The horror genre has a long history of utilizing creepy children to strike fear into our hearts. From The Shining and Children of the Corn to Orphan and The Omen, both horror cinema and literature have created some downright chilling children to unnerve audiences for decades. To some, this may be a tired trope; to me, it’s actually my favorite trope in horror.

I think the root of the fear of “evil” children is because we typically understand children to be innocent to some extent. Naturally, as children mature and are molded by their environments, they may begin to exhibit some unfavorable behaviors, but this is to be expected. However, some children become more troubled than others, hosting a slew of behavioral problems that have the potential to put themselves or others in danger. Understandably, any parent would be upset by their child suffering, let alone their child being the cause of any kind of harm. In some situations, where the cause of the behavior is established (for example, the child living through a traumatic event), treatment can be a little more concrete and obtainable. We have hope of addressing the troublesome behavior patterns because we understand what caused them in the first place. But what happens when your child just…develops differently? When your child has a natural inclination towards violence, with no exact reason why? Even worse, what happens when you can see these behaviors becoming more and more significant, but nobody around you believes you?

I do not have any children of my own yet, but I do dream of being a mother one day. I often find myself gravitating towards books that explore the very situation I’ve posed above. I am fascinated by stories of mothers who can see that their children might be dangerous, however their husbands, friends, and even medical professionals don’t see it. I like when these books make me question whether there truly is something wrong with the child, or if the mother is an unreliable narrator. Though these stories may be kind of formulaic after you’ve read a couple of them, I still always enjoy myself when I’m reading these kinds of books. For some reason, these are the stories that unnerve me the most. They feel incredibly claustrophobic in the way that you can’t exactly escape your child. If your child is aiming to torture you (which is common in these stories), you can’t leave them or send them away without facing judgment. You’re trapped in your home with someone who is dangerous, and the person quite literally came from your own womb. Not only is the thought of dealing with that kind of terror in your own home horrifying, but the idea that you could be struggling without any support because nobody else sees the behavior makes the situation even more stressful. I think what is most concerning to me is that though the circumstances I’ve described so far have been in relation to fictional stories, the sad reality is that this kind of situation is entirely possible, and it happens on a daily basis to families around the world.

Since I would argue that I’m pretty well-versed in the “kid-might-be-evil, nobody-believes-mom” kind of books, obviously I’m going to share some recommendations with you all.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

We Need to Talk About Kevin is about Eva, a young mother struggling in the aftermath of a school massacre committed by her son, Kevin. Told through a series of letters sent to her estranged husband Franklin, Eva explores her experience with motherhood, marriage, and her career. As a woman who never wanted to be a mother in the first place, she continues to examine the experience of raising Kevin and wonders…could Kevin sense her dislike for him? Did she cause him to commit such a violent act? Or was Kevin simply born with nihilistic tendencies from the start?

This is the ultimate “evil kid” book, in my opinion. Kevin has a history of antisocial behavior prior to the school massacre, dating all the way back to his infanthood. Of course, this is documented by his mother who didn’t want him in the first place, so everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I liked that I couldn’t tell if Kevin was truly as evil as Eva described him, or if she was projecting her disdain for her son onto him. However, if we are to believe Eva and everything she describes actually took place, then Kevin is probably the most terrifying kid on this list. Even from the time he was a toddler, Kevin terrorized his mom and acted sweet in front of his father. You could easily feel the tension rising as his behaviors became more drastic and dangerous over time. At the end of the day, I think Kevin’s true goal was to torture Eva as much as possible. This book gave me such anxiety while I was reading it that I genuinely questioned if I really wanted to have children one day. The fact that your child could naturally hate you and want to make your life a living hell sounds like an impossible fate. This book was adapted into a film of the same name starring Tilda Swinton & Ezra Miller in 2011. The movie is equally as chilling, and is an incredible adaptation; I would definitely recommend giving it a watch, even if you don’t read the book. Either way, Kevin will definitely crawl under your skin and creep into your mind.

The Push by Ashley Audrain

Blythe Connor had a less-than-stellar childhood, and she swears to not repeat her mother’s mistakes when raising her daughter, Violet. However, from the moment Violet is born, Blythe becomes convinced there is something wrong with her baby. As the years go by, Blythe begins to question her own sanity. Her husband is convinced that she is simply imagining things, but she feels as if her daughter is harboring sinister thoughts and behaviors.

The Push is not technically a horror book, but I would definitely classify it as one because it is downright horrifying. This book is fascinating in the way that it explores the connection between motherhood and generational trauma. We see firsthand the effect that our own childhood experiences have on our own approach to parenting in the way that Blythe views her role as a mother & the connection she has with her own daughter. The Push is a bleak look at motherhood and our expectations of the experience. This book is not very graphic at all (most of the “action” is implied rather than shown) but it is quite the emotional experience. I’d say it probably is the heaviest story included here.

The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry

Hannah and Christopher are a nurse-and-surgeon husband and wife who are struggling to conceive a child. One day, an abandoned and abused child is brought to their emergency department, and Christopher is instantly smitten with her. Though Hannah expresses concern about Janie’s traumatic past and its consequences, they ultimately decide to bring her into their home. Janie and Christopher form an instant connection, while Janie is incredibly hostile towards Hannah. Christopher is oblivious to Janie’s manipulation, and this begins to drive a wedge between him & Hannah. As Janie’s behaviors continue to escalate, it becomes clear that she is much more than they bargained for.

I found this book to be interesting in the way that it explored some of the nuances of the child welfare system, as well as childhood trauma itself. In this case, we know that Janie has not had an easy life, and its to be expected that she might struggle with adapting to a new family. However, Hannah also originally objected to bringing Janie home in the first place. Throughout the book, I couldn’t decide if I thought that Janie was actually being as manipulative as Hannah viewed her to be, or if Hannah was threatened by Janie’s presence and the effect it was having on her marriage. I liked the fact that I constantly was changing my opinion on what the reality of the situation was. Though the book has a slightly controversial ending, it’s definitely one to seek out. A short story sequel, A Welcome Reunion, was recently released as a short follow-up; I’d recommend checking this story out if you enjoy The Perfect Child.