(Halloween) 7 Kids Films That Scared Us

With Halloween upon us, most of us think of things that coincide with the holiday; things such as horror, spooky things and things for just a good scare. However, what about things that creep us out in general? One thing that comes to mind for me is cartoons and family films from when I was a kid. And not just cartoons that were made to scare us - I'm talking about stuff that would just give you the heebie jeebies when the thought of it is brought up.

Here is a list of some of those films/cartoons:

1. The Elm-Chanted Forest

This is the English dub of the 1986 animated feature film "Cudesna suma", the first ever full length feature animation produced in the former Yugoslavia (more specifically, the region now known as Croatia). 

A painter falls asleep beneath a magical elm tree and awakens with magical powers that allow him to communicate with the creatures of the forest. In the limited time that he possesses these powers, he must help save the forest from the threat of the evil Cactus King. 

Why is this deemed creepy? Lets see, elements of horror, creepy soundtrack, crude animation and the scene with the mushrooms or any scene with the Cactus King will give any kid or adults the creeps. This still gives me the creeps just watching it.

2.  The NeverEnding Story

OK I admit this is one of my favorites and still is to this day. It didn't bother me much, however I have heard from many that the scene when Atreyu confronts G'Mork scared the crap out of them when they were kids. Now I can see why! 

3. Watership Down

Considered one of the most violent animated films of all time, many scenes were deemed to scary or graphic for children that the original film makers had to tone it down if they wanted it aired on TV. Personally, I thought this film showcased the horror of Mother Nature perfectly.

4. The Black Cauldron

Considered one of the most controversial animated Disney films of all time. Many scenes were cut from the original film due to the graphic nature and to make sure the film didn't receive an PG-13 or even worse an R rating from the MPAA. However, there are still many scenes in this film that were pretty creepy.

5. The Dark Crystal

Yes, I know this film is also a classic. But this may also be Jim Henson's creepiest film he ever made. One scene (shown above) was cut because it was deemed too scary for kids. 

6. Felidae

I had never heard of this film until a random You Tube search listed it. It was never released in the US, only in Europe. The story centers around domestic house cat Francis and the grisly feline murders taking place in his new neighborhood. From seeing some of the scenes in this film, i'm creeped!

7. The Brave Little Toaster

Halfway through the film, Donald Kushner thought that the nightmare scene should be cut from the film; due to the clown being extremely frightening to younger children. He also stated that the junkyard scene "Worthless" should be cut from the film too, due to one of the cars driving into a crusher on purpose, using a suicide reference. 

And the crazy part to this, this was a Disney film! However, I always thought the repair man fit the discription of a serial killer.