Which Horror Franchise Killers Avoided Child Victims?

When it comes to iconic horror franchises, the number of victims on a killer's 'body count' is often a central aspect of their legend. However, some killers have unique and less gruesome traits when it comes to their choice of victims. Specifically, they abstain from killing children, a detail that adds an extra layer of horror to their atrocities. Let's explore some of the most notable horror franchise killers who choose to leave children unharmed.

Which Franchise Killers Steered Clear of Child Victims?

Let’s start with the two most well-known killers in the horror genre:

Halloween's Michael Myers

Michael Myers, the legendary masked killer from the Halloween franchise, has a hefty kill count, which is often showcased in the many slashers he has to his name. While he has killed numerous adults throughout the years, there is one notable exception. Michael Myers has never killed a child. The filmmakers have deliberately kept this aspect of his character, as evoked in the 2018 reboot where he knowingly attacks a boy without killing him. This decision by the franchise adds an unsettling and chilling element to the already lengthy list of casualties he has inflicted.

Friday the 13th's Jason Vorhees

Similarly, Jason Vorhees, the wooden ax-wielding horror icon from the Friday the 13th franchise, also has an extensive kill count that spans over several films. What sets Jason apart is his complete avoidance of killing children. While he has murdered many adults, he has never targeted a child. This choice to abstain from killing children adds an added layer of horror and moral ambiguity to his character. It’s a chilling aspect that makes Jason a more terrifying and unpredictable figure.

Other Notable Franchise Killers

Saw's Jigsaw

Jigsaw, the mastermind killer from the Saw franchise, has devised many intricate and dangerous traps, but he has maintained an unwavering policy of not harming children. Jigsaw’s killer methods and games are designed to test adults, often through torturous means. It is this specific rule that keeps his body count lower but equally sinister.

Candyman by Rothschild

The Candyman, a supernatural figure from the Candyman series, has been portrayed as a vengeful spirit seeking justice for his mother's murder. Despite the horrific ending for many characters in the franchise, including adults who become his victims, the Candyman himself avoids killing children. This decision by the filmmakers adds a sense of caution and unnamable dread to the series, as it’s unclear if children are somehow beyond his reach or if he simply chooses not to harm them.

Hellraiser's Pinhead

Pinhead, the leader of the Cenobites, from the Hellraiser series, is a being of extreme cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness. He has taken over the lives of many adult men and women, but he has consistently refrained from killing children. This decision is a matter of personal choice or perhaps a rule embedded within the Cenobites' code. It adds to the aura of unpredictability that surrounds Pinhead's character.

The Children of the Corn

The Children of the Corn series, which centers on a cult of children led by an amoral young man named Jay, has a chilling concept. Instead of targeting children, the kidnappers and killers in this series target all adults, with the children ironically representing a sanctuary. It is their ultimate goal to leave the children unharmed to run the town, though with an underlying twisted morality.

Puppet Master's Puppet

The protagonists in the Puppet Master series include several puppets who have killed countless adversaries with their gruesome mechanisms. However, there is no recorded instance of them killing a human child. While the puppets have killed many adults and even other animals, they have shown a clear preference against targeting children.

Potterfield Bates in Psycho

Norman Bates, the infamous killer from the Psycho franchise, has taken the lives of many men and women. However, it is notable that he never—either on screen or in the original books—targeted a single child in his crimes or murders. This is a strange omission that offers a different dimension to his character.

Chucky in Child’s Play

While Chucky, the killer doll from the Child's Play franchise, sought the body of a young girl named Tiffany, he ended up in a cycle of torment and possession, instead of killing her. Unlike his framer Captain Karen Dhane and other victims who are killed, Chucky did not specifically target Tiffany for murder, even though he wanted to possess her.

The Devil in Omen

The evil figure known as the Devil from the Omen franchise has no specific kill count attributed, and he did not target children in his plot to dominate the world. The series focuses more on his sinister ambitions and the lives of the children he attempts to manipulate, rather than directly harming them.

The Entities in Poltergeist

Though the Poltergeist series revolved around supernatural entities terrorizing a family, it was the adults, including child Carol-Anne's mother, who were directly targeted. Carol-Anne, the young daughter, was not harmed; the entity's goal was to keep her safe while using these adults for its own nefarious purposes. This twist adds an intriguing moral ambiguity to the series, where Carol-Anne is the unharmed hero representing hope and innocence.

Evil Dead's Demons

Though the demonic entities in the Evil Dead franchise were fierce enemies to the protagonist Ash Williams, they were never shown to specifically target children. The overwhelming majority of the demons' attacks were directed at adults, with a few exceptions that involved the pets in the household rather than human children.

Conclusion

Interestingly, the absence of child victims in these horror franchises does not necessarily equate to less horror. Each of these killers' choices—whether by design or consequence—add to the broader narrative and deeply affect the psychological horror elements of each series. Despite their horrific natures, the omission of killing children adds an element of unpredictability and elevates the fear factor in a different way. It makes the franchise killers even more terrifying, as it leaves a haunting question in the minds of the audience: Why did he leave that child alone?

Such detailed exploration of the horror figures in these films enriches our understanding of why these franchises remain so captivating and hold a permanent place in the collective consciousness of horror fans around the world.