Children Don't Die

I personally don't think enough children are killed in movies. Actually, one of my favorite movies is Pet Cemetary because that little sh*tlin' gets the boot. I'm just into equal rights is all.

__________________

And those little bastards in the Japanese Horror films that are always scampering around and doing that silent scream. They need a major bitch slap!

Atleast somebody knows what I'm sayin'.

Have you seen A Clockwork Orange ?

If you liked it, I recommend Man Bites Dog .

All that killing children will do in a movie is to create shock value. For me at least, it would detract from the other film's points. It deflects attention. the Punisher had that, right?

People don't like to see young children killed in movies because it's too disturbing for the majority of the population. Children are generally helpless and look to adults for their protection.

So I guess you can call it a protective instinct that prevents their unnatural deaths being portrayed in movies.

There're plenty of movies that break this rule, though. Like in Mimic, Steven King's It, and especially in Exorcist: The Beginning. Can't think of any others off the top of my head right now, but I know there are lots more.

Other possible reason: the death of a young child doesn't add any value to the movie at all. How many movies have you watched where killing off a kid is necessary in furthering the plot or creating the atmosphere/mood? How often is a child needed as a character?

the funny thing is, as little times as it happens that children DO die in movies, WHEN they do, and especially when its gruesome or graphic, its usually heart wrenching.

well okay its not a bawler, but more people will do a double take, or stare at the screen in complete horror. when an adult dies, you might good "OOOH" and wince. when a child dies, its like "OH MY F*CKING GOD". you're right, why?

i guess i never answered or gave my theory. i don't have one

__________________
letterboxd

another movie that breaks the rule is assualt on precinct 13

__________________
"A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theater admission and the babysitter were worth it."
- Alfred Hitchcock

I believe that filmmakers should draw a line when it comes to unnecessary violence to children. On the Terminator 2 dvd audio commentary, James Cameron states that it is an unwritten rule in filmmaking that violence with children is taboo. He is speaking in the context of kids using guns, however it is pretty clear a kid shooting a gun is more morally accepted than a kid getting shot on screen. Exorcist The Beginning blatantly tried to use violence against children to catch the attention of the audience, but it left me with the feeling the filmmakers had some kind of morbid satisfaction with clearly putting it on screen. (spoilers ahead) For example, the scene where the girl is shot, not only is it clear that it happens, they chose to show her brains literally getting blown out, repeatedly, in slow motion. Even more sickening is the scene where the 8 or 9 year old boy is basically torn apart by hyenas. There really is no need for this kind of violence. The only thing that I see it doing for this film is the fact that those are the only parts I really remember, simply in the shock that they would go so far. These morbid scenes however did not scare anyone i watched it with, and that's the only reason why I could see them putting this in a horror movie.

I disagree!
The movie with these hyenas was not the fricken' Lion King flick! It was a movie about evil and pissed off demons or summat! So putting a kid... getting worked the hell out of and being hyena hamburger helper, on film with this kind of evil content is understandable.

It sicked my emotions when I saw the girl getting shot by the Nazi but I also applaud the film makers for expressing their wrongs with that time frame and placing that in the movie. No edits and zero commercials... taboos are for pussies with no gas in the tank secreting stink air!

I'll choose when the lens cap gets put on my eyelids, thanks!

__________________

I was not commenting on the fact that it happened, it was in the context of the film. Thinking in the mind of the director, what would drive him to feel the need in showing it in full gory detail? Often filmmakers will find other ways of expressing this offscreen, however i don't see the point in turning an audience off to the film by purposely showing a gruesome shot of a 5 year old getting her brains blown out. All I am saying is using this kind of violence for the sake of pushing the limits is pointless and a poor choice on the directors.

I respect what you are saying! True... I don't want to see this kind of crap on the evening news. Though I don't think it's pointless. In some sort of twisted way...it is art. It's expression or point of view of the film maker. It's the kind of truth that falls out of books when the past is being taught. That kind of sick crap happened. Why bottle those feelings up? Why should we hide these kind of emotions in the form of story telling.
I like it when an author/writer, photographer, artist or film director grabs my emotions by the ears and swings it around. I aim for them to make me sick, cry, smile or feel anything. I dare them!

It just depends if it fits the story, theres no reason to go around killing kids, just because it happens in reality

Depends are pampers for old folks that poop a lot!
I hope when you say... ...you meant, putting the make believe into a film of a kid getting killed! I hope to the holy Superman up above that no one watches a flick and decides to go children hunting.

*back on track*
There is a reason DUDE! It's to piss people off, to mess with the viewer's emotions, to be a rebel scum and to cross that line! To poke atcha'!

The Virgin Spring

L' Âge d'or

how about the "they will kill you" dicussion in the Incredibles?,

while I feel that the girls death was horrible (seriously i wish i never saw that shining sequel), if it is involved with plot and workin in it can add dramatic effect

Such as Billy's run from Jack in the Shining

I'm guessing you've seen this. What did you think? And what's it got to do with killing little punks?

It's similar to Un Chien Andalou , except it has somewhat of a plot.

I liked it, but I'm twisted that way.

The little punk (boy) gets shot with a shotgun V2.0.

Interesting thread.

The death of children touches me in a way different than that of adults. It's hard to explain, really. The best explanation I can come up is that sooner or later I'll have children, and I fear them dying--particularly by a serial killer, monster, ect.

Hope no-one else has said this if they have then i totally agree. But children represent the innocense in our society, so in effect they become symbolic, when they boy on the yellow raaft is killed in jaws it is symbolic of the ocean losing its inoccense (in away it is now a killer for habouring the monster that is jaws). when children are killed in movies, the movies itself becomes more profound. the same applies when the child is the killer. compared to adults who are often displayed as sinsiter characters this is more acceptable as adults are more manipulated by our bitter society (apparently) so we accept that any evil action is more a result of societies influence on the individual rather then say the individual as a self.