#356. Wicked Little Things (2006)

Directed By: J.S. Cardone

Starring: Lori Heuring, Scout Taylor-Compton, Chloe Moretz



Tag line: "Prey for them"

Trivia:  Tobe Hooper was initially attached to direct the film

Karen Tunny (Lori Heuring), a recent widow, and her two daughters; Sarah (Scout Taylor-Compton) and Emma (Chloe Moretz), have just inherited a house that's been in her late husband's family for generations. Located deep in the mountains of Pennsylvania, Karen's first inclination is to unload the property, but after paying it a visit, she realizes it may be a tough sell. Aside from the fact there's no running water, a family of rats has moved into the cupboards, and the front door is drenched in blood. 

Of course, the local flesh-eating zombies aren't doing much for property values, either. 

It all started back in 1913, when a group of impoverished children, forced to work in the coal mines, were trapped underground after an explosion triggered a cave-in. All were presumed dead, but the truth of the matter is they didn't really die that day...or any day since. Seeking their revenge on a town they feel deserted them, the youngsters crawl out of the now-abandoned mineshaft each and every night, feeding on rabbits, pigs, and the occasional human before finally returning from whence they came . Whereas Karen initially chalks these stories of flesh-eating tykes up to urban legend, she slowly starts to change her mind once Emma begins talking of a new friend she's made, a little girl named Mary (Helia Grekova), who, as luck would have it, lives in the old mine! 

Wicked Little Things doesn't make any attempt to hide its pint-sized carnivores from the audience, giving us a good look at them within the film's first 20 minutes (normal children by all appearances, save their jet-black eyes). As for the action, the first kill scene doesn't quite live up to expectations (a local handyman, played by Geoffrey Lewis, is beaten to death with a shovel), but things do improve from there on out as the kids step up their search for William Carlton (Martin McDougall), the only surviving descendant of the man who put them to work in the mines all those years ago. And though a few of the kills are damn near ruined by some truly awful CGI blood spurts (another weakness of the first kill sequence mentioned above), Wicked Little Things is a zombie movie that ultimately delivers the goods.