Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith

Movies

The 10 scariest children’s movies ever

Some of the scariest movies you ever saw were rated G and stamped “family entertainment.”

Because what says “love” more than permanently installing nightmares in tender young minds? Here are the 10 scariest children’s movies ever.

“Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971)

An innocent boat trip turns into a satanic acid trip when Willy (Gene Wilder) decides to randomly torture the kids with this nightmare scene.

“The Care Bears Movie” (1985)

More like the Scare Bears. Back in the nadir of screen animation, this apparent cheap effort to leverage the popular toy bears was actually more like the soft, fluffy version of “The Evil Dead.”

A young magician turns malevolent when he stumbles across a spell contained in a magical book that he unwittingly unleashes on the world.

“Charlotte’s Web” (1973)

Come on, spiders voiced by Debbie Reynolds are immortal. Aren’t they?

The death of Charlotte

“The Lion King” (1994)

If you’re a grown-up, you have no idea how freaky Jeremy Irons’ Scar is just when he’s hanging around, not to mention his murder of Mufasa via a terrifying stampede.

The death of Mufasa 

“The Wizard of Oz” (1939)

Miss Gulch? Flying monkeys? Nasty apple trees? This movie would have been the frightfest of 1939 even if it didn’t have an ill-tempered witch.

That first, surprise appearance — when Miss G turns into the witch on the bike — stays with you forever.

The Flying Monkeys attack 

“The Dark Crystal” (1982)

Looking like the children of Gonzo the Great and the corpse of a vulture, the creepy crowlike villains the Skeksis are as sick as their unsettling whimpers.

Death of the Emperor of the Skeksis

“Watership Down” (1978)

Seventies parents didn’t really pay any attention to what their kids were watching, which is why this movie about rabbits facing a fierce and bloody world seemed like harmless entertainment. Hey, it was animated, right?

“Bambi” (1942)

Old Walt was never more sadistic than in this beloved, sickening classic. Lingering on the lonely fawn after Mom dies was just cruel.

Bambi’s mother gets killed 

“All Dogs Go to Heaven” (1989)

No, no they don’t. As the movie makes painfully clear, some dogs go to hell, and this scene will be sure to make your pet vow never to pee on the carpet again.

“Coraline” (2009)

A little girl wanders through a secret passage in her new house and discovers a creepy alterna-world where her parents are replaced by button-eyed zombies called “Other Mother” and “Other Father.”

A creepy scene