The Child Eater (2016)

The 2016 indie horror film The Child Eater, directed by Erlingur Thoroddsen, introduced viewers to a chilling new horror figure: Robert Bowery, a once-human monster who feasts on children’s eyes to keep himself from going blind. Set in a sleepy rural town haunted by old stories, the film mixed folklore and modern dread to unsettling effect.

While it didn’t break mainstream barriers, The Child Eater carved a niche among horror fans with its eerie atmosphere, gritty visuals, and a story that leaned more on creeping terror than jump scares. It wasn’t perfect—some pacing issues and predictable turns held it back—but the central monster, Bowery, was memorably grotesque and genuinely unsettling. His blend of myth and slasher made him feel like a creature pulled from dark fairy tales.

Now, almost a decade later, an imagined sequel titled The Child Eater: Blood Moon expands the mythos with deeper lore and a more ambitious narrative.

Set five years after the events of the original, Blood Moon follows Helen McCormick, now a trauma counselor, who returns to her hometown after a child disappears under circumstances frighteningly similar to her past encounter. But the Bowery legend didn’t die—it only retreated. Now, under the light of a rare blood moon, the cycle of horror begins anew.

A group of children report seeing “The Man in the Walls,” and disturbing drawings begin appearing in school. Helen, joined by a skeptical detective and a grieving father, uncovers that Bowery was not alone—he was part of a cult that believed consuming innocence brought eternal clarity. The blood moon is part of a ritual to summon a new eater—one even worse.

Visually, Blood Moon leans into folk horror elements: strange symbols carved into trees, rituals in the woods, and pale figures wearing eyeless masks. The sequel offers more layered storytelling, blending psychological trauma with supernatural horror. Unlike the first film’s confined narrative, this one opens up the world, suggesting that the Child Eater is part of a much older, global terror.

At its core, Blood Moon is about inherited trauma—how nightmares, both literal and emotional, are passed down unless faced head-on. It elevates Helen from victim to fighter, while still honoring the slow-burn dread of the original.