24 Creepy, Bizarre, And Terrifying Characters Who Ruined Your Childhood

"Jim Carrey was the root of all my nightmares."

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about their childhood fears. Here are some of the movie and TV show characters that gave them nightmares:

1. The pool monster from Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Nickelodeon

"After watching that Are You Afraid of the Dark? episode with the monster in the pool, I would NEVER swim by myself. I still don't like being in a pool alone."

—meganw71

2. The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

"When I was a kid, I was terrified of the Wicked Witch of the West. I was convinced she lived in my closet, and I would have dreams she'd grab me and pull me into the closet!"

—viviam

3. Chucky from Child's Play

United Artists

—domoniqueb40c3c7858

4. The T. rex from Jurassic Park

Universal Pictures

"I used to dream about it coming into my house, chasing my family around, and roaring like it did in the movie."

—zicki18

5. Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians

Disney

—sjworkma27

6. Bruce from Jaws

Universal Pictures

"I didn't get in the lake for years because I was afraid of what creatures were in the water."

—webe8841

7. Pennywise from It

Warner Bros. Television

"I was convinced there was a killer clown living in my closet. I still keep my closet door shut whenever I'm asleep."

—thoeck22

8. Ghostface from Scream

Woods Entertainment

"I thought he lived in my basement."

—mykellh

9. Jafar from Aladdin

Disney

"I thought Jafar lived at Disney World, so my first time going I cried on the plane ride to Orlando."

—aviansmiles

10. Edward from Edward Scissorhands

20th Century Fox

"I'm still scared of him to this day."

—brannanl

11. The Martians from Mars Attacks!

Warner Bros.

"I was TERRIFIED of the Martians in Mars Attacks!. To this day I won't watch the movie because they freak me out so much. I thought one was hiding in my closet and I had recurring nightmares about it."

—alys4b4e83fd5

12. The Oompa Loompas from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Warner Bros. Pictures

—danyllel

13. Slappy the Dummy from Goosebumps

Columbia Pictures

"I was afraid that if I didn't turn the bathroom light on before I went in, Slappy the Dummy from Goosebumps would come out of the toilet and attack me."

—lexiey

14. Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

Cartoon Network

"One night when I was younger, I thought I heard Grim calling my name and became so scared of him."

—destinybowen44

15. The leprechaun from The Leprechaun

Trimark Picture

"My dad let me watch The Leprechaun when I was in third grade. I had a nightmare about it when I stayed at my grandma's so I thought he lived in her basement. It took me years to be able to go down there without fearing he was going to come get me." —vsturgeon

16. Noo-Noo from Teletubbies

Viacom International

"As a kid, I was downright terrified of Noo-Noo, the vacuum cleaner, from the Teletubbies. Just look at those eyes!"

—linelundsgaardk

17. Captain Hook from Peter Pan

Disney

"I thought Captain Hook was going to come out of the toilet when I flushed it. But I knew I had to flush, so I would flush the toilet, sprint out of the bathroom, and lock my bedroom door."

—ashhhhhhhhhh

18. E.T. from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Universal Pictures

"As a kid, I was terrified of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. His long fingers and extendable neck freaked me out. I ended up putting 'No Alien' signs on all the windows and doors, praying he wouldn't show up at my house. I had nightmares for years."

—lela1211

19. Harry Wormwood from Matilda

TriStar Pictures

"I was scared of Danny DeVito. I watched Matilda all the time and had a nightmare that he snuck into my room, bleached my hair, and glued his ugly hat to my head."

—midwayktn

20. Gengar from Pokémon

Cartoon Network

"I loved Pokémon as a kid and the Pokémon Gengar scared me so much. The moment I saw him I was terrified. I was even scared to go to the bathroom because I thought he'd grab me through the toilet."

—sunnis4549ae5c2

21. DoodleBob from SpongeBob Squarepants.

Nickelodeon

"I was deathly afraid that DoodleBob from SpongeBob was real and would erase me with the magic pencil."

—angelaf4c3acf0ac

22. The aliens from Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius

Paramount Pictures

"After watching Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, I was terrified my parents were going to get abducted by the aliens. I wouldn't let my mom out of my sight for over six months."

—someonestakara

23. Ursula from The Little Mermaid

Disney

—kelciew3

24. And the Grinch from Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Universal Pictures

"Jim Carrey was the root of all my nightmares. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas gave me nightmares for two years."

—kxxksrxsie

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