It's Impossible To Forget These Terrifying Movies

Although there's no greater pleasure in life than nostalgically viewing your favorite childhood movies, there are some films I'm sure you would rather not revisit. Movies from your childhood that emotionally traumatized you with their scary thematic elements, or freaked you out with their dark and depressing storylines. Growing up in a world that's full of potentially mind warping stimuli can be tough — I get it. I was there once too.

While it blows my mind to think of how these films made their way into production, and then into the comfort of our own homes vis a vis our two-in-one VHS TVs, it's also pretty disturbing that it's taken us this long to figure out that the majority of our favorite childhood films were straight up terrifying. It's a wonder, come to think of it, that we've been able to assimilate into society as moderately functioning adults at all with content like this having shaped our highly malleable brains!

The worst part is that we think we've forgotten all about these kids movies because it's been so long, but NO. The thoughts and images creep back into our psyches every now and again. Am I being too dramatic? Take a walk with me down this labyrinth of twisted childhood flicks, and see for yourself.

1. The Dark Crystal

Sometimes I'll be falling asleep, thinking about what I'm going to eat for breakfast, how great my life is, etc., when all of the sudden, BAM: An image of the most bone-chilling puppet invades my brain and suddenly it clones itself until I'm surrounded by hundreds of thousands of vulture puppet people (Skeksis, they are called) all asking me about a crystal in simultaneously high-pitched but raspy voices.

2. Lady And The Tramp

True story, for some reason I had remembered the narrative from this "Siamese Cat" scene as this: Two siamese cats that are depicted in not so respectful ways, sing a not so respectful song, and then EAT A BABY. Turns out I was right about the not so respectful part, but wrong about the baby being consumed by said felines. Just goes to show how scary this was though.

3. Dumbo

First of all, why does it feel like our favorite childhood characters are often on drugs? Is this to incite paranoia in us all? Please let me know. But in the meantime, feast your eyes on this terrible acid trip.

4. Bambi

I'm just going to come out and say it... Bambi's mom gets brutally murdered. There.

5. The Wizard Of Oz

Flying. Monkeys. How is that NOT disturbing? Monkeys don't/shouldn't fly. Fact.

6. The Secret Of Nimh

Real quick, can we talk about the Owl that lives in a cave full of giant moths and spiders? On top of that, there's a bevy of crazy things going on in this "children's film." Most of them feel like alien scientific experiments gone wrong, but with rodents. So in other words, incredibly troubling.

7. The Witches

When Anjelica Huston ripped off her face, you can admit that a part of your childhood innocence was gone forever.

8. Neverending Story

Oh, so like, a children's film that explores the concept of death and nothingness? Cool, cool.

9. Little Nemo: Adventures In Slumberland

The scene that still freaks me out to this day involves a lot of black goop and/or black smoke, which then turns into tentacles and abducts King Morpheus (who, by the way, I only just realized is not supposed to be Santa Clause?).

10. The Care Bears Movie

Don't be fooled by the seemingly innocent and kind-hearted nature of the Care Bears. The woman in that book was terrifying. You know the one.

11. The Black Cauldron

The Black Cauldron was well known for being Disney's darkest film ever, but unless you really go back and re-watch it, you cannot fully understand the depths of its abyss. (I'm actually pretty sure that "the villain" in this film is just the devil, so there's that too.)

Well, there you go. Sorry in advance about your impending nightmares.

Images: ITC Entertainment