17 Times Fantasy Movies Made Us Say "Damn, That's Dark"

"It looks like a story where a girl enters a whimsical fantasy world, but what it’s actually about is the brutal inhumanity of fascism."

We asked the BuzzFeed Community what scenes from fantasy movies were so uncharacteristically dark, they caught them off guard — here's some of what they said.

 🚨 There are spoilers for lots of (old) movies ahead, so scroll with caution!! 🚨

1. When Dobby died in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1

Warner Bros.

"I will NEVER get over Dobby’s death, tbh."

—notdoinganythingsus

youtube.com

2. The reveal of Mombi's Hall of Heads in Return to Oz

Buena Vista Distribution

"The heads in the jars, the wheelers, the nome king. The whole movie was terrifying, especially as a supposed follow-up to The Wizard of Oz. Damn good though.

—ukcoop

youtube.com

3. The Pale Man and his escapades in Pan's Labyrinth

Warner Bros. Pictures

"Any answer to this that isn’t Pan’s Labyrinth falls short. It looks like a story where a girl enters a whimsical fantasy world, but what it’s actually about is the brutal inhumanity of fascism. Violent and traumatising as hell."

—reginaldcartwright

"Excellent movie, but I was not expecting the Pale Man to eat the fairy nor Vidal to be such a sadistic monster."

—jgoes82_

youtube.com

4. The puppet scene in The Polar Express

Warner Bros. Pictures

"You know the one. That had me terrified as a child."

—aries97

youtube.com

5. When Rasputin sold his soul in Anastasia

20th Century Fox

"This freaked me out every single time."

—catielu21

youtube.com

6. When we discovered the truth behind Hector and Ernesto's friendship in Coco

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

I was taken aback in Coco when we find out Hector was actually poisoned by Ernesto just to get the songs. I mean, we were jamming to the songs and then boom, betrayal

—viqui543

youtube.com

7. The many, many deaths in Avengers: Infinity War

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

"I had a lot of theories for that movie but Thanos winning was not one of them."

—emmanz

youtube.com

8. In Spirited Away, when we learned that Haku could never return home because the Kohaku River was destroyed

Toho

"This the final – and imo, biggest – heartbreak of the film. Haku was stuck in the bathhouse because of the selfishness of people, but did everything he could to make sure Chihiro made it home safely."

–hanifahrahman

youtube.com

9. Artax's drowning in Neverending Story

Warner Bros.

"I really thought that horse was gonna make it."

—melissam41281a122

"I'm in my thirties and still struggle to get through it."

—bowsie22

youtube.com

10. When the child catcher appeared in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

United Artists Pictures Inc.

"His existence is so out of character – it's a movie about some kids who have a flying car! Why is here there?!"

–valezabakolli

youtube.com

11. The fate of the shoe in Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

"He was dissolved! Still makes me cry."

—emmah42c3111c9

youtube.com

12. When Leslie fell to her death in Bridge To Terebithia

Summit Entertainment

"I quickly got sucked into watching what I thought was a lovely kid's film, then BAM! death comes out of nowhere and made me cry."

—marshalldude

"I did NOT see it coming."

—nadiaz4da7dd1c0

youtube.com

13. When the little boys are turned into donkeys in Pinocchio

Disney / RKO Radio Pictures

"This scene will be engraved in my head for the rest of my life. I refuse to let my kids ever watch it because of that moment."

—hispanicprincess84

youtube.com

14. When the witches removed their "human faces" in The Witches

Warner Bros.

"They start to scratch off their human skin and turn into hideous witches... WTF??

—deannas4663a7500

"The worst scene ever is when all of the witches remove their masks and reveal their true selves."

—stephene4634a5464

youtube.com

15. The ending of Star Wars: Episode III

20th Century Fox

"This really messed me up as a kid. My parents took me on my 11th birthday and I was so excited. God, even though I knew that Anakin turned into Vader, I was not prepared. The massacre at the temple and how he lashed out at Padmé had me feeling down for days."

—laurenm4b7b568d6

youtube.com

16. When Willy Wonka took the kids through his creepy tunnel in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

Paramount Pictures

"This was SO unnerving!"

—carlyd4074fa6bc

youtube.com

17. And finally, when ~everyone~ died at the end of Rogue One.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

"Literally the most unexpected, hopeless end to a movie."

–tomvto

youtube.com

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Which movie moments took you by surprise? Tell us in the comments, and follow the BuzzFeed Community on Facebook and Twitter if you want to be featured in similar posts in future!