01-04-2025
21 Not-Talked-About Movies That Basically Scarred An Entire Generation
Recently, we wrote about the films that have absolutely scarred an entire generation. And, in response, we got SO MANY MORE good suggestions from our BuzzFeed Community. Here are the less-talked-about movies that emotionally traumatized people when they were younger:
Little Engine That Could (1991): "That. Mountain. Scene."
—garfieldgal10414
the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964): "I didn't realize how traumatic those Christmas claymation movies were until I showed them to my then 3-year-old, who literally ran from the room screaming. The abominable snowmen and the island of misfit toys are nightmare fuel."
—yogaco
Dog Skip (2000): "I love dogs so much, and I was told by everyone I knew that I needed to watch that movie. NO ONE TOLD ME WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. It's scarred me to this day."
—pinkpunk41
Hears a Who (1970): "The Wickersham Brothers gave me nightmares, big time."
—youngwolf985
on Zombie Island (1998): "That movie traumatized so many kids who either saw it when it came out or on TV later."
—leafy8101
of the Flies (1990): "I stumbled across that movie when I was really young, before I had any idea it was a classic, and it scared the bejeebers out of me."
—brytniikay
Sound of Music (1965): "The Nazis in The Sound of Music...I had to sleep with all the lights on."
—lazyfish23
the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977): "I cry every time."
—kennykboom
(1974): "How has no one mentioned this yet? It's terrifying at times."
—rebeccae4d5d5802c
Web (1973): "My 4-year-old and I both cried at the end of Charlotte's Web. I asked her what was wrong, and she said, 'She didn't get to see her babies.' I'm crying now."
—furrydolphin286
(1985): "It was probably irrational of me, but the movie gave me nightmares for a week. I was maybe 7 or 8 when I watched it; I would cry whenever I went to the bathroom because I was afraid someone would come out of a secret passage/hidden panel and stab me. I didn't feel safe in my own home!"
—alisha2435
White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937): "I was 5 and the mirror scared me so much."
—ssisqueen
in the Mist (1988): "I saw it as a child, and I still can't watch any movie about animals 40 years later."
—bitterwitch87
Wicked This Way Comes (1983): "It scared me to death. It made me scared of carnivals for a while. I'm 53 and will not watch it to this day."
—fierceshield934
Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977): "My parents recorded it off the TV, and I damn near wore the VHS tape out watching it even though it scared the absolute shit out of me."
—dandelano
III (1983): "The scene where the woman gets turned into a borg scared the crap out of me as a kid."
—bmw1138
O'Gill and the Little People (1959): "When the banchees came to the front door towards the end, I had nightmares for years."
—homeygoblin3712
Upon A Forest (1993): "😭😭😭."
—laurwhit
Transformers: The Movie (1986): "I was a NASA and Transformers kid. In 1986, the Challenger exploded, and they killed Optimus Prime — that year warped me for life!
—laughingasteroid20
20.A Troll in Central Park (1994): "It was the most terrifying movie to me as a kid, and I still can't watch it."
—alir47cbc11ca
Poppins (1964): "Don't laugh, but, specifically the scene where they were all up by the ceiling. As a wee tot, my cousins would torture me by playing 'I Love to Laugh,' knowing it would send me into hysterics. Even now, I still get the ghost of a shiver listening to that song."
—ladicair
You can read about more of the films that scarred generations here, here, and here!
Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
