10 Movies That Should Have Been Horror
4. Matilda
Another one of those cult classic films based on a Roald Dahl story that seems a little bit more sinister when it comes to revisiting it, Matilda is a 1996 film starring Mara Wilson and directed and produced by Danny DeVito.
Matilda is a genius of a child who is constantly neglected and emotionally abused by her parents and her school's headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. She has a remarkable gift of telekinetic powers which she eventually uses to overcome those holding her back and bags herself a happily ever after ending.
However, buried in amongst this fairytale story, is the illegal Wormwood car sales, Miss Trunchbull's horrific teaching practices, punishment rooms and the surprisingly heavy subplot of her being the head suspect of a possible murder charge.
It's also hard to ignore the possible Carrie-vibes present in Matilda, with both films focused on a slightly traumatised young girl discovering their telekinetic powers when pushed too far.
With the foundations already set in place, it would have been very easy to rewrite Matilda's ending in a way that saw this gifted girl running riot across the school playground causing havoc, rather than happily walking away with her new adopted mother.