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How Scary Should Kids Movies Be?
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 10:57 by Helen O'Hara in The Empire Blog
Yesterday I found Babe: Pig in the City on TV and finally decided to find out if it was disappointing (as I'd heard) or one of the best sequels ever (as I'd also heard). Turns out it was pretty darn fantastic, what with the witty geography*, demented storyline and superb animal acting, occasionally augmented by CGI. But it's also really rather disturbing, what with a death and police brutality and animal experimentation and some vicious animal fights and even a moment where a dog goes to heaven. All of which chimed with recent and upcoming films like A Christmas Carol, Where The Wild Things Are and Coraline, which look like family films but are proper scary as well. So how frightening is OK for kids? Because both Coraline and Where The Wild Things Are (on its US release) drew semi-hysterical reactions from adults worried that children would be traumatised by the more intense and darker scenes in the films. OK, losing your eyes for buttons and/or heading off to live with a bunch of wild animals that might possibly eat you isn't the most comforting thought in the world - but all's well that end's well and it's a very rare child that remains genuinely upset by the experience. And the ghosts - especially Marley and the Ghost of Christmas Future - in A Christmas Carol are going to make you quake in your boots, but at the end of that movie it's the smell of turkey that lingers. But then, you already know this. If you grew up in the 1980s and early 1990s, your Christmases and Easters may, like mine, have been scarred by traumatic viewings of Watership Down. Or you may have cowered behind the sofa cushions at Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's Childcatcher, or The Wizard of Oz's flying monkeys, or hidden behind the sofa itself during Doctor Who**. I'm still a little loath to go back to the rabbit film, actually, but at least by now I can watch Ian Fleming's adventure without flinching (much). Or remember how obsessed entire school classes got with the scarier, ghost-ier BBC dramas like The Children Of Green Knowe (still not on DVD, tsk tsk) or The Box Of Delights. Still, I don't think any of that's been bad for me, or any other kid. And in a world where everyone seems increasingly paranoid for their children's sake, it might be no bad thing to introduce a small amount of fear, if only to build some emotional resilience. After all, it's the films that treat traumatic events as non-traumatic that (anecdotally, around these parts) seem to have caused most upset to kids. The fairly blithe manner in which every Disney film ever features at least one dead parent led one Empire tot to ask her mother whether it'd be mum or dad who was going to die first, and when that was going to happen. Think about it: Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin, Beauty, Nemo...you name a Disney hero / heroine, and chances are that at least one parent is missing. It's an easy, fairly cheap way to gain sympathy for the protagonist and add instant drama to the mix, but it's also so prevalent that it does risk giving children a scarier message than any number of button-eyed demons or fighting dogs. So how scary is too scary? And what's the film that scared or scarred you most as a kid? *The "city" that Pig visits contains the Eiffel Tower, Hollywood sign, Sydney Opera House, Statue of Liberty and Big Ben, as well as Venice-style canals, and I think that's just brilliant. Sometimes, making free with details like "fact" can make a film awesome. **Just me? I'll get me coat.
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Comments
| 1 |
bender_rodriguez
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 17:34
The Witches has scarred me for life! The book may be better but as a kid that film freaked me out. |
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| 2 |
superdan
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 17:47
Kids love being scared. I remember the absolute terror of watching Ghostbusters, the Dark Crystal and Return To Oz among others as a child, but I still loved them and repeatedly watched them, each time having to cower behind the sofa or whatever. It's great to reminisce about films that freaked you out as a kid. |
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| 3 |
Mr_Black
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 17:54
I'm still terrified of ET.
That is all. |
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| 4 |
SonnyDaze
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 18:44
Films like The Wizard of Oz and Watership Down probably wouldn't scare many kids nowadays....although Chitty Chitty is still scary, for all the wrong reasons ( I often still see Dick Van Dyke's horrendous grin when I close my eyes at night). To echo the thoughts of the first post, I would say that The Witches has to be the scariest kids film. Just imagine being a 10 year old boy trapped in a conference room full of those......those...THINGS!! |
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| 5 |
freddie205
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 19:02
T-Rex. I may have loved dinosaurs, but goddamn T-rex and the Raptors.
Oh and Mufasa. the bastard. |
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| 6 |
insanechick774
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 19:24
I grew up in the 80s/90s and can remember watching (or being forced to by a very cruel uncle) Ghostbusters when I was about 6. That scene in the library...oh god...that scared the crap out of me! I still find that a teeny bit scary. One thing that has stayed with me is The Incredible Hulk. I remember watching and loving the TV series...up until the point where his T-shirt starts ripping and his trainers burst open and then I would turn it off. The Hulk still terrifies me to this day. But on the other hand I watched Aliens when I was about 10, which undoubtedly scared me to death, but it's now my favourite film of all time! So swings and roundabouts I guess.... |
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| 7 |
Rumpledink
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 19:29
The answer is - not as scary as parents think. Kids love a good scare. We are not talking a nightmare on elm street here. There is nothing wrong in my opinion of showing kids the reality of death, birth or the cruel reality of things if it's done in an understandable and responsable way. As Maurice Sendak said when asked the same sort of question re: where the wild things are - "tell them anything you want". |
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| 8 |
squeezyrider
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 19:32
The film that scared me most as a child was a Disney live action effort called The Watcher in The Woods. I'm not going to go into it but I reckon if you're about the same age as me (30) then you'll know exactly what I mean. All I can say is that it's no High School Musical (thank god). |
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| 9 |
Rumpledink
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 19:39
that should have been - "tell them anything you want. Just tell if it's true" on his thoughts on not pandering to children. |
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| 10 |
dori
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 19:47
Kudos to squeezyrider...Watcher in the Woods scared the living poop out of me when I was younger! I think kids films should have that element of horror in them. I'd even argue that it is these scenes which make the child want to watch them again and again. There is fascination in horror. My little 'un watches Wizard of Oz now and even though she's scared of witches she also knows that water melts them so throws said stuff over the mother in law. |
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| 11 |
Dr Science
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 19:55
I totally agree with superdan: Return to Oz, Dark Crystal and Ghostbusters freaked me right out. Add to those Temple of Doom, Young Sherlock Holmes, Labyrinth, The Golden Child and The Neverending Story. |
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| 12 |
dannyboy8704
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 19:57
I watched The Witches the other day and, as a 22-year-old, it still made me trot myself. It was demented and dark but at least it made more emotional sense to me as a young adult than it ever did as a child. The beginning was just sick and terribly dark. I thought the lady who played the kid's grandmother was astounding as she was ambiguous in her sincerity and saintliness. I definitely saw something...odd...in the RSPCC-like band being an organization that preys on children. I read the book as a child but nothing prepares you for the visually disorienting smorgasbord on offer in this kids film. Purple eyes have never been so scary. |
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| 13 |
Dr Science
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 19:58
The one that left me most traumatised was Care Bears The Movie. Never underestimate the pschological damage that one little sister can do to her older brother through the medium of merciless repetitive VHS abuse. I still haven't forgiven her. |
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| 14 |
Dr Science
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 20:10
The problem is that there's far too many absolutely awful parents out there, who don't appreciate that their parental role is to actively introduce their children to the facts of life and help them adjust well enough to grow into balanced adults. Instead these people believe that if you close your eyes, stick your fingers in your ears and go "blah, blah, blah, blah" loudly enough all of the bad things will go away and so they raise cosseted, ignorant and self-absorbed little monsters - and all of the sane, balanced children have to watch more and more censored and diluted, neutered 'entertainment'. |
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| 15 |
Matthew Field
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 20:28
David Bowie with that hairdo and tights, and walking upside down on the ceiling in Labyrinth. That was a 'Freaky Dream'...
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| 16 |
draney
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 21:42
Dark Crystal. That film actually, genuinely traumatised a friend of mine. Oh, and the orginal animated Transformers movie, that film is brutal. Most of the main characters are killed off in the first 30 mins. Still, I think I turned out ok... |
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| 17 |
ethanhunt
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 21:50
How about the beast from The Neverending Story. Artax tha horse drowning in mud traumatised my sister (she still refuses to watch it), but that wolf eyes staring out of the cave at me still gives me the creeps/ |
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| 18 |
The Yellow Dart
Posted on Monday November 2, 2009, 22:32
I loved Coraline, it works much better as a horror film than drag me to hell which I though was rubbish, Coraline is scarier and funnier with characters I cared about. I think I would have liked it a lot as a kid too.
The library scene in ghostbusters and the end of raiders of the lost ark stick out in my mind from back then, I also remember catching the end of don’t look now on tv as a kid, that scared the living crap outta me :-)
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| 19 |
podimac
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 00:52
It scared the shit out of me as a child, i'm still afraid of clowns. although i bought it recently on DVD and it wasn't scary at all. also i was terrified of freddy Kruger. after watching a nightmare on elm street i always thought that when i flushed the toilet, freddy would reach out of the bowl with his razor glove and get me. i think that film kind of traumatised me because this went on for a while. i was never afraid of kids films. |
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| 20 |
conradthebarbarian2
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 01:45
I had a VHS of Jurrasic Park and I never ever once made it past the T-Rex scene I'd watch it up to that point and then stop, too scared to continue.
When I was twelve I watched it in its entirety, and I realized how much actually happens after that scene.
I realize JP isn't really a kids movie, but I think being freaked out by certain movies that you later come to love is a part of childhood.
But Disney movies don't seem to have that freaky element they used to have, when Aladin fights the snake and Genie turns evil and Jafar turns into a genie is way freakier than the sharks in Finding Nemo or any scene in UP.
Although the zombie toys in Toy Story are kinda freaky. "We're watching you Sid Philips: So... play... nice...!" |
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| 21 |
arturolivares
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 04:14
Willy Freaky Wonka, the one with Gene Wilder. That`s a film that as a kid i could not dare to finish.... I just thought it was worth to mention it as no body has done it yet. I agree with all of the other films that have been mentioned. |
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| 22 |
P84
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 09:37
Freddie 205 your "Oh and Mufasa. the bastard." comment made me chuckle rather a lot.
If kids dont like a scary part of a movie they simply wont watch. My cousin didnt like the dragon in shrek, so he simply fast forwarded that bit. Its the same with Bambi's mums death.
Kids need a little fear. I will admit The witches, david bowie and Tim curry in "It" reqlly freaked me out as a kid. but i did stop making me want to watch scarey movies.
By the time i was 8 i had watched all the freddie movies, the candy man, IT, children of the corn, the stand, tommy knockers etc etc. And i loved them all.
So basically kids should be allowed to make there own minds up.
If the parents are worried, dont take them to the cinema to watch it. wait for the dvd that way they can turn it off. problem solved.
PS- has any one watched the labyrinth recently? david bowie isbt the scarey one. Its the main girl. She's totally insane. |
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| 23 |
Lindz28
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 09:49
Good points all, but we are all individuals and what might scare one child might not effect another so theres always going to be debate. For me witches scared me when I was little and Disney's Snow WHite is still terrifying! I adore Wizard of Oz but when I was little I would pretend I needed the loo and go out when the witch came on. |
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| 24 |
gambit21
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 10:02
I remember getting very scared at watership down and the witches. But I also remember loving them and wanting to watch again and again, despite soiling myself whilst watching them. I think its good to have films that are scary for kids, its not as if there is nothing in life that is scary. At least in a movie it will end well in a kids film. As for me, my older brother forced me to watch aliens when I was about 8. Seeing bishop ripped in half having thought they were safe haunted me as a child. Since then very few things have scared me and I relish a film that can. |
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| 25 |
fuzzcaminski
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 11:43
The Dark Crystal scared me poopless as a child, so much so that I didn't watch it for years, yet now it's one of my favourite childhood memories, albeit a faded and warped one from years of not watching it, I can't even remember who old I was when I first watched it, although I do remember being blown away by how amazing the puppetry was. Then again, being the youngest of three, (the oldest being 31 and I being 24 now) I was also accustomed to watching the Running man, Aliens and Tremors from a very early age whilst playing with lego and eating cheese sandwiches! So maybe the scary films sort of became numbed down as I watched Xenomoprhs explode from people's chests and Arnold Schwarzenegger run around in a Gold and Silver skin tight Adidas jump suit! Then again, Watership Down is still far too F'ed up for me to watch on my own, it's like the Anti-Disney of children's films, bloody Myxomatosis metaphors! |
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| 26 |
fraser1978
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 12:23
The Last Starfighter. The scene where the clone is slowly morphing into the hero under the bed covers. Horrible shit for an 8 year old to endure! |
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| 27 |
katie_l_f
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 12:28
I was terrified by Coraline in the cinema, but all the kids around me seemed to dealing with it rather better than I was. |
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| 28 |
carzed_fairy
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 12:46
watership down and jarassic park scarred me for life after watching it
although went to nine the other night and that tramatised me a fair bit... |
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| 29 |
jfilsell
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 13:26
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. My parents took me to see it when I was 7 (what were they thinking?!) And for years I had to close my eyes at the scene where Robin (after landing at Dover and going via Hadrian's Wall) comes home to Nottingham and finds his father strung up.
Years later I now appreciate it for the pure sexiness of Alan Rickman - but I still shudder at the KKK-esque, burnt body in cage bits. |
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| 30 |
Kimmycat24
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 13:29
Bambi and Old Yeller are two movies that traumatized me as a child. I am in my fifties now. Bambi's Mother being killed by a wolf and Old Yeller dying of rabies were so scary. I was probably about five.The Wizard of Oz was also scary. Those flying monkey creatures frightened me to death. I dreamt that they were coming after me once. I was about 7 when it was shown on US TV.The films The Birds, Psycho, Jaws, The Exorcist, The Omen Carrie, and Salem's Lot scared the hell out of me as an older teen. Different things scare different people. As you get older, things that frightened you as a child seen to be not as scary. As an Adult, Poltergeist, Scanners, and Halloween scared me silly. |
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| 31 |
presidentcletus
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 14:34
Jaws, no contest. I admit that many of aforementioned films gave me the creeps when I was younger, but nothing came close to the horror of that fucking shark. Nobody 'forced' me to watch it (do you honestly expect me to believe that your older siblings dragged you in front of the television to watch a film? If I could have built up a campsite in the sitting room, I would've) and nobody told me anything about it. I was a 6 year old shark buff, so I expected something Attenboroughish with a bit more suspense. You know, study the shark and revel in excitement. If only... The image of Chrissie Watkins blackened and tattered body haunted me for months. She was my monster under the bed. Strange, huh? Being terrified not only of the shark, but also of the victim. Steven you terrible bastard, I tip my hat to you!
But speaking of swings and roundabouts, Jaws is my favourite film... I guess Bruce ain't what he used to be. |
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| 32 |
Jasper_29
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 15:31
Nicolas Roeg's The Witches was really too scary for, ahem, my sister when she was 7.
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| 33 |
driscollobos
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 16:41
I didn't realise Roeg made The Witches! Makes sense.
I absolutely, fundamentally, unequivocally hate this nonsense about folms like Coraline or Where The Wild Things Are being declared too scary by imagination-deprived adults. Kids LOVE scary movies. All of my favourite kids movies were terrifying. Dark Crystal is a good shout, but as a movie that still terrifies me to this day, look no further than Return To Oz. Jesus. |
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| 34 |
phlphlphl
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 16:59
Definitely DEFINITELY Return to Oz. All those heads? At my local Lazer Quest they had this section which I think was supposed to be people in cryo-sleep, but always reminded me of that fucking corridor in Return to Oz. I covered the left flank, avoided it altogether.
Neverending Story - Artex drowning wasn't so much scary as really traumatic. That stuck with me. At least I could hide when the wolf's big scary eyes appeared.
Darby O'Gill and the Little People - that shit was FUCKED UP, yo. The Banshee, the Carriage coming for him. Have you seen that Disneyland ad with the carriage speeding through the night? To me that will always be a harbinger of death.
Michael Jackson's Thriller - Every time he turned into the werewolf I actually ran out of the house, yet for some reason we rented it on BetaMax every week. Still amazing. |
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| 35 |
Mopictures
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 17:41
When visiting the cousins recently I asked what the little ones what they thought of the most recent Potter film. They said that they hadn't enjoyed it at all - "It's not like a kids film anymore" was the consensus.
Now, I enjoyed "Half-Blood Prince", but I totally see what they mean. And can tell it wasn't because of the scary bits (Of which is really only one real sequence in the cave) but because it was slow paced and dealt with more adult concerns, had a gloomier colour-palette and thinky bits. If you were to roll back the films to "Sorcerer's Stone" and "Chamber of Secrets" (The softer, fuzzier ones which I'm sure parents wouldn't blink twice about letting their kids see) you'll actually find they're far scarier for kids - Giant spiders and dudes with heads on the back of their heads.
I remember a priceless moment in the cinema when I realised that a giant spider was going to jump suddenly at Ron (As I knew about film grammar to see it coming) and scare the HELL out of the much younger kids in the same row! And yet no one kicked up a fuss over that? Kids don't get turned off by scares, they turned off by a lack of engagement to THEIR issues.
I can't wait for "Wild Things" (As my friend worked on it, legend!) and I'd also point you "Batman: The Animated Series" - one of the best kids TV shows EVER, and unfortunately will probably never be reprised in the same way because of the post-Columbine issues with guns in children's fiction. There are cons with tommy guns and cops with revolvers, but Batman never uses a gun. What's the problem? It's the same malaise with Spielberg removing the guns from "ET." Why? ET is the hero and he doesn't use a gun either! And I think you'd argue that without THREAT, kids films would be completely rubbish.
My scary pick:
"Remember me, Eddie? When I killed you brother I talked JUST...LIKE...THIIIIIISSSSS!" Christopher Lloyd suddenly becomes fucking terrifying in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit. |
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| 36 |
chrishaydon_63
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 17:47
I'm in agreement with all those who said kids like to be scared.
I went to a premiere screening of 'Coraline' earlier this year and spoke to Henry Selick, and he says exactly the same. The element of fear is very similar to excitement, it creates an emotion.
I remeber when I was younger constantly reading 'Goosebumps' books and watching 'Are you Afraid of the Dark?'
I think 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' and 'The Witches' are two scary Children's movies and I think Ms. Trunchbull from 'Matilda' is one of the scariest characters in a long time
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| 37 |
MovieAddict247
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 17:57
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is the ultimate in scary kids films.
When the judge has been steamrolled, then he peels himself up and says "Remember me, Eddie? When I killed your brother?" in that scratching voice.
Terrifying.
Mousehunt, when that man ate the cockroach at the beginning - I always had to leave the room.
Also, a word for the ending of Raiders of the Lost Arc. After seeing all the bad guys destroyed in that really scary way, and then seeing that the Arc has just been put in storage, and is still out there...........scared me senseless as a child. |
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| 38 |
shadozfest
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 18:14
The live action scenes in The Waterbabies still freaks me out to this day |
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| 39 |
zimo5
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 18:18
HA, I was watching Robocop at 5, Total Recall, Commando, The Terminator, Big Trouble in Little China, The Thing, Predator, Aliens
All these films were watched growing up as well as numerous horrors and that was okay. Just dandy.
Bottom line is that if parents are concerned that things in films will scare their children, then either watch it before hand or just don't let them see them. Simple |
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| 40 |
SheepSugar
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 18:45
Not really a kids' film, but I remember going to see The Spy Who Loved me with my family when I was about seven, and Jaws (as in the Richard Kiel baddie) scared the hell out of me. Not sure it was so much him or anything he did, so much as the anticipation that he might do something really horrendous! I think it was the tension they built up just before he corners and kills someone at the Pyramids. I remember feeling vaguely ashamed of being scared (nipped off to the loo rather than clinging to a parent!) and I'm quite fond of the character these days, so no lasting trauma! |
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| 41 |
Matthew Field
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 19:53
The opening music of Jaws. I used to wait upstairs until the music had finished.....oh yeah and Ben Gardener's head. |
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| 42 |
Sadooskria
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 21:09
Scary movies for me were;
Krull - especially when people kept dying, eg. the cyclops and the men getting skewered, also whenever anyone turned evil their eyes turned black *shudder*
Watership Down, when General Woundwart tore rabbit's throats out.
The 'Devil's Mountain' scene from Fantasia, the perfect fusion of image and that score made me have creepy dreams
The Dark Crystal - which i couldn't finish
The glowing eyes and teeth under the bed in Nightmare Before Christmas!! Hid behind sofa just for that lil bit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit - Christopher Lloyd was terrifying
Willy Wonka - the boat scene, all those creepy images and lyrics!!
Also the Disney short of Sleepy Hollow
This shouldn't really count buy Tom and Jerrys 'Heavenly Puss' freaked me out!!
Men in Black freaked me out |
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| 43 |
Sadooskria
Posted on Tuesday November 3, 2009, 23:53
...just to add Men in Black creeped me out when the alien wore the man's skin throughout the movie...
Oh! Almost forgot, Basil the Great Mouse Detective! The Secret of Nymn was quite creepy but it didn't seem to scare me as much as the last battle in the rain on the clock between Basil and that giant rat! |
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| 44 |
billythehick
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 00:31
do i smell a NostalgiaCritic fan? |
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| 45 |
db097
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 01:39
Being now in my twenties, it's only fairly recently that I've discovered that many people seem to dislike/hate Ghostbusters 2...and yet, as a kid I loved it (and as a big kid I still do). One of the things I loved most about it though was how weirdly scary I found Vigo ("The scourge of Carpathia! The sorrow of Moldavia!"), and Janusz played by the guy out of Ally McBeal whose name currently escapes me. The part where Oscar the baby is on the ledge outside the apartment and Janusz appears in the form of a ghostly evil nanny still gives me shudders. Yikes! |
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| 46 |
sambomatsoki
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 10:31
The Witches, Watership Down and the live-action bits in Waterbabies are all good shouts. That bit in Pinocchio where all the kids start turning into donkeys terrified me to the very depths of my soul.
Personally I was most traumatised by tv shows, the strangest being French and Saunders' parody of The Exorcist. I actually had nightmares about Dawn French's revolving head. There was this show called the Lady in Black or something which the plot was too complex for my eight year old self to follow, but there was this bit at the end where the main character is in his bed and hears whispers all around and then out of nowhere the lady in black is just screeching in his face. I can picture it so clearly even now. |
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| 47 |
mighty mick
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 10:45
The thing about children's films is that they need to be well calibrated. They should balance the scary bits with some genuinely funny, uplifting parts. Take The Lion King: Mufasa dies, Scar takes over, has everyone believe Simba's dead and Simba is alone in the desert. Just when you think things can't get any more depressing Timon & Pumba storm onto the screen and inject some much needed to comedy to counter all the sadness and depression that has come before. Same goes for Ghostbusters (although I wouldn't call that a children's film, "have you been menstruating lately?"): for every creepy librarian or demon possessef Sigourney there is a witty line from Venkman to make the whole situation more enjoyable.
I do think children should be scared to some degree, you need to introduce them somehow to the concepts of loss and death and what better way to do it than through their filmed entertainment? |
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davelogan
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 11:05
When I was a kid we watched the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe BBC series on video. The White Witch in that scared the hell out of me when I was 4. There has always been incredibly emotion heavy moments in kids movies. Mufasa's death in the Lion King was pretty harsh. So long as they go to to Exorcist extremes then the kids will be fine. |
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squiggleyjoop
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 11:38
When I was young I had frequent nightmares about Edward Scissorhands, scared the hell out of me!I only ever made it as far as his discovery in the attic and had to switch it off.One of my favourite film,I was shocked when I found out he was the good guy!
Was anyone scared of the'Sandman' short when they were a kid?The birdlike chap who sneaks in and steals kids eyes,still scares me to watch it now! |
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| 50 |
crazycatlady
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 13:51
I was talking to a friend last weekend who told me that when she was at uni she stayed at the Headland Hotel in Newquay with some friends. They couldn't work out why they were all so scared of it until another guest mentioned it was the setting of The Witches - it turned out all of them had been traumatised by the film.
Personally I find kids' movies much scarier now than I did then. When I was a kid I was always sure that things would somehow work out but adults can see all the ways it could get worse. Let the kids have their scary films- it teaches them to hope for the eventual victory. |
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| 51 |
Kadi!
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 13:53
Labrynth terrified me when i first saw it. I was quite young, maybe 5 or 6 and i cried until the mother turned it of. Puppets, man, couldnt deal with them. |
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| 52 |
mosephland
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 16:31
Spike Jonze on 'Where the Wild Things Are': "I didn't want to make a children's movie, I wanted to make a movie abut childhood".
This has nothing to do with your blog Helen but I just wanted to say that WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE WAS AMAZING. AMAZING AMAZING. SAW IT THE DAY IT CAME OUT AND WEPT LIKE CRAZY. SO GOOD.
sorry for my random outburst |
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| 53 |
bwaller
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 16:56
THE most traumatic thing about the whole Artax drowning episode in Neverending Story is that he does so because he can't shake the all-consuming sadness that has gripped him. Coupled with the pleas from Atreyu (sp?) to fight the sadness and not give up the whole scene becomes almost unbearable.
Even typing this makes me feel gutted. |
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bwaller
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 16:59
Oh, and Beastmaster. Dunno what the certificate of that doozy was when it was first released but it scared the crap out of me in the cinema. Couldn't bear it. My parents' odd attitude to policing my viewing didn't really though. I sat and watched Alien, recorded from the TV the night previous, with my Mum sometime in 1985. Needless to say, it frazzled my 7-year-old mind – chest-bursting, attempted suffocation with a magazine by an android culminating the removal of said android's head in all it's milky glory.
Inevitably some unsettled nights followed and in fantastic knee-jerk fashion, my Dad decided not to let me watch 'V' that he'd been dutifully recording for me, because, "it's got aliens in it too". Eh? Seriously? Unconvincing, soapy lizard folk or acid-blooded xenomorphic death machines.
But back on point, there is a need for scares in children's film and TV offerings otherwise important lessons about the nature of consequence are lost. |
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JimKing75
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 17:44
Actually, whoever said the Hulk is dead right – it wasn’t his big green-ness that freaked me out – it was his eyes…those dead, dead eyes.
Return to Oz was terrifying – much more so that Wizard – it lingers long in the memory and I haven’t seen it in years – and not sure I want to….
Pleased to see Watership getting lots of mentions – it appeared on TV last month, and it is still very dark, and blood soaked for a kid’s film. General Woundwort facing off with the dog near the end is pretty bloody brutal.
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MetalHead36
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 18:34
Jurassic Park utterly terrified me as a kid, I had nightmares for days! I enjoyed it all the same though. Also, Beauty and the Beast, the scene where Belle is chased through the woods by wolves. (I think I'm thinking of the right film, not seen it for years). That scene also gave me nightmares! Not a film, but the Goosebumps television series for kids had some moments of terror in there, but you had to sit through it or endure much teasing from brothers and sisters. |
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munkybren
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 18:58
some of the best "kid friendly" films are scary, Jaws, Jurassic Park, LOTR.
Ghostbusters 2 scared me, so did the bit when Elliot and ET scare each other and ET makes that sound and his neck stretches.
But I think kids need that thrill, it's good for their character, introduces them to what film can do, otherwise it'll just be Shreks and Madagascars that make kids laugh and nothing more.
I also think the Disney approach of having dead parents works, or more recently Up were it didn't shy away from Ellies death and Fantastic Mr. Fox which makes no secret of the fact that Mr. Fox kills chickens by wringing their necks in his mouth, why deny it?
This is the real world kids, parents die, monsters are scary (notexactly real I know) and foxes kill chickens. |
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Existing Bloke
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 19:08
The bit in the 1984 George C Scott version of A Christmas Carol where Marley (Frank Finlay) comes on was as compelling as it was overwhelmingly eerie.
The 1970 musical "Scrooge" reveals what's under the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come's hood; a decomposing skeleton. And then Scrooge goes to Hell for a bit.
The animated version of Roald Dahl's The BFG.
The bit in The Witches where they take their masks off.
The bit in the 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie where the Master vomits some sort of transparent slime.
Watership Down: "The field...the field...it's covered with blood!" and "Our warren...destroyed..."
The Haunting, with the banging, and the face on the wall.
The bit in Cosgrove Hall's The Wind in the Willows where Mole goes into the wood. Exquisitely eerie music.
Ghosbusters 2, with the slime coming out of the tap, and Vigo. And that bit in the tunnels with the severed heads. “Wiiiiiiiiinstooooooon…”
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shopachocaholic
Posted on Wednesday November 4, 2009, 20:48
I'm an English teacher and agree that often adults read far too much into kid's films. I mean, Hercules is incredibly smutty but only if you get the smut. As for scary films what is wrong with a bit of a shake? However, I am somewhat of a lone voice.
Example: I wanted to take 200 12-yr olds to see the new 'Christmas Carol' at the cinema, but (despite it being classified fine) some people in the school were worried we'd have complaints if anyone was scared!
The moral of the story? Avoid culture. It might make an impression on you. |
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DazDaMan
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 08:37
Films that scared me as a kid?
An American Werewolf in London
Maybe I was a bit hardcore when I was younger?! |
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Sadooskria
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 08:37
Almost forgot about the BFG! One scene stands out when the evil giants appear out of the sea and look around the town for kids to eat...brrrrr |
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Sadooskria
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 08:43
Dear billythehick, believe it or not I had not seen or heard anything of the NostaligaCritic before now, those are scenes/movies which i was genuinely scared of!! Nice to find people who find the same things equally scary!! |
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Sadooskria
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 08:45
DazDaMan, yes you do sound totally hardcore, I couldn't face up to watch that movie until I was well into my teens! That's how much descriptions/clips of the movie creeped me out before I even got to see it... |
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postgrape
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 10:33
Who came up with Return To Oz??? Or rather, who would market it as a kid's film? Can you imagine the pitch-meeting? 'Okay, so we return to Dorothy and she's in shock therapy!' WHAT? 'There are these really distressing guys called Wheelers with wheels for hands and feet who constantly laugh, wear metallic clown masks and crash into one another' ERM? 'That yellow brick road everyone loved? Well that's smashed up' BUT... 'Oh, everyone's had their head's lopped off' WAIT... 'And best of all, whereas before Dorothy's friends were a cute cuddly lion, a shiny happy tin man and a goofy scarecrow, this time she'll get a hiddeous pumpkin headed man that looks like the inspiration for Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas, an endlessly yapping chicken, a cumbersome wind-up man and... a sofa with a moose's head tied to it' AAARGGGGHH |
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Deejvit
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 11:16
What about the Black Cauldron? That Really creeped me out. Just like Watershipdown. As a result both films fascinated me greatly.
And then there was the Nothing in the Neverending Story. Brrr.
And the sleepoverparty where we watched It. Definitely not meant for childeren. All the more fun because of that. (although it resulted in quite a few nightmares for everyone :) ) |
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james riley
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 12:07
Spoiler? The Black Hole
As a kid I went to see Disneys-The Black Hole and the bits
that freaked me out where the reveal on what happened to the crew of the Cygnus and when Maximillian drills Anthony Perkins. into one of the consoles |
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sdilku
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 13:18
I can't believe no-one has mentioned Time Bandits - surely the cruelest ending to a children's film ever? As a child, it made perfect sense (parents should listen to children) but as an adult it is horrifying. |
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sdilku
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 13:20
Some further thoughts...
As a parent of a rather resilient five year old, I would say it depends on the age/temperament of the child. That said, generally speaking I am all in favour of scaring/traumatising kids with the likes of The Wizard of Oz, ET, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Bambi, Snow White, Time Bandits, Coraline etc because it empowers them to deal with life.
When a severely cut version of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom appeared on Christmas Day one year, the BBC attracted several complaints, and a cartoon appeared in the Radio Times showing children watching the film whilst parents cowered behind the sofa. The caption read: “It’s terrifying for the children!”
This, I think, sums up the issue nicely. Parents often get far more disturbed and traumatised by these films than children do. |
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Super Hans
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 13:38
I remember being terrified when, as a small child, my dad rented The Dark Crystal and Return To Oz for me to watch - some seriously dark stuff for kiddies in my opinion! Like others I'm sure, I was also distraught by the horse dying in The NeverEnding Story. It's funny because I'm actually quite reluctant to watch these films even now in my late 20s (although I did watch most of Return To Oz on TV a while back - it is still quite sinister!).
Ultimately though, there's nothing wrong with a bit of scariness in kids/family films (isn't it a common thing in fantasy/fariy tale type stories?). At the end of the day, a lot of these slightly darker 'kids' films are actually rated PG so it's not like they are hiding the fact that some parental discretion might be advisable.
One thing I have been wondering though is how frightening is the actual book of Where The Wild Things Are? I'm sure I must have been exposed to it as a kid but can't really remember it. Was it really scary? Is there really any need for Spike Jonze to have made the film version as potentially disturbing as reports have led us to believe? Is that really what the author originally intended? |
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Jo Wareham
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 16:07
I think parents actually have a lot to answer for in terms of projecting fears onto children. My mum and dad had a long ardumen twhen I was about ten about letting me watch An American Werewolf in London. About halfway through, having previously thought it sounded like good fun I sided with mum, decided I was actually scared of it and couldn't bear to watch and remained convinced of this until I was about eighteen. Freddy Kruegar scared me as a child for the same reasons and I remain so until this day (nothing's going to convince me to watch either the originals or the remake - I'm scarred for life here).
I wonder how much of what scares us as children is actually our own fears and how much is projected - That said, I didn't sleep for two weeks after reading Dracula at age 11 and i did that in secret knowing how overly protective my parent's were so there's no blaming them for that one.
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JimBill93
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 16:50
Return to Oz - defo! the bit with the witch walking around headless..
...NEVER watching that film again.
Snow White - The queen's transformation into the hag!
Evolution - The bit where the mini Jabba the Hut/slug thing comes out of
the wardrobe and it's tongue is like another mouth. I was
traumatised for the whole of my friend's party and had to go
home! Looking back on it. It's tongue looks like a turkey... |
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Sadooskria
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 17:54
sdilku thankyou for reminding me, Time Bandits! The evil guy with the long nails, God and the ending scared me...
...methinks I was a wimp when I was young! |
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civilian77
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 18:37
My mum took me and my mates to see Return to Oz for my 8th birthday. We were so scared my mum complained to the cinema manager. She did also complain about the word "shit" being used in Back to the Future though so maybe she was a bit overprotective!
I still live with my mother. I am 32 years old! |
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Oar num shabeye
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 19:24
Flash Gordon - The bit with the tree stump octopus bitey thing. Was convinced it was living at the bottom of my bed for umpteen nights after seeing that bit. |
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Sphinx
Posted on Thursday November 5, 2009, 21:20
Princesss Mombe
Skeksis - it was wrong to put that in a kid's movie WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!
The Skeleton King |
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C.C.C.P.
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 01:21
Nobody else found Willow frightening? The trolls, the troll-monster, Bavmorda and the pigs... |
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ascohen01
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 08:17
I seem tor recall always being scared shitless by the Empire Strikes Back scene where Han gets frozen in carbonite, particularly the bit when the frozen Solo bangs to the floor after the procedure. |
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3rd man
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 10:02
the two films that scared me most as a kid- the insect scene in temple of doom, and, even worse, the end of superman 3. when that girl gets sucked into the computer and turned into a robot, that was scary as hell! and then it tried to suck superman in!!! the one and only time i ever actually hid behind the sofa... |
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blindfold
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 10:33
A hard topic to debate.. Yup Chitty Chitty, Wizard of Oz and even more modern films at the time all had their moments of fright with me as a youngster.. But then I moved on a step to dare to watch films out of my age range.. (Hello The Thing, Alien, The Omen and Demons).
These again had a hard impact on me, but it's all part of the evolution of dealing with these things. If anything films are maybe less risky with their scares than they were before. but it's hard to tell being an adult and looking at a product that is essentially made in a very different way to the films we watched when we were young.
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labyrinth4eva
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 13:08
The wheelers in Return to Oz, the horse drowning in Never Ending Story, the raptors in the kitchen in Jurassic Park, the bog of eternal stentch in Labyrinth (i used to think that when it rained on the fields by my house thats what they became, my friend dared me to step onto them once-shudder)....kids have it comparitively easy these days, i was more freaked out by Coraline than my 11 yr old bro! Teens esp arnt even freaked out by things like Saw anymore, they lap it up! I remember seeing Interview with a Vampire at 13 and being realy quite freaked out! They live in a diff type of world now, the kids films need to get scarier to keep up!! Although we watched Hocus Pocus on Halloween and all the kids did jump watchin that so some traditions like walking corpses still work!!! |
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Youshouldberunning
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 13:24
I am glad to see Jurassic Park mentioned so often. My boyfriend thinks I am weird for being terrified of the 'raptors in JP as a child. They can do EVERYTHING YOU CAN, nowhere is safe! That was fricking scary man.
The Skeksis were quite scary in the Dark Crystal, but does anyone remember that long legged striding thing that the gelflings rode on? That was just disgusting, I hated that thing. That being said, it was one of my favourite films.
A few scares are good for the wee ones; gods help me if I ever have kids and they turn out to be chirpy little bastards. I need the scary films to help drum that darkness into them at an early age... |
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mcgolj
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 13:45
Wizard of Oz, Did it for me every year at xmas. Scared the living shit outta me when that woman rode by on her bike and then slowly turned into the witch. Green made me remember the hulks transformation in the tv show. Still traumatised by that and i'm 37. |
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unaod
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 18:12
Apparently when I went to see Neverending story in the cinema (I was 4 or five) I was so traumatised by the horse drowing that I had to be brought home. I asked my brother about it recently and after much laughter (and an amazing memory) he said that it wasn't just me...half the cinema erupted.. he's never seen anything like it since!
Have to agree with the Darby O'Gill reference above. I watched it again recently and the Banshee still scares the bejesus out of me!
But I have to put in (I know its not feature length.. but it could qualify for movie short!) Thriller.. come on people.. even for the Vincent Price voice alone!
Future scares will have to be seen in Nightmare on Elm Street.. kudos to whoever decided to use scary Shiningesque twins for the song in the Trailer.. Brings me back to watching the original from behind the couch age 8 or 9! |
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astoroth
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 18:29
helen makes a good point. the parts in kids movies that are supposedly set up to scare the kids dont. children find fear in more unexplanatory things- things that were never really supposed to frighten anyone- such as chitty chitty bang bang. it's child development and psychology that determines what a kid finds scary- not a particular scene in a movie or, more importantly, literature for which this has been a much older debate. funny you should mention coraline, because Neil Gaiman's newest childrens book, 'The Grave Yard Book' has been frequently pulled or banned from libraries and schools across america for being 'too scary'. It's a sad thing when parental censorship and mob mentality interrupts a childs entertainment, because their attempts to wrap them in cotton wool are utterly futile. |
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astoroth
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 18:33
oh, forgot to mention which movie scared me. 'follow that bird; a sesame street movie.'. My wonderful world of sesame was interrupted by a bunch of arse-faced kidnappers who wanted to take big bird against his will, and when he breaks free they chase him halfway across america. traumatizing. see? the censors never seen that one coming! |
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sunnygirly2k4
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 18:47
Gremlins terrified me as a 7 year old. I was very shaken and put off seeing it for years. Shame, as it's a horror comedy classic.
The demon in Fantasia and the devil in Legend frightened me as an adult!
Oh and the visions of hell All Dogs Go To Heaven(plus that demonic voice at the end) and Sharptooth in The Land Before Time ...
Fergully too has a freaky part in it ... as does Brave Little Toaster. The Plague Dogs and When The Wind Blows are depressing as heck.
Too scary is when the thing/person in the film belongs under strong horror, I think.
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sunnygirly2k4
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 18:54
I was scared of the demon in Fantasia as a kid, not so much now. Just wanted to clear that up.
I agree with the person who mentioned what I also said myself yesterday evening about the popularity in the 90s of ghost stories etc like Casper, Are You Afraid of The Dark? Goosebumps, The Demon Headmaster etc. |
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sunnygirly2k4
Posted on Friday November 6, 2009, 19:05
Remember in The Witches when The GHW taps the painting with the trapped missing girl in and you hear that screetching sound? *shudders* |
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MissBazzle
Posted on Saturday November 7, 2009, 00:05
Lots of good ones above, but I don't think mine has been mentioned..
~~Hocus Pocus~~
My big sister used to scare the hell out of me at night by singing 'Come little children, I'll take thee away...' |
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wgfuzzydunlop1
Posted on Saturday November 7, 2009, 04:55
I agree with The Hulk, the opening credits, Bill Bixby in the rain, the music, those eyes... My brother almost shat himself during Ghostbusters, mind you, he was only six and it was his first cinema experience. Films rated PG, or even A (yeah, I'm that old) seemed to get away with a hell of a lot when I was a kid, and Steven Spielberg was mainly responsible (nice one, Steve). Now that we have the dreaded 12A, it seems that any old dross based on a kid's toy can be deemed as 'slightly adult'. By the way, if you wanna be scared by Bowie, watch his video for 'Loving The Alien' on youtube. That had me freaked for weeks! |
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losthighway
Posted on Saturday November 7, 2009, 13:25
Born in the 70s, brought up on a diet of 80s/early 90s films, e.g. Mombi in RETURN TO OZ with the corridor of heads, her body switching them as she pleased. The essence draining in DARK CRYSTAL seriously freaked me out as a child, those little guys starring ahead and their colour draining. LABYRINTH didn't freak me out, I just loved it! NEVERENDING STORY is one of my favourite films EVER and I still cry at that film today. It's amazing! THE WITCHES is indeed dark as hell, I caught some of it on Living TV the other day and depending which channel you see it on, depends whether Bruno's changing scene has been cut! GHOSTBUSTERS 2 - the heads on poles in the underground was horrible as a kid! The film that still astounds me to this day did not get a higher certificate at the time is JURASSIC PARK - that T-Rex attack on the children is just plain nasty. Yes, it's fake and yes children see/say/experience far worse these days... but does that make it OK!? Personally, I can't wait to see WHERE THE WILDS THINGS ARE and I love dark children's films! |
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losthighway
Posted on Saturday November 7, 2009, 13:31
P.S. For those wondering why Return to Oz appears so nasty compared with Wizard, it's because it's more true to Baum's original tales of Oz... Wizard was seriously toned down compared with his original concept. Oh and for the record, I think the scene in Return to Oz where Dorothy finds the yellow brick road smashed to pieces is one of the greatest moments in cinema history... but that's just my opinion!! :D |
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midnightuser01
Posted on Sunday November 8, 2009, 13:17
Two films that scared me were Jaws and Hound of the Baskervilles (1939 Basil Rathbone version), because they COULD happen. Let's face it we're not likely to be attacked by flying monkeys. The thing that annoys me now is the lack of blood & wounds in films like the Narnia franchise or the Golden Compass; where you had 2 bears frightening to the death but absolutely no blood. How can children share the risk & excitement the character is in if they aren't shown any consequences except bloodless death, where it just looks like they could be sleeping. |
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landedurbin
Posted on Sunday November 8, 2009, 18:28
We just watched Coroaine and my three kids ranging from 4 to 10 were Ok except for the 10 year old, she bailed early. The other two watched it again the next day, no prob. The 10 year old's favourite film is "Brothers Grim" and she likes "Corpse Bride". My 8 year old loves monster films and has now left the live action Scobby doo films for "8 legged freaks" but she keeps nagging me to watch those Alien films on the shelf. There is a line and Alien is probably the other side of it.
Now to my point, the only truely traumatic kid's film we have seen is "BRIDGE to TERRIBYTHIA". A really unhelpful review from you guys sent us like lambs to a "nice Narnia like film". I cried like a baby for an hour and my daughter wept from nearly two days. She wants it on DVD now as she is emotionally resilient I believe you said. I just wish I was. |
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dori
Posted on Sunday November 8, 2009, 18:42
regarding my previous comment about The Wizard Of Oz. My little 'un watched it today and for the first time FREAKED out when she seen the witch. She is nearly 4 and she loves watching Dr Who and Sarah Jane but the sight of a woman with green make up on scared the bejesus out of her! the mind boggles!!! |
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vaila
Posted on Monday November 9, 2009, 00:12
i love scary movies, always have but there was only one film that ever made me hide my eyes and that was jurassic park. i remember being in the theatre ad this dinosaur was chasing a women...i ran over to my mum and hid my face on her shoulder. ive never watched that film or any of the follow ups again, although i would probably not be scared of it anymore.
i recently watched coraline with my little brother (aged 10) he did not seem too scared by the film but he was somewhat unnerved by the other father...but he enjoyed it all the same. perhaps its just his age but he understood that it was supposed to be a little frightening so didnt let it really bother him...
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Blunderbuss
Posted on Monday November 9, 2009, 10:40
As a child in the late 70's and early 80's I was taken to see movies that these days would probably be considered far too 'dark' for a child of between 4 and 10 years old these days.
The likes of 'The Dark Crystal' have already been mentioned, but I'm also thinking of Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, The Black Hole, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Raider of the Lost Ark & Flash Gordon. Yes, they're all sci-fi movies and all had U or PG certificates but they also include some pretty adult, dark or scary moments in them. There's the melting/exploding heads in Raiders, the 'transporter accident' in Star Trek, the death of Peter 'Blue Peter' Duncan in Flash Gordon, the death of Obi Wan in Star Wars, Han Solo being tortured in Empire and numerous other moments of violence, death and sexuality that would no doubt get people up in arms these days.
What got me thinking about this was watching Dragonslayer on TV at the weekend. I got taken to see it at the cinema back in 1981 as a seven year old and thought it was great. Watching it now with adult eyes I can see that its actually a pretty dark film. The production design is grimly medieval, there's human sacrifice, violence and a reasonably high body count. It even ends with an act of ultimate self-sacrifice. Not exactly a light hearted romp.
Yet as a movie it stayed with me and not in a 'causing nightmares' ways. The same goes for Raiders, Star Wars and all the others. The fact that they contained 'adult themes' and 'scenes of a sexual nature' did me no harm at all.
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beardyphysics
Posted on Monday November 9, 2009, 16:41
I never watched disney films as a kid because i just didn't like them, I did watch jaws about a million times though. I was so scared of it I couldn't hang my feet off of the couch for fear that a shark under the couch would eat my legs, I did love it though, from that it was straight on to the alien movies, they all still scare the shit out of me, even jaws! |
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janiac83
Posted on Monday November 9, 2009, 17:45
So I guess I was the only child in the world who was afraid of "Howard the Duck" then?! And that was only from looking at the video case! I've still never even seen it, though I think that's perhaps more to do with the fact it's reportedly one of the worst films ever (honest...).
Elsewhere loving the shared sense of fear for "Return to Oz" and "The Witches", I also refused to go on the ET ride at Universal studios when I was 10 as the little bastard terrified me. Come to think of it what wasn't I terrified of as a kid? Film execs must have just hated kids in the 80s/early 90s!
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tri_cobalt
Posted on Tuesday November 10, 2009, 09:49
ET, with all the smoke and darkness at the beginning and then he and Elliot scare each other. It terrified me as a seven year old. Only now at 24 am I beginning to get over the mental scarring. |
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mich78
Posted on Tuesday November 10, 2009, 13:07
ET, Scary as hell. So creepy! I used to have nightmares about seeing his hand come round the top of the stairs looking for M & Ms. Still creeps me out now. |
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Cole Trickle
Posted on Wednesday November 11, 2009, 12:11
The Dark Crystal. Must have fled the cinema about a dozen times under the pretext of going to the loo. My parents must have wondered at this 6 year old with a dodgy prostate...
The horse sinking into the swamp in Neverending Story. Stormed out of the cinema bawling eyes out. Probably for the best as I was properly losing it over G'mork the werewolf up to that point.
Indy's heart being squeezed in Temple of Doom. Exit, pursued by a parent.
The monsters in Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings
Darth Vader suddenly cropping up in the middle of Luke's training on Dagobah and then having Luke's face under the mask.
Also certainly ended up regreting watching Jaws (swimming pool phobias), Alien and The Company of Wolves. |
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Little*Star
Posted on Monday November 16, 2009, 20:27
As a child my biggest fear was obviously crumbling to dust because it was when that happened to characters in a film that I'd have nightmares. I'm thinking of The Last Crusade, when they perform the seance in Beetlejuice and the end of She. Even though the special effects are probably consdered 'dated' those things still really creep me out today and I always have to look away at the end of Indy, I think what freaked me out most was the thought of being Elsa and having a rapidly crumbling to dust man have a hold of me so there was no escape from watching his face turn into a skull *shudders* |
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Pearmain
Posted on Tuesday November 17, 2009, 12:51
Im amazed its only been mentioned the once, Who Framed Roger Rabbit was the freakiest film ever, no, not the part where Eddie drives through Cartoon land...nowhere should be that happy, nowhere!!!! But, being run over by a steam roller, peeling yourself up and flailing around before pumping up your own head...thats just not right!!! Not to mention ''Remember...when I killed your Brother'' Jesus!!!! Hes not right that one....theres also that boiling green like steaming gunk he dips that poor shoe into...thats just wrong....but I agree with most on this, I still have a mental image of all these movie moments and have never really remembered why??? Maybe a good scare imprints the image clearly for the rest of our lives....Im glad everyone has commented on all these movies, there great!!! |
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Gaz
Posted on Wednesday November 18, 2009, 12:49
Return To Oz is still in my mind one of the scariest films I ever saw!
And Ghostbusters 2 also terrified me as a kid |
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christie*
Posted on Wednesday November 18, 2009, 14:12
I think for me the scariest films when i was little was Childs Play and the exorcist but I have to say that I loved film such as the terminator, Who framed Rodger Rabbit, Dark Crystal, Big Trouble in little China and many more. Apart of them remind me of my childhood especially Terminator as I remember staying up extra later to watch it with my dad, it’s one of those moments when your little that you think whoa it’s so cool staying up later and then before you know you fall asleep on the sofa lol. I’m a big fan of the scary movies now and I think that has something to do with what I watched when I was a kid. Great memories! Great films! |
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manofwords
Posted on Thursday November 19, 2009, 05:50
Doom in Who framed Roger Rabbit? is a great shout. I remember Darth Vader being a pretty scary character. I have no idea how anyone found ET scary. Sad, but surely not frightening. I think Poltergeist was quite scary as a kid, particularly as I watched it on tv! Theres another film I remember involving mechanical spiders and bullets that went round corners to follow you. Anyone know the name? |
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