Horror is a genre that can utilise children like no other. Mostly, youngsters are portrayed as happy go-lucky kids enjoying their child-hood. However, in horror, that is not always the case.  The genre constantly shattered our expectations of minors, as we are introduced to traumatised, persecuted and often haunted kids, thrown into the most nightmarish situations imaginable. It takes a talent young actor to step into those shoes, and in this article, we are looking at 10 talent little souls that jumped into difficult roles. What happened to them as actors? Where are they now? 10 Horror Kids – Then and Now!

Danny Torrance – The Shining (1980) – Danny Lloyd

Then:
Danny Lloyd got his big break starring in 1980 film adaption of the Stephen King’s The Shining. Director Stanley Kubrick famously hid the fact that the film was a horror movie from the six-year-old Lloyd, as he starred as Danny Torrance. Instead he was told he was making a family drama.

Now:
Despite one smaller film after The Shining, Lloyd left Hollywood after losing out on several roles as a teenager and took up teaching as an adult. Lloyd became a professor of biology in 2007 at a Kentucky community college. Let’s hope he’s quit talking to his finger.

Source: nydailynews

Glen – The Gate (1987) – Stephen Dorff

THEN:
The Gate was Actor Stephen Dorff’s first feature film after which he pursued a keen career in television, securing roles in shows such as Married with Children, Roseanne and What a Dummy.

NOW:
Dorff has had a very steady career since his first tender steps into the world of film. He starred in a number of televisions series and made-for -tv films, but made a big splash in his starring role in the vampire action flick Blade.  He recently popped up in 2017’s Leatherface and is due to appear as a recurring character in the third series of True Detective.

Source: IMDB

Fool – The People Under the Stairs (1991) – Brandon Adams

THEN:
Young Brandon Adams found fame in 1988, when he played Zeke in Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker. He went on to star in films such as The Mighty Ducks and The Sandlot Kids as well as having repeat appearances on sitcoms like Moesha, Sister, Sister and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In 1991 he starred in Wes Cravens The People Under the Stairs, placing him in the hallowed halls of horror fame.

NOW:
After the 2001 film, MacArthur Park, Adams slowly wound down his acting career, with his last credits on Kingdom Hearts II, where he contributed voice over work for the popular video game. Recently he has been focusing on his career as a rapper under his stage name is B. Lee. Laying down some tunes…

Source: ChicargoDefender

Regan MacNeil – The Exorcist (1973) – Linda Blair

THEN:
Linda already had a few acting notches under her belt before she starred as possessed Regan 1973’s The Exorcist. The Child star had appeared in TV and film before tackling the horror genre. She reprised her role as regain in Exorcist II: The Heretic in 1977 and starred in many other films during her child hood.

NOW:
Linda continued her acting career, however a drugs charge at the age of 18 left her blacklisted in Hollywood. This reduced the onetime A-list celeb into starring in B-movies and occasional TV guest appearances. 2000’s theatrical re-release of The Exorcist helped boost the stars profile and Linda secured a TV hosting job on hit Fox Family TV series Scariest Places on Earth (2000), which ran for six years. She continues to work in film and TV and runs The Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, which is dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abused, neglected, and abandoned animals from the harsh streets of Los Angeles.

Source: wikipedia

Mara Chaffee – Village of the Damned (1995) –  Lindsey Haun

THEN:
The creepy red glowing eyed girl from Village of the Damned was played by Lindsey Haun, who was already a well established young actress by the time she landed the role as Mara Chaffee. Damned was Lindsey’s first commercial film role and helped to showcase the young stars acting skills to a wider public.

NOW:
Lindsey has had an amazing relationship with TV, appearing in series such as Star Trek: Voyager, True Blood and Such a Small World. In 2006, she starred in the movie Broken Bridges with Toby Keith, who also signed her to his record label, Show Dog Nashville, to be their first “cross-over” artist. In 2007 she starred in Shrooms and continues to work in film and Television.

Source: IMDB

Mike – Phantasm – Michael Baldwin

THEN:
Facing the terror of the Tall Man in the 1979 horror Phantasm, Michael Baldwin starred in his first big film role. With a handful of TV roles before Phantasm, Baldwin was already well versed in acting, leading into his powerful performance as a young boy haunted by a mysterious grave robber.

NOW:
During the 1980s, Baldwin temporarily left acting to explore his spirituality after exploring Eastern Mysticism. He returned to star in 1994’s Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead. He also wrote, produced and appeared in Vice Girls, and its sequel. In 2005, he began teaching acting classes and workshops in Los Angeles and continues to work in movies, but with carefully selected projects.

Source: Wikipedia

Gage Creed – Pet Sematary (1989) – Miko Hughes

THEN:
Miko Hughes had a huge career as a child star, appearing in films such as Kindergarten Cop, Apollo 13 and Mercury Rising. However, it was his spine-chilling performance as Gage Creed in Pet Sematary that started him on his epic joinery through film. Hughes also released two albums in 1995, at the age of only nine.

NOW:
After a short (and well deserved) break in his acting career, Hughes re-emerged as a teen in the science-fiction series Roswell High.  Since then he has constantly starred in TV and film, although the quality of projects and co-stars has diminished quite a bit. He is currently making a return to horror, with a few big projects and documentary’s coming up in the next year or so.

Source: IMDB

 

Damien – The Omen (1976) – Harvey Stephens

THEN:
London-born actor Harvey Stephens secured the role of Damien in the 1976 horror The Omen, by punching director Richard Donner in the testicles during the audition. He must of left quite an impression as Donner snapped the young actor up for his film about the devils child.

NOW:
The former child star quit acting after The Omen and is now works as a property developer. The Omen remains his only major role to date. In 2017, Stephens lashed out at two cyclists, after a road rage incident. He was given a suspended prison sentence for criminal damage and ABH. The little devil is still going around punching people. He was charged on Friday the 13^th. Unlucky for some!

Source: Guardian / Dailytstar

Grady Twins – The Shining (1980) – Louisa and Lisa Burns

THEN:
Stanley Kubrick had never intended to use twins in his adaption of Stephen kings The Shining, but after Louisa and Lisa Burns had auditioned for the part, he knew they were perfect. Their creepy performance as the Grady Twins is a haunting tribute to Kubrick vision.

NOW:
The sister found it hard getting into acting schools because of their horror backgrounds, and so they concentrated on academic careers. Lisa, who today is a lawyer and Louise, a published scientist,  kept a low profile since The Shining’s release back in 1980, but have recently began to embrace their childhood fame through social media and screening events.

Source: Dailymail

Samara – The Ring (2002) – Daveigh Chase

THEN:
Crawling out of a television set and into our nightmares, Daveigh Chase starred in the US remake of Japanese horror movie The Ring in 2002. The talented young actress already had a truly astonishing career going before she starred as the video tape ghost, Samara. Chase appeared in Donnie Darko and TV series such as Charmed, ER and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. She also provided voices for the lead characters in Lillo and Stitch and Spirited Away.

NOW:  
Chase starred in HBO’s Mormon hit series Big Love between 2006 and 2011, and reprised her role as the younger member of the Darko family in the 2009 film S. Darko. She has most recently been concentrating on film, appearing in just over a dozen titles, with more planned.

Source: IMDB

“Hey Horror Fans – Kids these days. If they are not getting POSSESSED or opening up gates to HELL, they are running around screaming and setting fires to things. Glad to see some of these HORRID little brats cleaned up nicely. Leave us a message in the comments below if you would like to see more Horror Kids, and I’ll see what evil I can conjure up for you. Until then….

Keep Rotten”

 

“Morti” The Mortician