Everyone has their favorite movies that they loved as kids. You likely drove your parents mad asking them to play them over and over again. Didn’t we want to watch something different, rather than that same movie for the 8th time in a row? Nope! Even though there are plenty of totally feel good kids’ movies out there, some of them are actually kinda dark. You may not have realized it at the time. But, if you revisit them now, you might be surprised you emerged without being scarred for life. Take a peek at our list of some of the creepiest kids’ movies of all time, and see if you agree.
This creepy kids’ movie was based on a YA book written by Neil Gaiman. The film adaptation is actually really beautifully done. The animation looks gorgeous, and it sticks to the source material nicely. The voice talent is also top notch. But, this movie will, without a doubt, creep you out. Coraline discovers another world through a tiny door in her new home. In that other world, she finds doppelgangers of her family, friends, and neighbors. At first, everything seems lovely, but that soon changes. Maybe everyone having buttons for eyes should have given it away that something was up. Don’t even get us started on the fright fest that is “Other Mother”.
Don’t get us wrong, this is a solid movie. It even does a good job of standing up today. Rock legend David Bowie is in it. There are a ton of Muppets, and most of them are super cute. Like you would expect them to be. But, some of those Muppets are legit creepy! It’s probably to be expected, as the flick deals with one of the main characters trying to win her baby brother back from The Goblin King. There is one group of denizens that live near the labyrinth called Fireys. They sing a song while popping off parts of their bodies and tossing them around. Yup. Creep city. Still a good movie though.
Another great kids’ movie that came out of the 80’s, The Never Ending Story was many a childhood fixture. Yes, it is more than just a song on Stranger Things. On the surface, it all seems relatively innocent and benign. It’s a story about a young boy who must team up with the inhabitants of a world known as Fantasia, to keep things from disappearing. Something called “The Nothing” is coming, and it threatens to erase all of Fantasia and everyone in it. There’s one scene that pretty much every kid of the era who saw it has said left them in tears. On top of that, there’s some pretty heavy subject matter here. Not to mention existentialist crises, nihilistic themes, and plenty of apathy. It’s a lot, when you watch it as an adult. The creep factor is up there. Yet, we’d still watch it.
Arguably one of the best kids’ movies of all time, the original version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, ranks pretty high on the creep scale. For starters, terrible things keep happening to the kids. Okay, so they were kinda bratty and didn’t follow all the rules. But, did they really deserve to be sucked up into a tube of liquid chocolate or turned into a blueberry? Secondly, that scene in the tunnel? Yup, that is the stuff of which nightmares are made. Lastly, so yes, we know that Wonka is supposed to be some sort of eccentric genius. Being a shut-in probably didn’t help his disposition or social skills. But, the way he so quickly vacillates between a childlike exuberance, total detachment, and extreme anger can be pretty unsettling. Let alone totally creepy.
