10 MORE Horror Movies You Probably Haven't Seen But Should
6. The Innocents
Even though Brightburn and The New Mutants tried to create a superhero-horror hybrid, The Innocents executed it far better.
This Norwegian drama follows a young girl called Ida, who befriends a bunch of superpowered children after moving to a new town. Due to the lack of adult supervision, the kids misuse their abilities, leading to tragedy.
The powers themselves are minimalistic, often conveyed through clever editing and filmmaking techniques instead of cinematic action. With this approach, The Innocents comes across as an authentic and heart-wrenching story, rather than a typical superhero story.
Although being a superhero is a common childhood fantasy, The Innocents emphasises how utterly terrifying that level of unchecked power would be. Despite the kids' cruelty, none of them are inherently evil. Instead, their behaviour stems from confusion, neglect, or the inability to understand consequences. They don't have the emotional tools or maturity to express their frustration, which causes them to lash out.
What's worse is how the neglect the children suffer isn't directly abusive. As a result, there is no obvious answer to who is truly to blame when the children start to commit atrocities.