6) The Bad Seed
"Do you realise that you murdered him?""But it was his fault - if he gave me the medal like I told him to I wouldn't have hit him." In this 1956 film, Patty McCormack's blonde pigtails and gimlet eyes clearly inspired a whole generation of Village of the Damned kids. She plays Rhoda Penmark, an angelic little girl who can turn into a raging psychopath in the blink of an eye. She charms the adults but doesn't have too many friends of her own age. Of course, her schoolyard MO could have something to do with this; when an unfortunate little boy wins an award she wants, her nonchalant response is to "take care of him," mafia style. Nancy Kelly plays the mother who runs the gamut of emotions from being appalled at herself for entertaining such terrible ideas about her daughter, to rising hysteria as Rhoda's actions become impossible to ignore. Like every good heroine, Mrs Penmark is alone in seeing things as they really are - who else would believe that a child could have inherited a killing gene? This results in a film that would be hilarious if it wasn't so chilling. It's brilliantly quotable, whether you're wheedling your way out of trouble with "What would you give me for a basket of kisses?" or demanding "You give me those shoes!" in your most strident manner. It also teaches us some important lessons - it's not a good idea to tease a child for killing a classmate, in case it turns out that they actually did it. The ending of the film was shrouded in secrecy, but you'll be relieved to know that there was an epilogue in which audiences were assured that everyone involved was just acting. Phew!