# What was the movie that you obsessed with as a kid? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720 "2014-06-13T18:43:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earth001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a6a055/32.png) [@Earth001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earth001)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/1 "2014-06-13T18:43:23Z")
I would like to know, what was that one movie that you obsessed with when you were a little kid? We all had one. But what was yours: For me I really enjoyed the 1997 Titanic movie. I was big into Titanic at the time and that just made me like it even more. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/2 "2014-06-13T18:49:13Z")
Star Wars. I was 7 when it came out. It pretty much was my reason for living for about 4 years. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/3 "2014-06-13T19:27:15Z")
_Star Wars_ for me too. I was 12 when it came out and pretty much obsessed about it for a couple of years after that. As a really little kid I was obsessed with Disney’s _The Aristocats_. I named all my stuffed cats after the characters, borrowed my parents’ jazz records, and set up little jam sessions with them (the cats, not my parents). I think I was the only kindergartner around who listened to jazz. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/4 "2014-06-13T19:30:22Z")
Godspell. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/5 "2014-06-13T19:44:31Z")
Close Encounters of the Third Kind. With Star Trek the Motion Picture and Star Wars coming in 2nd and 3rd. ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/6 "2014-06-13T19:48:13Z")
Another Star Wars here 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/7 "2014-06-13T19:59:39Z")
Since this topic is about movies, it’s better suited for Cafe Society. I’ll move it there. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/8 "2014-06-13T20:04:44Z")
Back to the Future and Goonies. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/9 "2014-06-13T20:04:45Z")
The Iron Mistress. Just the knife. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/10 "2014-06-13T20:05:31Z")
_King Kong_ (the original). I watched every showing I could when it periodically came on _Million Dollar Movie_ in the 1950s - every weeknight, and several times on Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/11 "2014-06-13T20:14:28Z")
_Star Wars_ also _E.T. the Extra Terrestrial_ ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/12 "2014-06-13T20:16:49Z")
Well, this is somewhat embarrassing, but it was Disney’s [The Black Hole](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078869/combined). Which is an utter piece of shite, and even my thirteen-year-old self should have known better. Somehow I missed _Star Wars_ completely (I didn’t see any of the original trilogy until they became available on VHS); I guess I just wasn’t into SF at the time. But I remember reading about _The Black Hole_ and begging my parents to take me to see it, and my father reluctantly did. On the upside, it did coincide with that period of my early teens when I was becoming voracious about reading SF/F, so it at least fueled those fires. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/13 "2014-06-13T20:33:31Z")
I define obsessed a bit differently than others,I think. To me, it means the movies where I went through an extended phase of watching the video tape over and over and over, but not really related to going to see them in the theatre. I can think of three: - Sleeping Beauty (I was obsessed with Maleficent) - Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker (holy fucking shit I was in love with Michael Jackson as a little kid and I loved this movie, even though it made no sense). - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (I love love loved Gene Wilder’s Wonka; set me up for a lifetime of Wilder fandom). And I’ll still watch any of them excitedly to this day. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/14 "2014-06-13T20:46:55Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (I love love loved Gene Wilder’s Wonka; set me up for a lifetime of Wilder fandom). It’s funny–I absolutely adored this movie, and I’m pretty sure Wilder’s Wonka was my first love ever. I think he had a strong effect on my preference for smart, sarcastic guys to this day. I didn’t grow completely obsessed with the movie until many years later, though, because I saw it once in the theater when it first came out, missed the end because the kid with us had a meltdown and my mom made us leave, and never saw it again on TV until a long time later. That’s why I didn’t include it on my list here, even though it’s had a huge impact on me throughout my life. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/15 "2014-06-13T21:10:56Z")
Two movies come to mind, both within 12 months: _The Longest Day_ (1962) came out the summer I turned 13. I saw it four times, and thought it was the best thing going. I probably watched it again much later when it showed on TV, but by then it had lost some of its punch for me. _Lord of the Flies_ (1963) came out the following spring, I believe. I only watched it once, but it had a profoundly depressing impact on my outlook for quite a while. I still can’t bear to watch it. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/16 "2014-06-13T21:16:19Z")
[Manitou](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077904/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1), 1978. I saw a number of films in the 70’s that had a huge impact on my future self, including Star Wars, Deadly Flying Guillotines, etc. However, looking back, nothing affected me more than Manitou. I saw it in the theaters with my family when I was about 4 years old. I had nightmares for months afterwards. As I got older, I realized I would never, ever get scared like that again, and that made me sad. Every movie I see now, I’m hoping it will thrill me like the 4 year old that got scared to death watching Manitou. ---
**Author:** ![Clawdio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d07c76/32.png) [@Clawdio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clawdio)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/17 "2014-06-13T21:18:39Z")
Probably E.T. I thought the bicycle riding through the construction site near the end was the coolest. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/18 "2014-06-13T21:20:30Z")
_The Sound of Music_. I used to have dreams about the gazebo and the marionettes. I can still sing the entire score. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/19 "2014-06-13T21:24:58Z")
[Zorba the Greek](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorba_the_Greek_%28film%29). I think I first went to see it when it came out or shortly thereafter, so I would have been six or seven years old. (I had very permissive parents, plus we were living in either Greece or Turkey at the time - Zorba is set in Greece.) I’ve probably watched it at least a dozen times since then, plus read the book. The part I recall striking me as a kid was Zorba’s speech about it being OK to be crazy, and his dance with the Alan Bates character on the beach. I also saw Lord of the Flies as a kid and agree with **Roderick Femm** - a disturbing movie, especially from a child’s POV. On a lighter note, I saw Disney’s [Fantasia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasia_%281940_film%29) as often as I could; it was a frequent matinee at the US military base near where we lived. I still think that’s an amazing film, especially considering it was made in 1940. It instilled in me a life-long appreciation of classical music, too. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720/20 "2014-06-13T21:42:08Z")
Grease. We had sock hops before school on Fridays. After I saw it for the first time, I begged my mother to take me to the local thrift shop to mine for penny loafers, hoop skirts and anything else that couldn’t won me a Pink Ladies’ jacket. I’d listen to my dad’s old records like “It’s my Party and I’ll Cry if I Want to” and pretend I was Rizzo. We never hardly ever went to the show, but I was allowed to catch it at the dollar movie at least once a week for probably a year. Before I even realized it, I’d already seen it 28 times. I could tell you all the lines by heart and I tried to make all my friends recreate the dances. I even watched “Grease Day USA” on TV. It was totally epic in my world. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-movie-that-you-obsessed-with-as-a-kid/690720.md?page=2)