23 child horror movie actors who you wouldn't recognize today

Published on August 15, 2017, 3:53 pm

Written by Straker Julia in Entertainment

Horror movies featuring kids are among the scariest and the highest-grossing of all time.

Illustration : "23 child horror movie actors who you wouldn't recognize today" — Photo d'illustration

Here are 23 child movie stars who found fame and fortune after starring in a spooky movie. Would you recognize them if you saw them today?

1. John Franklin in Children of the Corn, 1984

Playing Isaac Chroner in the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s thriller was John Franklin’s most famous role. He later worked as an English teacher until 2015, after which he quit and returned to the acting world.

2. Lindsey Haun in Village of the Damned, 1995

This movie wasn’t a blockbuster, but Lindsey Haun’s portrayal of Mara Chaffee put killer children under the horror movie spotlight. Lindsey continues to act and also produces soundtracks.

3. Daveigh Chase in The Ring, 2002

It’s hard to imagine stunning Daveigh Chase as Samara Morgan, The Ring’s evil child, and yet the role helped forge her career. Today she does voiceovers for cartoons and spends her free time enjoying her favorite hobby – horseback riding.

4. Linda Blair in The Exorcist, 1973

Linda Blair won a Golden Globe for her role as Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist, but since then her career has floundered. She’s been nominated for a Golden Raspberry no less than 6 times and also briefly appeared on the TV show Supernatural.

5. Jodelle Ferland in Silent Hill, 2006

This budding actress played both Sharon et Alessa in Silent Hill and in 2009 starred in the equally creepy Case 39. In 2015, she joined the cast of the science-fiction series Dark Matter.

6. Emily Browning in Ghost Ship, 2002

Katie Harwood’s star turn in Ghost Ship led to a number of offers including the role of Bella Swan in Twilight, which she refused! Nowadays she makes music and is part of the American Gods’ cast.

7. Isabelle Fuhrman in Orphan, 2009

Playing Esther turned Isabelle into a red carpet celebrity. Since then she’s been in The Hunger Games and the movie Cell – a 2016 adaptation of the Stephen King novel.

8. Miko Hughes in Pet Sematary, 1989

Taking on the role of Gage Creed was Miko’s first foray into acting, but his career never really took off. His only other claims to fame were brief appearances in Melrose Place, and Beverly Hills, 90210.

9. Sissy Spacek in Carrie, 1976

Playing Carrie in the Stephen King classic was just one of Sissy’s many roles during a career that saw her win an Oscar as well as 3 Golden Globes. Despite her stellar success, nowadays she doesn’t do much acting, although she did appear in The Help and the series Bloodline.

10. Ivana Baquero in Pan’s Labyrinth, 2006

This actress was picked from 1,000 girls who auditioned for the role of Ofelia. What’s more Ofelia’s character was 3 years younger than Ivana, but she still pulled it off. Today she stars in the series The Shannara Chronicles.

11. Kirsten Dunst in Interview with a Vampire, 1994

Playing Claudia in Interview with a Vampire opened doors for Kirsten Dunst and led to a career that’s seen her nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. She’s since been in almost 80 films and is also well-known for her charity work.

12. AnnaSophia Robb in The Reaping, 2007

Loren McConnell made her mark in the box office hit Charlie and the Chocolate Factory before starring in this spooky tale. Loren continues to act and is also a student at New York University.

13. Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick in The Omen, 2006

Fortunately, Seamus didn’t realize he was playing the Devil’s son in this remake of the 1976 classic. He continues to act in movies as well as on the small screen.

14. Cody Dorkin in Village of the Damned,1995

Cody co-starred with Lindsey Haun, playing Robert in The Village of the Damned. He chose not to pursue an acting career, but now owns a movie studio and works as a talent scout.

15. Louise and Lisa Burns in The Shining, 1980

These sisters played the Grady twins in the adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining, but never pursued an acting career. They believe the movie had a negative impact on their lives, as after the movie was released they were turned away from numerous schools. Lisa became a lawyer and Louise a scientist.

16. Dakota Fanning in Hide and Seek, 2005

Playing Emily may not have been Dakota Fanning’s greatest performance, but at 23 this actress has clocked up some serious movie mileage. Dakota also works as a model and has graced the catwalk for a number of famous designers.

17. Roger Príncep in The Orphanage, 2007

Roger played Simón in the Spanish movie, The Orphanage, which won 7 Goya Awards. He continues to pursue his acting career.

18. Saoirse Ronan in Lovely Bones, 2009

In this movie, Saoirse plays the role of Susie, a young girl murdered by a psychopath. Since then she’s become a successful actress, with BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations and other awards under her belt.

19. Christina Ricci in The Addams Family, 1991

Although strictly not a horror movie, who can forget Ricci’s superb performance as Wednesday Addams! Taking on her gloomiest persona, Christina Ricci was already a successful actress. Despite being a self-educated thespian, she’s still managed to land numerous roles and in 2015 was cast as a lead in the series Z: The beginning of everything.

20. Chloë Grace Moretz in The Amityville Horror, 2005

This young actress rose to fame after playing Chelsea in The Amityville Horror. She also took on the role of Carrie White in a second adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie. Since then she’s frequently graced the small screen.

21. Alex Vincent in Child’s Play, 1988

Playing Andy Barclay in the spine-chilling Chucky movies have been the highlights of Alex Vincent’s career.

22. Junio Valverde in The Devil's Backbone, 2001

Junio Valverde plays the ghost of Santi, a young boy who died several years’ earlier. Junio still acts and has appeared in several TV series as well as full-length movies and short films.

23. Johnny Depp in A Nightmare On Elm Street, 1984

Believe it or not, it wasn’t 21 Jump Street that shot Johnny Depp to fame, but rather his role in 1984’s A Nightmare On Elm Street in which he played Glen Lantz, one of Freddy Krueger’s victims.

Photo credits: Shining Grady twins, Warner Bros.

By Straker Julia
Writer

Passionate about writing, I write articles on the subjects that I love. Creativity and Animals themes are my favorites!