The new face of horror?
Meet Jackson Robert Scott. You know him better as Georgie Denbrough, Bode Locke, or maybe Miles Blume. And while he had small roles on Criminal Minds and Fear the Walking Dead, his bigger roles are all seeped in the horror genre. Something child actors wait to do later in their careers...at least on this scale.
While IMDB will share his height - an impressive 4'6" - it will not allow you to typecast him by his age...so I'm gonna guess 10-12. Usually, kids in this age group will be featured on Nickelodeon or Disney until they hit 17-20 and then pivot to a role that will give them status as an adult actor. For example, Ross Lynch, from Austin & Ally, played a young Jeff Dahmer in My Friend Dahmer right after he left Disney.
But not our boy, Jackson. And while he doesn't start his horror movie career by being a monster, he does play one of the most important parts of IT...Bill's little brother who is viciously murdered by Pennywise the clown and sets in motion the battle between the Loser's and the entity that terrorizes the town of Derry.
And while he returns throughout both parts of IT as flashbacks and Pennywise tricks, Jackson does such a wonderful job of capturing all the necessary elements to make his first interaction with Pennywise truly horrific. At this point, he has no more than a handful of projects under his belt (esp. without knowing his stage work) and he hits every note of this 4-minute scene with more skill than many of the so-called leading men of Hollywood. Too bad he wasn't around when they were looking for a young Anakin...but that's for another post
In between the chapters of IT, Jackson decided to broaden his horror horizon with The Prodigy. Here he plays a child with off the charts development. And while the twist is new, the execution is a tad heavy-handed and by the book. And while I wouldn't encourage you to go out of your way to see it for the movie itself, I would say Jackson's portrayal is quite good. The range he needs to show for this role is impressive, and he plays the character of Miles perfectly. IMDB rates it around a 6, and I'd say that was a fair grade. If you like horror movies that are less about blood and more about screwing with your head, The Prodigy does that...but don't worry some blood is still there. You can catch it for free on Hulu and Amazon Prime.
Finally, Jackson gets to be a major part of the Locke Family as he tackles the role of Bode Locke, the youngest of three. Locke and Key, based on the graphic novel series by Joe Hill*, is a 10 episode series on Netflix. After their father is murdered, the family moves across the country to their ancestral home. A home their father never spoke about, and one filled with magic keys. But something wants the keys for itself and will do anything to get them from the family. While the series has horror elements, it combines so much more as we follow each member of the family as they try to come to terms with their both their loss and the new adventures the magic of their house provides. Locke and Key is a standout addition to the ocean of streaming options out there. And like most Netflix series, you can watch the whole thing in one sitting if that's your thing.
And while I'm sure Jackson Robert Scott doesn't want to be pigeonholed in the horror genre, he's made some strong additions to the genre in a short period of time and at a young age. Here hoping he keeps his head on straight and continues to show off his impressive skills throughout his childhood, teenage years, and maybe if we're lucky at least his 20s.
* For those that don't know, Joe Hill is a horror writer. He is also Stephen King's son.