Scary Children’s Movies

Ever see something in a kids movie and thing "That's a little bit scary!" It is rare but there are a few examples of this, they tend not to be the obvious monster jumping out or the in-your-face ghost. They tend to be the moments where there is a slightly sinister undertone. Overall I think there’s very few moments in children’s movies that would cause lasting fear. You may disagree with me completely but here's 3 of my nominations for things that would certainly creep most kids out.

Disney's Pinocchio: Jack-ass Scene

Now, I know what you’re thinking, unless you have a phobia of singing crickets or marionettes come to life Disney's Pinocchio can't contain any element of horror? Well consider this scene. It's the part of the movie where Pinocchio visits Pleasure Island along with a group of other boys. They are allowed to drink, gamble, smoke, play pool and hang out having fun all day etc. Generally experiencing the vices of the older adolescent. All in all it's not very politically correct for children but hey, it was the 40's. The particular section I'm nominating is Lampwick's transformation in to a donkey. If seen in the correct frame of mind this is a really traumatising scene. As Lampwick mutates in to a Jack-ass he is literally begging Pinocchio for help, the scene is just really graphic and distressing. The movie has already established that crates of donkeys are being loaded away to some unpleasant future such as working in the salt mines. There's full transformations and sort of half formed talking donkeys like Alexander who is flung back in to acorner with the rest of the chil-donkey creatures begging for his mother. If I was in marketing I would use this as a very potent anti-alcohol and tobacco campaign.

Disney's Pinocchio: Jack-ass Scene

Les Maitres Du Temps (1985): Curing the non-conformers scene

Again, I know what you’re thinking. You thinking "What the Hell is Les Maitres Du Temps?". Well if you are in the UK or USA you are more likely to know this one as "The Time Masters" by Rene Laloux. Straight off the bat I'll let you in on a secret, this is a brilliant movie! It's generally classified as a sci-fi children's cartoon but it has many undertones of political and social ideas, something I admire of the French culture. The story tracks the rescue mission of a young boy called Piel that is trapped on a dangerous planet of Perdide after he fathers land buggy is involved in an accident in which his father dies leaving Piel to fend for himself.

There's a scene where Piel is attacked by giant bugs trying scoop out his brain and also a scene where a friendly creature is absorbed by tentacles in a really distressing way. The scene that I'd like to pick out though is the scene on the planet of "Gamma 10". The two space travellers landing on the planet soon meet some white angel-like creatures with no faces. The space travellers are quickly captured and taken to what appears to be a hive-mind society. The scene is in what looks like the inside of a cave shaped as an amphitheatre. Hundreds of the sinister white faceless angels gather round and chant in unison to cure the non-conformers. It a proper alien communist nightmare of a scene. The audio here is fantastically creepy. A lone course French voice screams out the chants. It's one of those movies you really have to see to appreciate the creepiness although the trailer below will give you a good impression.

 Les Maitres Du Temps (1985).

Return to Oz: Headless Mombi

I'm sure you all know the scene I'm going to suggest here. It's the scenes where Mombi has no head on and also the scenes where Dorothy is attempting to retrieve the key from the head boxes. For a children's movie "Return to Oz" is phenomenally dark in tone. From the Wheelers to the Gnome King, it's all very creepy. I've chosen the headless scene though as it's the most all out horror of the movie. When Mombie shouts "DOROTHY GALE!" and the disembodied heads start screaming it's a real departure from our regular world of Disney.

 Return to Oz: Headless Mombi

Happy hauntings, Jiblet.

So, what are your nominations for scary scenes in a children’s movie? There's many more I'm sure.