19 Children's Movie Moments That Could Be Straight Out Of A Horror Movie
Three words for you: Return to Oz.
We recently asked members of our BuzzFeed Community to name a scene out of a children's movie that was basically straight out of a horror film, and their answers definitely didn't disappoint. Here are just a few of the ~spookiest~ responses:
1. Return to Oz (1985)
"When Dorothy sneaks into Mombi’s closet to steal the powder, but the headless witch awakens along with her hall of heads, who all scream after her. I am still scarred, traumatized, and horrified when I think about this scene."
2. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
"Of course I'm referring to the boat ride scene...I still shutter thinking about it, it gets me every time."
3. The Pagemaster (1994)
"I had to be taken out of the theater by my parents during the scene where Macaulay Kulkin is in the library being turned into a cartoon because I was so scared that I was hysterical. It was so bad that my dad actually wrote to the theater to complain that the movie was too mature for its rating."
4. Toy Story (1995)
"I am 23 now and I’ve hated the first one since it came out because the scene with the baby doll and all the weird toys in Sid's room scared me to no end."
5. Gremlins (1981)
"My dad used to have me watch this all the time, but I still hate it when the Gremlins get wet and do all that jiggling!"
6. Dumbo (1941)
"The traumatizing scene when Dumbo gets drunk and has that horrible elephant hallucination??? Definitely not for children, and does not get the 'you're perfect the way you are' message across at all, if you ask me. Just nightmares. Forever."
7. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
"When Judge Doom turns into a toon and has the high pitched voice...I’m 33 now and it still gives me the creeps."
8. James and the Giant Peach (1996)
"The horror movie vibe starts when the storm clouds turn into rhinos...and then the rest of the movie is terrifying, too."
9. Coraline (2009)
"While the whole film is scary, the scene where the 'Other Mother' turns into a spider and chases after Coraline into a spider's web was the worst one for me. I'm scarred for life now."
10. The Wiz (1978)
"My least favorite scene from any family movie is the entire subway scene in this movie. Those creepy puppets still freak me out and I'm pretty sure half of my issues can be tied to seeing the Scarecrow get his arm chomped on by a trash can."
—CB3o
11. Scooby Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
"The whole premise of the show was that monsters weren't real and the bad guys were almost always average people in costumes motivated by greed. With that in mind, the scariest scene in this movie was when they tried to unmask a zombie and realize it is 100% real and its HEAD COMES OFF. It was SO SCARY to watch as a child."
12. The Witches (1990)
"The fact that they eat children and do other horrible things to them, gives me chills. Specifically, the scene at the end of the movie where they all turn to their true form is stuff of nightmares."
13. The Polar Express (2004)
"I watched this movie as a kid and, even as an (almost) adult, it still terrifies me.
The scene with the puppets and marionettes is so creepy, and I haven't seen it in so long that I've forgotten what exactly about that scene scares me. My parents bought tickets to go see it last Christmas and sold them to another family because I refused to go."
14. Brave Little Toaster (1987)
"The scene where all the main characters end up in the repair shop with other appliances that are broken and/or discarded. Everything gets super dark and creepy, then the gang realizes they're about to be disassembled for their spare parts. It's basically a Saw movie sequence."
15. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
"I heard a lot about this movie when it came out so I figured I should see it. The scene where the villain is in a church and singing about 'hellfire' and there's fire around him and and literal demons horrified me. That whole movie had some pretty dark stuff."
16. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
"The guy that sniffs out children in this movie is a nightmare human. He's got this giant nose, a crushed top hat, and greasy-looking black hair. He was the scariest thing to me when I was a kid. I still shutter when I see pictures of him."
17. Anastasia (1997)
"I have a very distinct memory of watching this in theaters and my parents almost had to take me out of the theater during the scene where she has that weird nightmare and almost jumps off the boat because I was crying so much."
18. All Dogs go to Heaven (1987)
"When Charlie dreams about being in hell and the skeletal demon dogs drag him down into the fire??? WHAT A FUN TIME FOR CHILDREN!"
19. And finally, Jumanji (1995)
"The whole darn movie. The crazy monkeys, that lion scene...I still can’t watch it without getting scared."