We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about a HIGHLY disturbing scene that had no right being in a kids movie, and boyyyy did they have some painful memories. Here's what they shared:
Note: Obviously, there are some spoilers ahead, but most of these movies are, like, decades old, so...
1. "I watched The House (2022) on Netflix, thinking it would at least be kid-friendly. Nope. The middle third is arguably the most messed up stuff I’ve seen on television. Highly recommend, though. The music is great, it's by the guy who scored The Last of Us — Gustavo Santaolalla — and the animation’s super interesting."
2. "The NeverEnding Story (1984) scene with the horse. It was the first time I felt utter and complete sadness as a child. I grew up in a house with my grandparents, and my grandmother had a horse. The idea that such a beautiful creature could feel so sad they couldn’t carry on blew my 6-year-old mind. Years later my boyfriend and I were in our early 20s and thought smoking some weed and watching a childhood movie would be a fantastic idea. Once we got to that scene, he stood up, said, 'Nope, not doing that,' and took the DVD out. It’s been over 18 years, and we still haven’t finished the movie."
3. "The Fox and the Hound (1981). I saw it for the first time in my second-grade class for movie day. It was the first time I can remember a movie making me cry. It’s not just the terrifying moments of the hunter and Copper going after Tod, but the moment that gets me is when the old lady leaves Tod at the game preserve. It chokes me up to even think about it — Tod thinking they are going on a car ride and then being left in the wild all alone, just watching her drive off. Okay, I need to go hug my cats now."
4. "Mr. Incredible getting absolutely annihilated by those black gooey balls in The Incredibles (2004) scared the hell out of me when I was a kid."
5. "The Secret of NIMH (1982) — the entire story is pretty dark, and a lot of the imagery is so scary, I can’t believe I used to watch it regularly as a kid. I’m still stressed out about the scene when Mrs. Brisby is trapped in a cage."
6. "I was so terrified of Little Monsters (1989) and the idea of Fred Savage turning into a monster. I even had nightmares that I was turning into a monster and no one believed it was me anymore. My fears were quite Kafkaesque as a child, LOL."
7. "I watched the cartoon version of The Lord of the Rings (1978) when I was younger than 10, and I did not like the trees with faces; that moment scared the hell outta me."
8. "Honestly, the scene in Pinocchio (1940) with the bad guys talking about kidnapping young boys. They're talking about Pleasure Island, and after the whole Epstein scandal, I find it absolutely bone-chilling."
9. "Most definitely parts from Matilda (1996). Mainly, it's the chocolate cake scene. Even when I watched it as an older teen, I had to skip it because it scared me so much. But, also, in general when it shows kids in the chokey."
10. "Watching Princess Mononoke (1997) and the scene where a guy's arm gets shot off with an arrow. The arm was still attached to the sword it was holding after it was sliced off! Oddly enough, Princess Mononoke is still one of my favorite movies."
11. "Littlefoot’s mother dying in The Land Before Time (1988). It’s only really matched by the end of the movie where he chases a cloud that looks like her and I am choking up just writing this."
12. "My Girl (1991). 'He can't see without his glasses!!!"
13. "Please tell me someone else was terrified by the clown in The Brave Little Toaster (1987)?"
14. "That scene in Chicken Run (2000) where they’re gonna be made into pies. I remember running and hiding because I was so scared."
15. "Ugh, for me it was Old Yeller (1957)…if you know, you know."
16. "Bing Bong in Inside Out (2015). I just can’t talk about it right now…"
17. "When the Emperor’s body crumbles into dust in The Dark Crystal (1982)."
18. "The moment Josh Hutcherson's dad tells him his best friend is dead after he ditched her, and she ventured off without him in Bridge to Terabithia (2007)."
19. "Hexxus in skeleton form in FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992). Nightmare fuel for YEARS."
20. "The banshee in Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959)! She still makes me uneasy to this day!"
21. "Hands down, the death of Mufasa in The Lion King (1994). I wasn’t ready for that. It’s been almost 30 years, and I’m STILL traumatized."
22. "Those damn 'wheelers' from Return to Oz (1985)…all of Return to Oz, TBH. Not sure why Disney marketed that to kids."
23. "Hands down the scene in Benji (1974) when the girl dog is kicked down the stairs!"
24. "I used to be terrified of the scene in Aladdin (1992) when Jafar turns into a snake."
25. "The Heffalumps and Woozles from Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005) gave me nightmares, but I was also low-key obsessed with them. I think this may be why I love psychological horror movies now."
26. "All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) wrecked me as a child."
27. "OK, Coraline (2009) is a masterpiece, but I can’t be the only one who watched it as a kid and was scarred for life! 😭"
28. "Hands down the boat scene in the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). I loved that movie as a child and love it as an adult, but that scene bothers me more now."
29. "All of the kids' downfalls in the 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Until I was about 12, I could never watch it. Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka also terrified me."
30. Finally, "The evil trees in the forest Snow White ran through in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). I was about 3 years old when I first saw the movie. I can still see it in my mind and remember how I felt."
