Movieline's Halloween 25: Which Terrible Children Should You Spend Your Holiday With?

· The Brood (1979)

While he might have made more critically acclaimed and artistically challenging movies since, I'd argue that The Brood is the scariest, most intense and maybe most personal film in David Chronenberg's admittedly impressive oeuvre. The less you know going in, the better, but I'll say that it involves experimental therapy, creepy killer children, divorce, obsession, and jealousy, and that it hits almost as hard emotionally as it does viscerally. Also, don't watch the last 20 minutes while you're eating.

· The Pit (1981)

One of the best early-80's oddities I've ever seen. This one concerns an autistic boy who finds a pit in the forest inhabited by man eating creatures he calls "Tra-la-logs." Under instructions from his talking teddy bear, he starts feeding locals that wrong him to the pit. He is also in love with his babysitter. Like, staring-at-her-while-she-sleeps in love. The fact that the entire movie plays all of this with such a straight face makes for an experience that's hilarious, baffling and honestly a little creepy. This is my pick for the next so-bad-it's-good cult classic in the vein of Troll 2. Get on top of it now so you can say you saw it before it was cool!

· It's Alive (1974)

All that the Davies want is another child, but when Lenore gives birth, her offspring kills all of the doctors, escapes the hospital and goes on a killing rampage through the city. Directed by B-movie savant Larry Cohen, It's Alive is silly, scary, totally entertaining, and it packs in sharp satire about American families and big pharmaceutical corporations to boot.

PREVIOUSLY IN MOVIELINE'S HALLOWEEN 25

Monday: Vintage/B&W

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