Cinema's Brat Pack: The Naughtiest Children of Hollywood

Demon Children and The Bad Seeds of Films

Forget Demi Moore or Judd Nelson's 80's chic clique, Hollywood's true brat pack involves some of the more groundbreaking movies ever. Films centered on hopelessly naughty tykes who'll stop at nothing to accomplish their dark goals.

From Linda Blair in The Exorcist - regarded as one of the most powerful horror films of all time - to Patty McCormack in The Bad Seed - a landmark film focusing on philosophical questions of evil stemming from either nature or nurture, these films intrigue each generation of fans because kids usually behave themselves.

These film tots behave too, but strictly in their own self interest.

The Bad Seed (1956)

The forerunner of the true Hollywood Brat Pack - Patty McCormack's portrayal of the scheming, seemingly soulless Rhoda is still the gold standard by which bad film kids are judged.

Starring opposite Nancy Kelly who played Rhoda's well meaning, if slightly clueless mother, McCormack's fully fleshed out performance earned her a supporting Oscar nomination. The film was based upon a hit Broadway play and while it may seem a bit dated now in terms of the highly theatrical acting, the story remains chillingly real and engrossingly disturbing. Most fans would agree that Patty McCormack's legendary performance should have been nominated in the Best Actress category and probably should have won. There's been talk of Dakota Fanning tackling the role for a remake, but nothing official confirming a new version has surfaced as of this writing.

The DVD contains a fun, informative conversation between star McCormack and writer Charles Busch.

Village of the Damned (1960)

This hauntingly produced British sci-fi horror film contains some of the most effective, though low key thrills of any of the brat pack flicks. Based on the novel The Midwich Cuckoos, the plot involves about a dozen women giving birth to nearly identical looking and acting children nine months after their small English village is gripped by a mysterious paralysis where every living thing is put into a comatose like state with absolutely no explanation.