23 Things That Personally Scarred Me For Life As A Kid

    "Floop is a madman! Help us! Save us!"

    Hannah Marder
    by Hannah Marder

    BuzzFeed Staff

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    Maybe I am just a scaredy-cat, but there are MANY things I saw growing up that just freaked the hell out of me. And I'm not just talking about that time my dad let me watch The Blair Witch Project when I was 4.

    Warner Bros.

    I'm talking about shows, videos, and movies MEANT for kids. Since some of these still haunt me at night, here's a full list of scenes, shorts, and moments that truly scarred me for life:

    Nickelodeon

    1. When the lizard crawled into Meredith's mouth in The Parent Trap.

    Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

    This quickly became an irrational fear of mine.

    2. Or that ghost train episode of Hey Arnold?

    Nickelodeon

    That shit stays with you.

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    3. I'm sorry, but the sand lion thing from Aladdin does NOT belong in a film meant for kids.

    Disney

    It literally swallows a dude!! God, this movie freaked me out.

    4. Not a TV show or movie, but..."Charlie the Unicorn" always scared me.

    the other unicorns saying "goodbye charlie" as he goes into the dark cave
    FilmCow / YouTube / Via youtube.com

    5. And don't even get me STARTED on "Salad Fingers."

    Salad fingers holding up a finger
    David Firth / YouTube / Via youtube.com

    I still see this dude in my nightmares.

    6. "Llamas With Hats" is funny and I still quote it, but...seeing a stabbed dude with his arms eaten off was probably not the best thing for 7-year-old me.

    Carl and the other llama with hats on next to the dead guy
    FilmCow / YouTube / Via youtube.com

    OK, I lied. This came out when I was 14, and it still freaked me out.

    7. Nor was that commercial where the zombie pops up.

    blurry zombie over a picture of a countryside
    kiddlestix / YouTube / Via youtube.com

    8. Or the fucking Maze Game. :(

    level 2 of the maze
    ryanjyn2008 / YouTube / Via youtube.com

    Literally traumatizing.

    9. Everyone kept talking about Lord of the Rings like it was similar to Harry Potter, so let's just say I was NOT expecting everything that went down on Mount Doom!!

    New Line Cinema

    Did anyone else develop an irrational fear of lava after this?

    10. Although the scene of Harry killing Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was pretty traumatizing, as well.

    Warner Bros.

    Honestly, I think this is one of the most disturbing moments in the entire series. And it's never brought up that 11-year-old Harry straight-up killed a man again.

    11. But nothing matches the horror of the ice cube death scene in Agent Cody Banks.

    MGM Distribution Co.

    Never forget that one of the freakiest movie deaths of all time was at the hands of Hilary Duff. 

    12. I know I've talked about this before, but seriously. The live-action gorilla suit in that SpongeBob episode is still one of the top-10 scariest things I have EVER seen.

    Nickelodeom

    Who came up with this?? I just wanna talk.

    13. This was a tiny moment in Lord of the Rings, but when Bilbo's face changed...I, too, changed.

    New Line Cinema

    I have never been the same.

    14. I used to literally fast-forward through the part of Ghostbusters when Sigourney Weaver opens the fridge to see that freaky monster.

    Sigourney's character opening the fridge to see a dog-like demon and screaming and closing it
    Columbia Pictures

    15. ...and the library scene.

    the ghost librarian turning into a scary ghost as the ghostbusters scream
    Columbia Pictures

    16. That Goonies scene where Andy has to play the piano correctly or they'll all die still gives me stomach knots.

    as they're pursued, the kids try to play piano, with Andy saying she's not positive what a certain note is, then pushing it on the keyboard
    Warner Bros.

    I still hate this scene, because it's so damn stressful.

    17. I literally thought you would get eaten alive by leeches if you went into the water too soon after eating for years after seeing this scene in A Series of Unfortunate Events.

    the leeches attack the boat, where the Baudelaires and Aunt Josephine are inside
    Paramount Pictures

    I know they didn't *show* Aunt Josephine's death, but still, it was way too disturbing.

    18. The whole "return the slab" Courage the Cowardly Dog episode was freaky...

    Cartoon Network

    19. But the episode where the ghost came out of the record player literally made me afraid of music. OF MUSIC.

    Cartoon Network

    Courage the Cowardly Dog was pure nightmare fuel, and it should NOT have been classified as a kids' show. 

    20. The Fooglies in Spy Kids were literally terrifying, and I don't get how parents were OK with that show, even in the fictional world of Spy Kids.

    Dimension Films

    21. And when they played the theme backwards so it said, "FLOOP IS A MADMAN! HELP US! SAVE US!" I almost burst into tears.

    Dimension Films

    Also, remember all those, like, "hidden demonic messages in songs" videos about, like, "...Baby One More Time" and "Revolution 9"?? I used to click those out of morbid curiosity and then not be able to sleep due to nightmares.

    22. I'd also like to give an honorable mention to the thumb thumbs from Spy Kids.

    Dimension Films

    I swear I kind of look like these things when I wear my hair in a low ponytail.

    23. And finally, the Star Wars prequels came out when I was super young, and let me tell you something: Even when you have no idea what the hell is going on, seeing some screaming dude with red eyes and all his limbs literally burned off scars you. Forever.

    Lucasfilms

    Somehow I conflated this fight scene, the Mount Doom AND the "you shall not pass" scene from Lord of the Rings, and the Quirrell scene in Harry Potter into some horrifying lava/fire-based film that I vaguely remembered seeing as a child. It wasn't until I rewatched the full films as an adult that I realized my mistake.

    Now it's your turn — what kids' video, show, and movie moments terrified you growing up? Let us know in the comments!

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