# Scariest scenes in a kids' movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755 "2007-05-19T19:56:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/61 "2007-05-21T13:15:08Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud] …Disney’s _Snow White_ … during a scene in which Snow White runs through the woods in the dark and the trees seem to come to life and grab at her. [/QUOTE] That was my pick. I hadn’t seen it as a child but we got it for my 18 month old daughter a while ago. She loves it, although she probably doesn’t understand anything yet. I remember thinking it was a hell of scary scene for a kids movie. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/62 "2007-05-21T13:32:59Z")
There were definitely a few things in the Goonies that were scary. Also, I was an adult when I saw it but how about when that dog hangs from the bridge in “Babe: Pig in the City”. That was some messed up shit. ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/63 "2007-05-21T14:05:28Z")
Oh, yeah, the Secret of NIMH - I had almost forgotten that _shudder_ Little 4-year-old me, for the first time in the cinema, was also really frightened by Disney’s _The Rescuers_. Especially the scene near the end, when they are in the cave, trying to get the diamond, and the flood threatens to come back in - I was terrified at the thought of being drowned in a cave (and still am). ETA: Later, I read [the book it was based on](http://www.amazon.com/Rescuers-Garth-Williams/dp/0316783552), which was even more terrifying - the mice did not have to rescue a cute little girl, but a Norwegian poet, half-starved, locked in the prison cell of an Alcatraz-like fortress, guarded by a sadistic guard who kept butterflies mounted on pins. Yikes! ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/64 "2007-05-21T14:14:25Z")
[QUOTE=Einmon] Oh, yeah, the Secret of NIMH - I had almost forgotten that _shudder_ Little 4-year-old me, for the first time in the cinema, was also really frightened by Disney’s _The Rescuers_. Especially the scene near the end, when they are in the cave, trying to get the diamond, and the flood threatens to come back in - I was terrified at the thought of being drowned in a cave (and still am). ETA: Later, I read [the book it was based on](http://www.amazon.com/Rescuers-Garth-Williams/dp/0316783552), which was even more terrifying - the mice did not have to rescue a cute little girl, but a Norwegian poet, half-starved, locked in the prison cell of an Alcatraz-like fortress, guarded by a sadistic guard who kept butterflies mounted on pins. Yikes! [/QUOTE] Seems Disney is a running theme in this thread. I’ll never forget taking my 4 year old to see [Finding Nemo](http://www.drugabusehelp.com/drugs/vicodin/). In the first five minutes, Mom and all but one of her babies become lunch to other sea creature. We had to leave the theatre my daughter was sobbing so hard. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/65 "2007-05-21T14:18:17Z")
The scenes in _E.T._ just before the space suit guys arrive freaked me the most…where both Elliot and E.T. are deathly pale and sick. Ick. _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ wasn’t exactly a kids movie, but probably was the scariest movie I saw as a kid…the melting Nazis and the avenging Ark Angel were way too much for me. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/66 "2007-05-21T14:37:58Z")
Those damned flying monkeys. Never have gotten over them. My kids were so freaked by them (on video, no less–I was traumatized at a Saturday matinee. 75 cents to ruin your life!), that they have never watched the whole thing. The abominable snowman was fairly nasty. Somehow I always liked the Grinch, though (until Jim Carrey ruined him). Charlie and the Choc Factory–I remember the boat trip well, but cannot recall anything but fast motion, colored lights and Wonka being strange (he was kinda freaky throughout)–did I miss some images? I think I am glad I did. Johnny Depp’s take on Michael Jackson was also disturbing. Tribbles freaked me out–that they could be growing and multiplying in small enclosed spaces made me shudder. Gremlins was NOT amusing to me… There was a Henson movie with some Muppets, but mostly about a smallish girl and boy (who were a type of something, halflings or something)–it involved white and black magic or some such–there was some kind of tribunal that was very scarey to me. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang had very scarey parts, as did Tom Thumb-one guy beating the shit out of another on a stone floor, IMS-- and Oliver (the musical, not the animated one). Hunchback (disney version) was sick and twisted to me, an adult–but I could see a child being frightened. Mulan had some intense bits, as did Lil Mermaid (that octapus was scarey!). And of course, let us not overlook, Cruella DeVille (animated). ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/67 "2007-05-21T14:45:25Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] There was a Henson movie with some Muppets, but mostly about a smallish girl and boy (who were a type of something, halflings or something)–it involved white and black magic or some such–there was some kind of tribunal that was very scarey to me. [/QUOTE] [The Dark Crystal](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083791/). The Skekses (big vulture-like creatures) are probably what you’re thinking of as far as a scary tribunal in that. Nasty things. I came in here specifically to mention All Dogs Go To Heaven and find I got scooped by the OP. ☹ There was a scene in Hell, IIRC, that I had to go stand outside the theater for because I just wouldn’t sit through it. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/68 "2007-05-21T14:56:56Z")
I’m always the only one who mentions it, but I found [The Devil and Daniel Mouse](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0262368/) extremely traumatic. Heck, I still do! I’d love to know if anyone else remembers it. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/69 "2007-05-21T15:01:02Z")
Thanks, **Bayle**. Now, if only I could actually remember\* Escape to Witch Mountain\* or _No Deposit, No Return_, there are probably scarey things in those as well… ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/70 "2007-05-21T16:22:15Z")
_Watcher in the Woods_ scared the Holy Creeping Jesus out of me when I was little, to the point where I became obsessed with it and it became one of my favourite movies, tho it still terrified me up through high school. I haven’t watched it in a long time, it probably still would! All the ghostie POV shots, through the woods…Karen’s face showing up in mirrors and windows…that terrifying little girl writing backwards and speaking all deep and slowly: _“Nearly too late…hardly ever happens…”_. GAH! I just scared myself even thinking about it. And add me to the list of people who were frightened by the movie _E.T._, although I was scared to death of E.T. himself more than the hazmat guys. When he was laying on the floor all white and disgusting, and croaking **“MOOOOOOMMMMMM”** , I would start shrieking and my parents would have to remove me from the theater. Three times they tried to take me to watch it, I’d promise I’d be fine, and then that part would come and I’d lose it. I never actually saw the movie all the way through until I was about 15. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/71 "2007-05-21T17:20:03Z")
Anyone else remember [Dot and the Kangaroo](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274470/)? I _loved_ this movie, but the Bunyip scene scared the shit out of me as a little kid. (And the end of the movie, when the kangaroo changes back into live-action and Dot is yelling “come back! come back!” made me bawl for hours, according to my parents, who still think this is funny, twenty four years later.) The bit where they get chased by dingoes wasn’t my favorite either. My other traumatic moments have already been mentioned: Augustus Gloop getting stuck in the tube (oddly, the psychadelic boat ride did nothing for me), Lampwick and Pinnochio turning into donkeys, the trees throwing apples at Dorothy. ---
**Author:** ![Matt\_Holck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Matt\_Holck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matt_Holck)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/72 "2007-05-21T17:36:54Z")
[QUOTE=DesertDog] I mean, yeah, she’s the villain but who deserves to be picked at by vultures? [/QUOTE] > [@](#): > > Paraphrased: When Chuang Tzu was about to die, his disciples began planning a splendid funeral. However some disciples expressed concern that given a particular arrangement, birds and kites would eat his remains. Chuang Tzu replied, “Well, above ground I shall be eaten by crows and kites, below it by ants and worms. What do you have against birds?” [http://quotes.zaadz.com/Chuang\_Tzu](http://quotes.zaadz.com/Chuang_Tzu) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/73 "2007-05-21T17:45:16Z")
Another vote for **The Dark Crystal** , and I was an adult when I saw it. The Skeksies were way too powerful, and the halflings survival was miraculous. ---
**Author:** ![shamrock227](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@shamrock227](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shamrock227)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/74 "2007-05-21T18:46:21Z")
You guys already covered _E.T._ and _Darby O’Gill and the Little People_. So I will just add _Rikki-Tikki-Tavi_. I am terrified of snakes to this day and even if Rikki didn’t cause it, it sure didn’t help any. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/75 "2007-05-21T19:05:30Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] _Catspaw_. [/QUOTE] Trek isn’t really kiddie-fodder though, I mean, things like the Salt Vampire in _The Man Trap_ were a little jarring, but it was targeted at adults. ---
**Author:** ![nevermore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@nevermore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevermore)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/76 "2007-05-21T20:56:30Z")
I guess I was an unusual kid in that I mostly liked the scary stuff, but what really scarred me was when people were mean. I tell you, I will never forget when Willy Wonka YELLED at Charlie and his grandpa when Charlie came to claim his prize. That whole office atmosphere, the ticking clock, the serious expression, his face reddening and his hair flying about, “I said **GOOD DAY**!” …oh, I cried. And since then I have never wanted to watch that movie again. Of course, there were a few scary images that actually did scare me… the flying monkeys in Wizard of Oz absolutely did, but really not nearly as much as the mean lady who played the Wicked Witch. The Witch herself didn’t scare me NEARLY as much as the lady-on-the-bike she was based on. Also, a hearty second to whoever said The Peanut Butter Solution. I was _terrified_. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/77 "2007-05-21T21:00:15Z")
[QUOTE=nevermore] I guess I was an unusual kid in that I mostly liked the scary stuff, but what really scarred me was when people were mean. I tell you, I will never forget when Willy Wonka YELLED at Charlie and his grandpa when Charlie came to claim his prize. That whole office atmosphere, the ticking clock, the serious expression, his face reddening and his hair flying about, “I said **GOOD DAY**!” …oh, I cried. And since then I have never wanted to watch that movie again. [/QUOTE] I agree; that was just heartbreaking. ---
**Author:** ![Matt\_Holck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Matt\_Holck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matt_Holck)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/78 "2007-05-21T21:17:00Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] Trek isn’t really kiddie-fodder though, I mean, things like the Salt Vampire in _The Man Trap_ were a little jarring, but it was targeted at adults. [/QUOTE] 6 pm broadcast 5 days a week on a channel that had an afternoon kids line up ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/79 "2007-05-21T22:57:25Z")
The wolves in Narnia were pretty scary, too. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755/80 "2007-05-21T23:06:59Z")
My sister totally freaked out at the scene in _The Black Stallion_, when the violent horse is caged on the boat and lashes out at anyone who gets near. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-scenes-in-a-kids-movie/404755.md?page=5)