation of the Stephen King novel.
Hughes was a huge child star in the’ 90s. After his take on a very stabby toddler named Gage, he moved onto roles in films like Kindergarten Cop, Apollo 13, and Mercury Rising.
As an adult, Hughes moved away from the acting side of the industry. Instead, he moved behind the camera and is working on writing and directing horror movies.
Linda Blair From The Exorcist
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Despite its now-dated effects, this 1973 classic still remains one of the scariest movies of all time.
Linda Blair played the vomit-spewing, head-spinning, and very much possessed Regan MacNeil. The movie was allegedly so horrifying to audiences that people left the theaters vomiting and fainting during the film’s initial release. Blair earned a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for her chilling performance.
Despite the controversy surrounding the film, it got a sequel — The Exorcist II: The Heretics — and Blair returned to the role.
Cementing her status as a horror icon, Blair went on to make cameos in a parody of The Blair Witch Project and Scream. While her acting days are mostly behind her, Blair still lives in California and will occasionally return to Hollywood to make cameos. In 2014, she appeared as herself on a Scream Queens-themed episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She is also a very vocal animal activist.
Yuya Ozeki From The Grudge
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The Grudge is a 2004 horror inspired by the Japanese film Ju-On.
The American remake also achieved cult status, largely in part to Yuya Ozeki’s portrayal of Toshio Saeki, the young son. The plot centers on a curse that appears when someone dies with rage or sorrow. Ozeki’s performance is incredibly haunting, and his blank stare is creepy enough to send chills up anyone’s spine. Ozeki allegedly had a major fear of animals so shooting with the cats was a challenge for the young actor.
His hard work paid off, as did overcoming his fear.
The movie acquired critical acclaim and earned Ozeki a nomination for best “Movie Scream Scene” at the Teen Choice Awards. After the movie he returned to Tokyo, Japan, where he still lives and continues to act. He turned 23 in 2019, and his last role was in the miniseries Hotel Concierge.
Alex Vincent From Child’s Play
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One of the most sinister characters in film is a demonic little doll named Chucky.
And this cursed doll’s unfortunate new owner is a boy named Andy Barclay, played by Alex Vincent. Throughout the course of the franchise, the serial killer spirit trapped in the toy’s body tries to transfer himself into a human host. Not only did these movies give us nightmares as kids, but they also had us hiding all of our toys in our closets.
The role has really stuck with Vincent.
Nearly twenty years later, Vincent is still returning the same role. He appeared again in the 2017 adaptation Cult of Chucky. When he is not acting, he works as a producer at his AV Productions Recording Studio and Production Company.
John Franklin From Children of the Corn
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Children of the Corn shifted scare culture, making horror movie kids a trope of the genre.
In the first scene, Isaac Chroner, played by John Franklin, watches his band of kids destroy a small-town diner, killing the adults inside. The movie went on to become one of the Stephen King’s most successful film adaptations and left audiences absolutely horrified.
Franklin used to work as a high school teacher but has since retired. He is working on making his way back into the acting world and also wrote a graphic novel called Prime Cuts.