24 Terrifying TV Shows And Movies We Weren't Allowed To Watch As Kids Because They Were So Damn Scary

Fantasia WAS a wild ride, tbf.

We recently asked the Buzzfeed community what TV show or movie they weren't allowed to watch when they were younger because it was too scary. Here are some of the best responses:

1. The Shining

Warner Bros.

"I’ve seen it as an adult and looking back, my parents made a good call. I think watching this movie at a young age without a doubt would have sent me spiralling. As an adult, I just had to watch a couple episodes of something lighthearted to calm down afterward!"

—alyssamarie-maea

"I wasn’t allowed to watch it as a kid but now I’m in love with horror movies!"

— brookemarlow

2. Charmed

The WB

"My Christian parents would absolutely not allow me to watch Charmed because it was 100% witchcraft."

— hannahl4fb81c6e9

3. Beetlejuice

Warner Bros.

"I remember loving the Beetlejuice cartoons, but I couldn’t watch the movie and it really upset me! Now I’m glad my parents said 'you can watch that when you're a teenager' because it's like my favorite movie and I’ve seen it 10+ times!"

— allisongorman

4. The Grudge

Columbia Pictures

"My parents were pretty liberal with what I was allowed to watch as a kid, but for some reason they drew the line at me watching The Grudge. The 2004 version had just come out and I think perhaps they'd heard from other parents that it was really scary. I ended up watching it at mate's anyway and yeah... I was terrified!"

— yeahsurejan

5. The Harry Potter films and books

Warner Bros. Pictures

"We used to go to a church where the pastor said Harry Potter was the work of the devil! 😂 So that was off the list – the books and the movies!"

— hayley7335

6. Watership Down

YTV/CITV

"We had rabbits as children and my parents wouldn't let me watch it for fear I'd be scarred for life. I've not watched it to this day and I'm 36!"

— ellyjhorsler

7. Nip/Tuck

FX

"My mom would watch it when I went to sleep and one night I snuck out of bed and watched it around the corner and the first thing I saw was someone's face glued to a butt cheek. I never disobeyed my mom again after that! 😬"

— kelseyf4924b84ec

8. The Nightmare Before Christmas

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

"My wimpy older brother cried when he first saw it and so my parents wouldn’t let me, a little girl, watch it. I’m still salty about it because nowadays I don’t really like cartoons and all my friends have fond memories of it."

— meredithb4f4141cdf

9. The Smurfs

NBC

"When I was a kid, my church condemned The Smurfs for its positive portrayal of witchcraft! 😂"

— joshcutts

10. Scary Movie

Dimension Films

"Yeah so my parents would let me watch Scream, but Scary Movie – a Scream parody – was a no-no."

— rafaellajuliani1

11. Coraline

Focus Features

"My mom wouldn’t let me or my siblings watch anything with witches, witchcraft, and demonic things. She told us we couldn’t watch Coraline, but we already had just before she said not to!"

— mimioreo

12. 24

Fox

"My dad wouldn't let me watch 24 until I was 14 years old because he thought it would scare me. Little did he know that for about six months to a year before that, I watched it behind his back whenever he would send me upstairs to bed. Any time he would come up for anything, I would immediately switch to the Food Network!"

—skipnees

13. Scooby Doo

WB/Everett Collection

"My mom originally didn't approve of Scooby Doo because it contained references to ghosts and other monsters not sanctioned by the church. But after I pointed out that it was never a real monster, just someone in a costume, she let me watch it."

— alanamuir

14. Thriller

Epic Records

"My parents wouldn’t let me watch Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' music video."

— mariekeough1

15. Spirited Away

Toho

"Unfortunately, it was a big 'no no' for me as a kid."

— mimioreo

16. Candyman

TriStar Pictures

"My dad let us watch any amount of horror, slasher, and violent movies as a kid, but we were never allowed to watch Candyman. I'm a 32 year old and still to this day I won't watch it no matter how curious I am."

— k4a02328a2

17. The X Files

Fox

"My mom LOVED that show! She called it her 'scary show' – partly so we would leave her alone to have some time by herself, and partly because it probably would have scared us! I didn't, and still don't, like scary shows or movies."

— katiermartin32

18. Adventure Time

Cartoon Network

"When I was eight years old, I was watching the series premiere with my brother who was six at the time, and this demon creature appeared right when my mom walked in. And that was it! I’m 18 living with my parents while attending college and I'm still not allowed to watch it!"

— kathrynlloyd02

19. Annabelle

Warner Bros. Pictures

"Once I was watching it and my father burst into the room and scolded me by saying 'GO AWAY! You're too small to watch this!'"

— september_queen

20. Fantasia

RKO Radio Pictures

"Specifically, the "Night on Bald Mountain" segment with the Chernabog. My mum would stop the video (age alert) before that bit every time we watched it! I finally watched it when I was a teenager and I’m kinda glad she did."

— sarahp4386d6cb8

21. Power Rangers

Nickelodeon

"My dad never let me watch it! I really wanted to, and all my friends would watch it, but my dad always said it was too violent. I still haven't seen it to this day!"

— hayleyac123

22. Drop Dead Fred

New Line Cinema

"Tbh, I'm thankful they shielded me from this one."

— chandlerf4eb35d7a3

23. SpongeBob SquarePants

Nickelodeon

"My parents thought it was annoying, so they told me and my sister that it would kill our brain cells which made us terrified to watch it!"

—keiramcg

"I was told it would stunt my growth."

—aleksbeygel

24. And last but not least, The Exorcist

Warner Bros. Pictures

"I was pretty much allowed to watch any scary movies from the age of ten, but the one movie I was expressly forbidden from watching was The Exorcist, I think because my mum had walked out of the cinema terrified."

—sophies4f0c7e690

"My mother is Catholic, and she urged all of her kids not to see it or even talk about it! I didn’t see the film until my twenties when I was safely out of the house. It happens to be my partner's favorite horror, so now we watch it several times a year – sorry, mom!"

—leighg492d3918e

"One night I snuck it upstairs in a different VHS case and watched it! I peed the bed that night."

—flickerz91

Note: Some entries were edited for length and/or clarity.

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