Creepy children's films!

[mary lou 102]

Do any of yall have a particular scary kids or G/PG rated movie that used to freak yall out?

Mine were Dark Crystal, The Company of Wolves, Poltergeist, The Haunting(original), Hansel and Gretel(freaky ass Cloris Leachman and David Warner version). Ther's a couple more, but I can't think.

BTW, I rented Company of Wolves when I was a kid cause I thought it was a kid's fairy tale movie.

[Cthulu13]

That eppisode of Salute Your Shorts were the janitor who blew off his nose while trying to cleas a toilet (I'm not sure how that happened) came back from the dead. . . That just freaked me out. . . also the simpsons "A Nightmare on Elm Street" spoof and the one were Bart had an Evil Twin locked in the attic freaked me out.

[Duke Nukem]

"Return To Oz," the unoffical 1985 sequel to "The Wizard of Oz." It was only PG, but it packed some very creepy elements. It was the only movie to ever give me a nightmare when I was a kid.

[Elgyn]

"Return To Oz" is a great pick - bravo Duke!
It`s also a great movie.
"The Dark Crystal" creeped me out pretty bad as well when I was little.

Also, the animated early 80`s movie "The Secret Of Nimh" (based on a book I believe) really creeped me out as a kid.

[EVILxxx]

Pee Wee's show and movie "Peewee's big adventure" is creepy as hell. Plus Earnest Scared Stupid was kinda creepy. I mean what kind of guy hangs around with 10 year olds anyway?

[mary lou 102]

Ohh shit! Return To Oz! It used to come on Disney all the time and the part with all of those heads scared the shit outta me. What was Disney thinking. That movie still creeps me out.

[Psychocandy]

Paperhouse has some very creepy moments.

[tvmorbid]

Return To Oz is freaky as, especially those rocks that talk and can be killed by eggs (?), there was also this program on BBC 1 in the UK where this gut would sit in his chair and tell really freaky stories, and I think some kind of talking animal came into it somewhere. Also there was a kids show called Knighmare which was kinda cool but a bit weird in places. Anyone rember these 2?

[mary lou 102]

Sounds interesting.

BTW, Paperhouse is a great movie that needs DVD treatment very soon. I think I cried in it. It was that sad! For some reason it was rated pG-13 instad of PG. The movie has no blood or really scary stuff. It's more of a drama. A great movie!

[Psychocandy]

Originally posted by mary lou 102
Sounds interesting.

BTW, Paperhouse is a great movie that needs DVD treatment very soon. I think I cried in it. It was that sad! For some reason it was rated pG-13 instad of PG. The movie has no blood or really scary stuff. It's more of a drama. A great movie!

It's actually out on DVD in the UK. I've got it. It's a bare bones disc but I don't really care. It's a fantastic movie. I disagree about it not being scary though. Some of the more nightmarish scenes, such as the return of her father, are pretty intense. They really hit a nerve with me at least. And no...I don't have patriarchal issues. :D

[adamjohnson]

Watchers in the Woods
Lady in White

[Psychocandy]

Originally posted by adamjohnson
Lady in White

Yes...quite. An excellent movie. I really need this on DVD. But i'm not paying the ridiculous prices that it's selling for on Ebay.

[mary lou 102]

Lady in White! Indeed an great movie. Agian, not really hooror, more suspense than anything. Watcher in the Woods used to creep me out though.

[ComeNightfall]

Something Wicked This Way Comes and Watcher In the Woods.

[Psychocandy]

Originally posted by mary lou 102
Lady in White! Indeed an great movie. Agian, not really hooror, more suspense than anything. Watcher in the Woods used to creep me out though.

Aw, c'mon. It's horror. It's a classic style ghost story. Sure there are other elements but if you look at most movies they contain elements of various different genres. I'm not trying to be a prick. It's just that every time I wander into the horror forums I find someone stating that a certain movie isn't horror. I'm expecting someone to say that Dawn Of The Dead is political alegory not horror any day now. Or that Evil Dead 2 isn't horror but slapstick comedy. There are enough directors out there claiming their movies aren't horror but suspense or a psychological thriller. They usually do this because they feel calling their movie what it is would somehow reduce it's artistic merit. Let's not lend their claims any credence. Rant over.

[mary lou 102]

WOOOO HO! SRY! O.k.it's horror, but it wasn't scary. That's what I meant.

[Psychocandy]

Originally posted by mary lou 102
WOOOO HO! SRY! O.k.it's horror, but it wasn't scary. That's what I meant.

Heh...sorry. I sounded like a dick...didn't I? :D

[Nice Marmot]

We have some good examples here but my #1 is definitely Return to Oz. From the beginning, when Dorothy is in that creepy mental hospital, to the Wheelers w/ the bizarre masks on the backs of their heads (remember that one falls into that desert & turns to sand???)

I remember this creeping me out big time but also remember that seeing this for the first time is when I first fell in love w/ Fairuza Balk. Don't worry, we are the same age.

I also remember being creeped out by The Last Unicorn, Watership Down (the black rabbit of death!), a japanese animated version of Jack & the Beanstalk (my first trip to a theater!), an animated movie called The Water Babies, & an animated movie called The Mouse & His Child.

[Elgyn]

Originally posted by Nice Marmot
an animated movie called The Water Babies, & an animated movie called The Mouse & His Child.


What were these about? I`ve never heard of them.

but yeah, "The last Unicorn" had some creepy/depressing stuff in it.

[mary lou 102]

Ya know what? I'm forgeting the original Wizard of Oz. That witch is fucking scary!
The movie Willow freaked me out a little.

Many episodes of Shelly Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre scared me. The freakiest were Joan Collins' witch in Hansel and Gretel and Beverely DeAngelo's evil fairy in Sleeping Beauty.

[EVILxxx]

What's that cartoon movie with all of the talking rabbits? Water something down I can't remember. Not too scary but it was actually pretty gory. It showed a bunch of rabbits getting ripped apart by a dog.

[Scythemantis]

Watership down.

I didn't see Return to Oz until recently, so I have no memoris of being terrified as a kid, but why's noone mentioned the evil queen who collects women's heads and can wear them? The creepiest moment in the whole movie has to be when all the heads along a hallway open their eyes.

[martyds761]

Something Wicked This Way Comes creeped me out, but I loved it. Labrinth was another one I loved w/ strange things in it.

[Cronos]

Dark Crystal freaked my brother out

also Watership Down is pretty fucked up for a kids film

[tvmorbid]

Originally posted by Cronos
Dark Crystal freaked my brother out

also Watership Down is pretty fucked up for a kids film

Yeah, those 2 where freaky films, especially Watership Down, I only watched that once and it scared the crap outta me, I aint been able to watch it to this day. I used to love Dark Crystal, those strange bird like creatures where the strangest things ever to grace celluloid

[Scythemantis]

Watership down's not really meant as a kid movie, it's based on a book that's even more serious and bloody. :D

[Frank the Tank]

Pee Wee's Big Adventure because Large Marge used to give me nightmares.

Also Willow, haven't seen it forever but I remember being freaked out when one of the characters gets turned into a pig.

I really need to rent Return To Oz.

[LoomisFan]

Originally posted by Cthulu13
That eppisode of Salute Your Shorts were the janitor who blew off his nose while trying to cleas a toilet (I'm not sure how that happened) came back from the dead. . . That just freaked me out. . .
Holy shit! I completely forgot about that show! That episode freaked me out, too!

Man, I miss that show. I also miss Hey, Dude! and Are You Afraid of the Dark? Yes, I remember a time when Nickleodean was cool.

Speakin' of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the episode with the phantom that could pass through walls freaked me out!

Oh, and The Last Unicorn...

All about that fuckin' harpy, man...

[Bear]

SPOILERS
E.T. used to scare the shit outta me! He was so goddamn freaky and everyone thought he was so cute. That opening scene with the fingers grabbing the branch scared the shit out of me(I don't know why it just did) to where I would fastforward through it. And the music to that creppy music at the beginning. And the "cornfield discovery" scene and that scene right before Elliot leads E.T. into the house. Scary fuckin' shit! But it's still a good movie. Jaws and Grizzly were pretty damn scary too.

[Bear]

Oh, and Tourist Trap was pretty scary too.

[PhantomOfTheParadise]

E.T. used to scare the shit outta me! He was so goddamn freaky and everyone thought he was so cute. That opening scene with the fingers grabbing the branch scared the shit out of me(I don't know why it just did) to where I would fastforward through it. And the music to that creppy music at the beginning. And the "cornfield discovery" scene and that scene right before Elliot leads E.T. into the house. Scary fuckin' shit! But it's still a good movie. Jaws and Grizzly were pretty damn scary too.

OMG, I'm not alone. Thank God. Those EXACT scenes traumatized me as a child - a fear that I was not able to overcome until early high school. The music at the beginning still gives me goosebumps.

I agree with most of the films mentioned already: Return to Oz (that damn woman and those heads!), Dark Crystal (CHAMBERLAIN! oooh and that Aughra...), Labyrinth...and totally not a film, but somewhat creepy non-the-less...remember those damn Sleestaks on Land of the Lost back in the 70s...woah...their hissing still freaks me out to this day. Although Enik totally was annoying: "NO, Rick Marshall!" What was up with that dude?

[Elgyn]

Bear, no offense but I don`t think "Jaws", "Grizzly" and "Tourist Trap" were children`s films.

Oh and Disney`s "Pinnochio" used to really frighten me as a child, like when the kid turns into a donkey, that really disturbed me for some reason.

[Bear]

Well, it said G or PG flicks. Their all PG. And actually I've some Jaws movies on children's channels(not that I watch the channels), mainly Jaws 3.

[Nice Marmot]

I just thought of another one, Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend was billed as a cutesy kids movie. I loved it til the grownup dinosaurs get mowed down w/ machineguns. I thought my parents were going to have to drag me out of their, I was crying so bad.

I used to be a wus man. I was crying 10 minutes into E.T. when the ship took off w/out him & he was running & screaming from the men. And then there was the scene where he's laying in the ditch all pale w/ raccoons climbing over him . . .

No wonder I like horror now!

[adamjohnson]

Originally posted by Elgyn
Oh and Disney`s "Pinnochio" used to really frighten me as a child, like when the kid turns into a donkey, that really disturbed me for some reason.

Have you seen Pinnohio's Revenge? I wonder if that counts...

[the dead one]

Originally posted by EVILxxx
I mean what kind of guy hangs around with 10 year olds anyway?

JOCKO...Beacuse he's BAD, he's BAD, Ya know it!!!:p

[PhantomOfTheParadise]

I just thought of another one, Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend was billed as a cutesy kids movie. I loved it til the grownup dinosaurs get mowed down w/ machineguns. I thought my parents were going to have to drag me out of their, I was crying so bad.

This same scene messed me up as a child as well. Rewatched the movie a few months ago after I found it on DVD and the entire time I was like "OMG - WTF!?!??! This is whacked..." I don't see how any kid could come out of watching that film not traumatized.

[Bear]

SPOILERS:
I don't see how any kid watching E.T. didn't come out traumatized. As mentioned before, that scene where Elliot is lying in a sleeping bag in front of the shed and he wakes up and E.T.'s there, then he's slowing creeping towards him making these scary noises and that damn creepy music. Then what always got me until 1st grade, was the 2 fingers pulling down the branch, as mentioned, along with the cornfield scene and basically the whole beginning scene with the ship landing is creepy. That music at the beginning is sme of the creepiest shit I've ever heard, it still scares me. Also, I know it's not a children's flick on ANY standard, but the '86 version of The Fly traumatized me at the end. It was the metamorphosis scene, most notably the guy's head cracking open. And when Seth jumps on Stathis and melts his hand and foot apart with fly vomit. Those scenes still creeps me out. I should've been scared and traumatized because I had just gotten out of 1st grade and wasn't used to that stuff. BTW mary lou, glad to know I'm not alone on the Company of Wolves thing.

[mary lou 102]

Yeah! I just recently bought the Company of Wolves DVD and it still creeps me out. Something about magic and fairy tales scares me. The cover does make it look good for kids. Even the back of the box practically just tells the Red Riding Hood story. The movie isn't even rated I think. It coulda gotton a PG-13 though.

[Bear]

I came across it a year and a half ago on DVD, don't know why I didn't pick it up. I'll find it, though.

[Antonio]

Any episode of The Twilight Zone, SIGNS, THE OTHERS, THE INNOCENTS, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES and POLTERGEIST.

[the dead one]

How about..."Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"?
Talk about disturbing!!!

[Elgyn]

Originally posted by the dead one
How about..."Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"?
Talk about disturbing!!!


Actually, you`re right.
That scene where they`re all on the boat, and the boat goes through that weird tunnel and all those disturbing images start appearing on the walls around them was really crunked-up. They even showed a clip of a chicken getting it`s head chopped-off in that scene. Pretty disturbing stuff for a kid`s movie!:eek:

[the dead one]

Originally posted by Elgyn
Actually, you`re right.
That scene where they`re all on the boat, and the boat goes through that weird tunnel and all those disturbing images start appearing on the walls around them was really crunked-up. They even showed a clip of a chicken getting it`s head chopped-off in that scene. Pretty disturbing stuff for a kid`s movie!:eek:

I know what you mean Elgyn, you have to wonder what the filmmakers were thinking with that stuff. The fact that a studio like Warner Brothers, released the film with ALL the weird things that take place...it makes you wonder where there heads were at the whole time!!!

Ooompa-Loompa, Doopity Doo...Ive got a Strange ASS movie for YOU! :D

[Shatter]

Originally posted by Elgyn

They even showed a clip of a chicken getting it`s head chopped-off in that scene. Pretty disturbing stuff for a kid`s movie!:eek:

I never noticed that clip myself. Where were the censors on that one?


Originally posted by the dead one
I know what you mean Elgyn, you have to wonder what the filmmakers were thinking with that stuff. The fact that a studio like Warner Brothers, released the film with ALL the weird things that take place...it makes you wonder where there heads were at the whole time!!!
:D [/B]

Ya know, I could never figure out why there was all that weird stuff in a tunnel either.

[mary lou 102]

Have Y'all read the bokk? It's even worse. Now, Tim Burton is remaking the book anf Johnny Depp is playing Willy Wonka. Interesting.

[Bear]

I had to read the book in 4th grade, it was worse.

[ERIN_LoJ]

The cat in the hat creature looks creepy to me in the Disney movie....

[Bear]

He looks sorta retarded to me.

[Genghis Khan]

Originally posted by Nice Marmot
I just thought of another one, Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend was billed as a cutesy kids movie. I loved it til the grownup dinosaurs get mowed down w/ machineguns. I thought my parents were going to have to drag me out of their, I was crying so bad.

That used to be one of my two favorite movies when I was a kid!

As far as creepy children's movies goes I agree with Willy Wonka I can't watch that movie anymore. It's just weird and the Oompa
Loompas scare the shit outta me. Damn their creepy!!

[SkeletorMessiah]

The Witches with Angelica Huston
Although not that creepy, the witch makeup would give any kid nightmares

[mary lou 102]

Ohh shit! The Witches! How could I have forgotton. My sister made me watch this when I was around 4 or 5. Damn it's scary! I recently bought the DVD and it still creeps me out. I think the subject matter is just creepy. It reminds me a lot of Hansel and Gretel. The scariest part for me, was when the girl is kidnapped by the witch and then is stuck in the painting and she grows old in the painting. It just disturbed me for some reason. Also, it makes witches realistic and that scared me as a kid. I thought that a witch could be anywhere. I once swore that I saw The Grand High Witch in a resturaunt.

[Bear]

Thanks for reminding me on that one! Forgot all about The Witches.

[X-Nightcrawler]

Originally posted by mary lou 102
Company of Wolves A children's film is it?

[Bear]

He said he rented it thinking it was a kid's flick.

[mary lou 102]

Yep! Look at the front cover. Now does that look like a fairy tale to you? I think so. Besides, my mom thought nothing of it, since it was not rated on the Blockbuster box.

[EVILxxx]

The term "not rated" tends to refer too films to violent for R but didn't want to be stigmatized with the dreaded "X" rating. This flick lost the ability to qualify as a children's film when The woman cuts the guys head of into the bucket of milk.

[mary lou 102]

Well that was breif scene. Scared me, though. Then agian I was very young and fairy tales are very graphic. Even read the originals?

[EVILxxx]

Originally posted by mary lou 102
Well that was breif scene. Scared me, though. Then agian I was very young and fairy tales are very graphic. Even read the originals?

No I haven't read the originals but I hear very good things about
"Grim Fairy Tales". That wasn't the only scene, what about all of the transformations? Very graphic and very cool. There is no doubt this movie is a "fairytale" but that title doesn't necesitate a "children's movie".

[Bear]

Originally posted by mary lou 102
Well that was breif scene. Scared me, though. Then agian I was very young and fairy tales are very graphic. Even read the originals?

Yeah that scared me too. And about the fairy tales being graphic, I agree. Look at things like the 96 Rumpelstiltskin. That wasn't scary, but was still an awesome flick I thought. Gotta love the extended 18 wheeler chase scene!

[EVILxxx]

Originally posted by Bear
Yeah that scared me too. And about the fairy tales being graphic, I agree. Look at things like the 96 Rumpelstiltskin. That wasn't scary, but was still an awesome flick I thought. Gotta love the extended 18 wheeler chase scene!

I have yet to see this movie but my friend said a quote from it and I nearly shit my pants. The scene when he's in a mactruck or something and he's about to crash and he says, "Fucketh me."
Good times.

[ERIN_LoJ]

Originally posted by Bear
He looks sorta retarded to me.

How about creepy and retarded then? ;)

[Nice Marmot]

Originally posted by SkeletorMessiah
The Witches with Angelica Huston
Although not that creepy, the witch makeup would give any kid nightmares

I'm 29 & saw this movie for the 1st time last year; my fiance made me watch it. It STILL gave me the creeps. I can only imagine how I would have reacted had I seen it when it first came out.

[Bear]

Originally posted by EVILxxx
I have yet to see this movie but my friend said a quote from it and I nearly shit my pants. The scene when he's in a mactruck or something and he's about to crash and he says, "Fucketh me."
Good times.

Yeah, he does say that. I still rewind that 15 times to hear him say that, it's funny as hell. Actually the whole chase scene was pretty cool. I liked another line he said "Give me the goddamn baby make another one!" Hilarious.

[mary lou 102]

Did anyone every see Hansel and Gretel with Cloris Leachman and David Warner? That thing scared the shit outta me.

BTW, the only transformation that scared me was the one where he pulls his face off. The other one was cool when I was a kid.


Rumpelstiltskin could have been cool if it was kept in old times and didn't make it so cheesy. The original tale was dark enough, but did not have as much gore as the original Cinderella and Snow White.

[Bear]

I thought Rumpelstiltskin set in modern day was great. Really. A classic in fact. I loved those transformations in Company of Wolves, that movie rocked. Come to think about it, I think I do remember Hansel and Gretel.

[normanbatesjr]

Poltergeist

*MINOR SPOILERS* I find it funny that they consider a movie where a dude rips his face off a children's movie.

Gore doesn't bother me, but I doubt I would let a kid watch that.

BTW, it's also weird that The Changeling, released only two years before, is R-rated. Yet there was no real gore and no actualy cursing until halfway through it. Weird.

[mary lou 102]

Well Poltergeist was creepy when I watched it. The Changeling was creepy and shoulda been rated PG. It really wasn't bad. If I recall Poltergeist was originally rated R, but Speilberg payed his way outta that to get a more summer movie friendly PG rating. I can understand why it would be R. It shoulda been R if you ask me. It's bad for kids, but then agian I may have never seen it if it wasn't PG.

Another film was Tourist Trap. That got a PG. That's unbeliavable. The movie has enough blood to be considered R. Besides the movie is just a little disturbing. Good movie though.

Hansel and Gretel came on The Disney Channel a lot in the mid- 90's. That's probably where you saw it. I know that's where I did. I recently bought it on Amazon. It was used, because the movie is extremly rare, but worth every peny. It still creeps me out. There was actually a whole series of fairy tale films that aired on Disney. They had Snow White, red Riding Hood, Sleeping beauty, Emperors New Clothes, Beauty and the Beast, Frog Prince, Puss in Boots, Rumpelstiltskin, and of course Hansel and gretel. They were all live-action musicals. Great movies. You can get Red Riding Hood on DVD now. Really cheap too. Well worth a look.

[Bear]

Oh finally. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought Tourist Trap was shocking and bloody. Great flick though.

[Bear]

Actually, I think the DVD misprinted an R rating. They did the same with Grizzly and Day of the Animals. I hope my DVD of Tourist Trap comes in soon.

[Pvt. Joker]

The freakiest movie I can remember watching when I was a kid had to of been Labyrinth. That movie freaked the shit out of me, David Bowie was creepy as the Goblin King.

[mary lou 102]

The movie really is tame for an R, but for a PG rating it's I Spit on You're Grave. My friend and I thought it was creepy.

BTW, this movie is practically remade as House of Wax with Paris Hilton. The original House of Wax was even better than Tourist Trap, but the makers of the new House of Wax decided to take Tourist Trap's plot and call it House of Wax. That pisses me off. Neither House of Wax or Tourist Trap need remakes.

[Bear]

SPOILERS:
Especially not Tourist Trap! And yeah, Tourist Trap creeped me out too. It has one of the most kickass covers I've seen. What got me as a kid was the part where he suffocates the chick with molten plastic! That still gets me.