Willy Wonka and the Chocolate FactoryNo, I dont mean the 2005 version, although that is plenty scary. Im talking about the original. Look past the singing dwarves with jaundice and the constant child mauling; the fear factor in this one boils down to this scene. The single most frightening sequence in all of 70s cinema. And were talking about a decade that brought us The Exorcist and Alien. In one master stroke, this film says, Hey kids, this is what dropping acid is like. The first times free!
BambiAlright everybody, repeat after me: BAMBIS MOM GETS SHOT.
The Never Ending StoryThe scary thing about this movie is The Nothing. You know, the thing consuming all of Fantasia. And what is The Nothing? A giant lizard? A sentient, radioactive cloud? Worse: The Nothing is nothing. It is oblivion the great unknown; the cold and lifeless void beyond our realm of understanding. Hey kiddies, wrap your little heads around that meaty chunk of existential crisis. Thank you, Never Ending Story; you are more depressing than reading No Exit. Oh, and that princess? Some say cute, I say creepy.
There are those who believe we must guard and protect children from the hurts and traumas of the big bad world for as long as possible. Then there are those people who believe we should toughen kids up by exposing them to and even pummeling them with terror and depravity. Those people become childrens filmmakers. Dont believe me? Gaze upon the list below and find a hall of horrors to give Wes Craven nightmares.
Childrens Online Privacy Policy
Monster HouseThis movie makes no bones about it: Its a horror movie for kids. As such, its supposed to be an entry-level kind of scary a scary ride with the training wheels. The scares are played for fun and are thankfully not unintentionally creepy/weird/scary like the other movies on this list. One of the best kid movies Ive seen in a long time. Unfortunately I couldnt watch it with my child because it would scare the hell out of her. But the man-eating house pretty cool.
The WitchesRoald Dahl hits the list again, aided and abetted by Anjelica Huston vamping the wallpaper right off the walls. Dahls original is pretty graphic, detailing a foul boy being transformed into a foul mouse. The film did that description justice. (By the way, this isnt the actual trailer for the movie, but we think it captures its essence quite well.)
Content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical or health, safety, legal or financial advice.
E.T.Steven Spielberg made his good guy the most terrifying thing you could imagine. A generation of children learned that aliens can be friendly once you get past all the ear-splitting shrieking and the fact they look like lions after being dipped in lava and having their head flattened with a lead pipe. That screeching little alien tap-danced his way into our hearts and wallets. Its hard to find a grown-up who doesnt have fond memories of E.T. and also remember it scaring the crap out of them.
The Chronicles of NarniaThere are plenty of reasons The Chronicles of Narnia might scare a kid: creepy English children, goat men, ham-fistedly overt Christian themes. But the big one, the one that takes this over the top, is violence rendered upon animals. Kids can watch human beings getting plowed down all day long, but you give one beagle a charley horse and here come the waterworks. The world of Narnia is a talking animal realm, and those chatty beavers and wolves have no qualms stabbing each other like its a prison shower.
The Polar ExpressRealistically animated flesh with cold, dead eyes must be Robert Zemeckis idea of family entertainment. And by realistic flesh, I mean realistic for a burn victim. This thing is horrifying from top to bottom. A holiday film by the star of Forrest Gump? Tom Hanks playing Santa Claus as well as thirty-seven other roles? What a delightfu OH GOD! WHAT IS HAPPENING UP ON SCREEN?! I CLOSE MY EYES AND I CAN STILL SEE IT!
Click here for additional information.
The Secret of NimhYou know you are in for a less-than-cheerful ride within the first minute when we learn that dad mouse is dead and baby mouse is dying. Hmmm, an inauspicious start for fun family entertainment, if I may say so. What strikes me even now about this movie is how very real the peril these mice get into feels. My young brain was not prepared for a cartoon that was so gritty. Oh, and lets not forget the cat with one eye and the freaky Great Owl.
Wizard of OzOkay, I do not think anything about this movie is scary, but a lot of people do. Guess its the flying monkeys. Now to be fair, back in the 1930s when this movie came out, Ill bet those flying monkeys were scary as hell. Then again, in 1939 Americans were also afraid the country would collapse into ruin because of a scandalous new dance called the jitterbug.
MoonwalkerIf I had to choose the most frightening element of Moonwalker, I would have to say its the overall message that if you are a child and you spend lots of time with Michael Jackson, the weirdest thing that could happen is hell turn into a 100-foot tall screaming robot. Thats just dangerously misleading.
Old YellerYes, shooting a dog is traumatizing, but lets break down what is so emotionally scarring about this particular one. From the death of Old Yeller we learn three things: 1. New friends will always turn on you. 2. If you ever open your heart to love something, it will contract rabies and try to kill you. 3. Shooting Old Yeller represents Traviss metaphorical entrance into manhood.
The Care Bears MovieNot an obvious choice. My daughter claimed this one to be scary, but she could get spooked by a stiff wind. And yet, as I polled adults for their scary kid movie picks, this one popped up. Why? Because a little boy turns into an evil magician, with red glowing eyes and everything. But who needs those limp attempts at scary when you have this:
The Adventures of Mark TwainYou may have caught this one during your summers as a fat boy holed up inside a darkened house avoiding sunlight like it was poison. Oh wait, that was me. If you havent seen it, the movie chugs along amiably enough, until it gets to this part. Claymation apocalypse, anyone?
The Garbage Pail Kids MovieSpeaking of gross-outs, know whats gross? An hour-and-a-half long 80s product tie-in. Thank you, The Garbage Pail Kids Movie. First of all, I was a kid when the cards were popular, and I never got the appeal, thought others went gaga for them. Maybe Garbage Pail Kids are before your time, or its been so long you have a hazy recollection. Let me jog that memory. Who wanted to see THIS brought to walking, talking life? This is what it looks like. And guess what? They still sell the cards.
DumboSometime during his reign, Walt Disney turned to his staff of animators and said, You know, boys, scientists arent going to invent LSD for decades, but kids clamor to trip out NOW! It is our civic duty to blow the minds of American children. From Disneys decree came psychedelic head trips like the Pink Elephant scene from Dumbo. The real bummer of Dumbo is the cruelty Dumbo and his mother suffer from their fellow animals. If you see a single tear roll down your childs cheek as she watches, its because Walt just taught her that life is cruel and people suck.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of DoomWith Temple, youd think George Lucas and Steven Spielberg had a pitch session just to dream up all the potential gross-out/freak-out factors: Alright Steve. One word: bugs. Mmm hmm. And let me add this, George: more bugs. Were both wrong. What is needed here is a CRAPLOAD of bugs! (Both) Hear! Hear! Ooh, and monkeys brains. Eyeball soup. Grotesquely caricatured ethnic stereotypes. Like a cute Asian kid with an accent so thick you could choke on it. How about a guy who tears your heart out? And the heart bursts into flames. Youre a mad genius. Did I mention bugs?
Content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical or health, safety, legal or financial advice.
The 26 Most Disturbing Kids Movies Ever
Speed RacerHavent seen this one yet. Too afraid of having a seizure.
Click here for additional information.
The Peanut Butter SolutionSure, the movie seems all fine and dandy until you press play. For starters, a boy wanders into an abandoned house and finds ghosts, who apparently can be anywhere (real good for kids to know). Then he goes bald from said ghosts. Then those same ghosts help him mix a special peanut butter solution to help his hair grow. And it works, except the hair keeps growing and growing at a rate the Energizer Bunny would admire, to the point where a man kidnaps the kid to make magical paintbrushes out of his hair. Lesson to all the dads out there: Stick to Rogaine.
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to FacebooksTerms of ServiceandPrivacy Policy. Your Facebook name, profile photo and other personal information you make public on Facebook (e.g., school, work, current city, age) will appear with your comment.Learn More
Watership DownI dont want to talk about this any further.
Return to OzIn the unofficial 80s sequel to those fearsome flying monkeys, Dorothy is called back to Oz to save the land from the Nome King. Oh, wait, lets backtrack: First a strange blonde girl saves Dorothy from ELECTROSHOCK THERAPY (thanks a lot, Auntie Em), then she goes to Oz, where shes chased by Wheelers, who have wheels for hands and feet (how the hell do you outrun those babies?!), and gets trapped by Princess Mombi, a witch who collects heads. As in, heads. See below. Then clack your ruby slippers and repeat after me: Theres no place like my happy place
Song of the SouthAll the ingredients for a happy-go-lucky kid flick are there: The rabbits are cute, the foxes are adorable. You and your kids could watch the whole thing and sleep an undisturbed sleep. But later, maybe days later, it strikes you: My sweet Jemima, that movie was racist! I dont mean kinda offensive, but so racist it will make your eyes sting. Realizing that you and your kids consumed nearly radioactive amounts of antiquated stereotypes hidden in the Trojan Horse of fluffy anthropomorphized Disney animals now thats scary.
Childrens Online Privacy Policy
Little MonstersHey kids, lets validate your universal fear of monsters living under the bed. Not scary enough? What if said monsters looked and sounded just like schtick-master Howie Mandel? AAAAHHHHHHH!
The Dark CrystalThat Jim Henson was one dark dude. Miss Piggy- and Gonzo-loving kids and parents must have thought this J.R.R. Tolkien-like epic would be an adorable Kermit-dressed-as-a-Hobbit romp. What they got were the Skeksis, lizard bird creatures that ate other Muppets and shrieked in such a way, I still cant get it out of my head. Then theres the Crypt Keeper-looking Muppet who takes her eyeballs out and throws them at people. Oh, and those gigantic beetle things with their skin-crawling chattering always with the chattering. And then theres this (and thats supposed to be cute):
LabyrinthThe idea of a Muppet is inherently frightening. Felt and glass eyes lurching about in a folly of life. Ironically, the Muppets arent the least human thing in this movie. That honor goes to honorary space alien David Bowie. Androgynous, sparkle eyeliner-wearing, spandexed, coked-up, Ziggy Stardust-mode David Bowie. I love this movie, but watching David Bowie sashay around in an enhanced codpiece for hours has informed (or malformed) my concept of gender types far more than Id like to admit. Luckily, a young Jennifer Connolly is on hand to straighten things out. Did I mention I love this movie?