10 Horror Movie Cliches That Need To Die
8. The Creepy Child
This cliche has been downhill ever since The Shining, sadly. Because children are largely accepted in society to be innocent, presenting them as even mildly sinister is immediately jarring and offputting, because it deviates so thoroughly from the expected.
Whether the kids in question are simply quiet and like to stare a lot, or actually end up becoming flat-out possessed, creepy kids are right at the top of the list of wildly overused horror cliches that stopped being scary years if not decades ago.
As talented as many of the young actors are who end up in these roles, ultimately it's an incredibly tough part to expand upon or render unique in any meaningful way.
Extra groans for any film which pulls the "it's not the house that is haunted, it's your kid." card. Looking at you, Insidious.
Examples: The Omen, The Shining, Children of the Corn, The Ring, Orphan.