EJ Moreno looks at the horrors of teenage life…
What do you remember from growing up? Were the changes to your body or navigating high school politics terrifying? Many films capture those experiences throughout other genres, but it’s rare to get a true horror film about coming of age.
As a teen, a horror film about life as a youth was important to me. It often made me feel like I wasn’t alone, giving me an outlet for the confusion and anger of the time. Whether it’s the haunting of a teenager’s first love, the terror of fitting in, or the struggle to break free from childhood, adolescent horror films make the vulnerabilities of youth frighteningly palpable.
We’ll spotlight eight horror films that bring us back to these times, with entries spanning eight decades and multiple sub-genres within horror.
Honorable Mentions:
- The Bad Seed
– The OG of bad kid movies, this list wouldn’t be possible without The Bad Seed. It doesn’t seem as focused on being a “coming of age,” which is why it only gets an honorable mention here. - Battle Royale
– Less about the horrors of growing up and more about what happens in a fascist society hellbent on teaching kids a lesson; there are still plenty of great moments of teen drama and a high body count.
Sleepaway Camp
The feelings you have about your body and expressing that are hard enough as a teen, but doing that at a summer camp is no walk in the park. It’s safe to say most horror fans know the twist of Sleepaway Camp, but our killer is going through it in terms of gender, and they’re seemingly taking it out on all the bad kids at camp.
It’s a bonkers plot that doesn’t handle its subject with much care, but it does pack a bunch, and many within the LGBTQ community have embraced the film. In the post-Friday The 13th craze of slashers, it would’ve been easy to go for a simple holiday-themed fright or a nudity-filled romp, but Sleepaway Camp bucks any trends. It’s an audacious little slasher that handles its teens very well, mainly because the cast was actual young actors, and the experiences feel very lived-in.
Jennifer’s Body
One reason this list exists is a film like Jennifer’s Body, which is the definition of “coming of rage.” When our titular character comes into her demonic side, nothing holds her back from exacting the type of madness a teen girl only dreams of. This bold vision from Diablo Cody and Karyn Kusama was extremely ahead of its time.
The story of our two young ladies and how they react to the possession plaguing their bond is oddly timeless, even for its specific genre traits that you’d think are wholly unique. Somehow, the film captures so much of girlhood through its monster tale, harkening back to how the Universal Monster Movie The Wolf Man represented young adulthood for so many young men. Even at its most terrifying, the film has a relatable heart that makes many of us feel seen.
The Lost Boys
Growing up, one of the fears most parents had was that we’d fall into the wrong crowd. That group will corrupt your innocence with devilish ways, or maybe it’s just a gang of vampires. No matter who or what that crowd is, you were told to avoid these bad kids, but we know how hard that can be. The Lost Boys captures those fears and does it with flair.
Before Twilight and Buffy the Vampire Slayer melded vampires and teen life, The Lost Boys showed what happens in youth when we meet vampires and are lured by their charm. Told through the lens of Michael falling into the world of David and his glamourous vampire gang, it tells the tale of innocence lost by the wrong crowd. It’s equal parts sexy and dangerous. The film also contains some reasonably homoerotic readings, adding to the teen angst and blood-sucking hotness.
Ginger Snaps
As mentioned earlier, the classic Wolf Man story is a solid metaphor for puberty, and Ginger Snaps takes those vibes and thrusts them into the forefront. We also get a bit of an early Jennifer’s Body motif here as the two women at the center of the story see their bond tested through the horrors they face.
It gives what could’ve been a simple late-90s/early-00s werewolf something more to sink your teeth into. Being a girl, having your body change, and dealing with toxic men are so terrifying here. We’d see this explored in the rest of our entries, but something about it being told through this teen werewolf tale makes it feel as entertaining as it is chillingly accurate. The film beautifully guides the story with our great leads, adding authenticity.
Cherry Falls
Sexuality is a common theme throughout all these films; as we come into our age, our bodies begin to change, and feelings start to arise. Regarding horror, that youthful lust could be fatal, but it’s never been deadlier than in the overlooked slasher from 1999, Cherry Falls. You must seek out this ASAP if you haven’t seen it in a list filled with hits.
In a spin of the usual trope of the sexually active ones dying, we see a killer targeting the virgins of a small town and how that sends everyone into a tailspin. Is it right to lead someone to sex just to save their life? What twisted killer would do something like this? All of that is addressed in this post-Scream slasher that actually offers something more than meta-commentary and quips. In a time where it was rare to get anything from this sub-genre that felt unique, it’s sad this was lost.
Fear
Your first love is supposed to be special, and when that becomes a nightmare, it could scar you for life. We address that in 1996’s Fear, starring a young Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon. There hasn’t been a film before or since this to tackle teenage domestic violence like this; it’s not easy, but Fear loves being unflinching.
At the time, it was called “Fatal Attraction for Teens,” as we see a young girl meet the man of her teenage dreams, and it turns out he’s a disgusting psychopath. Somehow, the film goes even deeper and darker than Fatal Attraction, with the body count and assaults taken to new heights. Out of all the movies listed, this one finds itself as one of the more unsettling, and it has aged surprisingly well. As I mentioned, it’s still confounding we haven’t seen this addressed again in the genre.
Piggy
As one of the newest films on the list, it takes a lot for a “Coming of Rage” movie to stand out in the teen-dominated content landscape. With Stranger Things and Euphoria, where else can you go? Piggy takes you to places you never want to, and it’s stunning.
This Spanish-language film is another one that revels in a painfully hard look at bullying and growing up. Ironically, this film does something our iconic last entry doesn’t do and gives an insight into the terror of living as an overweight kid. As played by Laura Galán, Sara is such a unique character, providing this story with many more layers than you’d expected. Seeing our protagonist face bullying is a well-worn territory by now, but Piggy keeps it fresh and more chilling than many peers.
Carrie
Stephen King’s iconic novel Carrie has been one of horror’s longstanding inspirations, but none can come to the OG: Brian De Palma’s Carrie. The 1976 film tackled the trauma of religious upbringings, bullying, and discovering your true potential in a near-perfect horror experience. It juggled these issues seemingly with ease, all guided by a career-defining performance by Sissy Spacek.
Even with multiple retellings, nothing has hit like this masterpiece did. Committed performances in a film by one of cinema’s best filmmakers are how you land a top-tier Stephen King adaptation. It’s not easy to capture his work in films, but maybe the tiny scale of Carrie allows it to translate pretty well here. No matter the reasoning, it all comes together for a masterful look at growing up and the horrors of that phase. King’s work often focuses on adolescence, but he nailed it early on with this.
What are your favourite coming of age horror movies? Be sure to let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
EJ Moreno
