One of my favorite Disney flicks growing up happens to be one that isn't all that talked about compared to other films in the Disney catalog. The film I'm referring to is 1985's The Black Cauldron. It's an adaptation of the first two books in The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, and to be perfectly frank, it's a bit of a mess (the production was troubled). But the film also gave us the terrifying Horned King (voiced by the late, great John Hurt), and there's something about a zombie king searching for a mystical cauldron to raise his army of undead warriors that gets me in the heart every single time.
And that was technically a kid's film. I haven't even gotten to tell you the story of how I stumbled upon The Shining one evening when I was still but a wee tyke...
After Redditor Woo_loo asked the online community, "What movie traumatized you as a kid?" people took a trip down memory lane.
Alien (1979)
Alien, especially the "birthing scene." My parents were convinced that four-year old me would be too young to understand the scariness of the movie.
Incredible film.
And, in my opinion, the best of the series. Yes, that birthing scene is the stuff of nightmares.
Jaws (1975)
Jaws. I was 8. To this day every time I swim in the sea, I'm a little nervous and I really hate the swimming pools that have wave machines because of the metal bars at the end of the pool and I'm convinced there is a shark behind them.
The Witches (1990)
Roald Dahl's The Witches. Somehow my older sister thought I would like it.
That movie traumatized me.
Who doesn't remember The Grand High Witch?
Anjelica Huston was incredible.
Anne Hathaway––and the recent remake––cannot compare.
Seed of Chucky (2004)
Seed of Chucky. I was 8 and this movie scared the s*** out of me. I couldn't sleep with the door closed for months, if I rewatch it right now, I would probably laugh the whole time.
Honestly...
...this is the most ridiculous one of the series, but it has a couple of good moments. The staircase scene, for example.
Hellraiser (1987)
Hellraiser. My dad rented it from the video shop and accidentally left it in the video recorder. The guy getting pulled apart by hooks and chains messed me up. I was 6 or 7.
Great film.
But Hellbound: Hellraiser II makes it almost look like child's play.
Empire of the Sun (1987)
Empire of the Sun.
I was just a couple of years younger than Christian Bale was in that movie. Not sure if trauma is the right word but some scenes have stayed with me ever since.
The Fog (1980)
The Fog. It's about a coastal town that is being haunted by the vengeful ghosts of lepers the town founders murdered for their money/to keep them from moving nearby. The lepers arrive on a ghost ship. Like...they need a boat to get to you. I saw this movie when I was maybe 4 or 5? Totally convinced boat lepers were gonna get me anytime I saw fog. We lived 6 hours inland.
I was not a bright child.
Fire in the Sky (1993)
Fire in the Sky. I still won't bring the trash down to the end of my driveway by myself at night.
An understatement.
But a riveting watch nonetheless.
Labyrinth (1986)
Labyrinth. The scene where the monkeys take their heads off and play soccer with them. Was told to watch the movie or would be grounded. Hate that movie. Really freaked me out. I remember it gave me a few nightmares.
I Know My First Name is Steven (1989)
Lots of those made-for-TV movies were scary because everyone thinks that if it's on network TV, the whole family can watch it.
I wouldn't let children watch Adam or I Know My First Name Is Steven, yet I did, to my detriment.
A fine list.
Parents––be careful!
I sometimes wonder why my mother didn't necessarily mind much of what I watched. If anything, all those messed up horror films I saw as a kid only turned me into an adult who enjoys messed up horror films. I can't complain.
Have some films that scared the hell out of you and aren't mentioned here? Feel free to tell us about them in the comments section below!
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
@jmrphy/X
@CatholicCharm/X
@SWENGDAD/X
@nhoodpublicist/X
@jmrphy/X
@0xPuff/X