I have always been enthralled by scary movies. It started with Army of Darkness, which was part of the Evil Dead trilogy when I was about five. My father enjoyed the films and so did I. But occasionally, he would put a movie on that was actually for my age and it would freak me out. Here’s a list of the top five children’s movies that, even to this day, never fail to terrify me.
1. James and the Giant Peach (1996)
I don’t really know what it is about this movie. It’s just kind of gross. The way it’s filmed; the Aunts; the change from actors to animation. It’s all creepy in an unsettling way. I tried to watch this movie again this past year and couldn’t make it even halfway through.
2. Coraline (2009)
Based off the book by Neil Gaiman, Coraline is a movie to remember. This film is downright terrifying. It’s a stop-motion film, so for that I have to give it credit. But the button-eyes in Coraline’s alternate dream world will scare you to bits. I actually wouldn’t recommend showing this to children. I didn’t see this movie until I was a freshman in college and it made me feel weird. It still gives me nightmares.
3. The Never Ending Story (1984)
This 80s film is terrifying in the way that it is sad. It’s creepy, too. But imagine showing a film to a child where a horse dies in a literal swamp of sadness (R.I.P. Artax). This movie is no joke. I haven’t seen it since I was about six years old, but I still remember the horse – and I still feel the feels.
4. Watership Down (1978)
I remember watching the trailer for this film while waiting for The Little Mermaid to start. My Mom told me we should watch it together and I vividly remember telling her I didn’t want to. This film, based off of the novel by Richard Adams, is about rabbits, but not the kind you’re thinking of. This movie is anything but cute. There is weird amount of rabbit-murder and cannibalistic scenes that make this movie a terrifying one. It’s animated, which makes us think it’s for children, but it’s brutal.
5. The Black Cauldron (1985)
Ahh… The dark side of Disney. I actually love this movie, but I can’t deny that this would be frightening to children and even adults. The villain is honestly one of the scariest in all of the Disney films. The Horned King and his undead army will have you shaking in your boots. There is also some pretty terrifying music and odd character names to increase the creep factor. I’ve found that many people haven’t seen this film, but for the sake of seeing a different side of Disney, do it. It’s the complete opposite of Beauty and the Beast.