2022 has proven to be a very good year for horror movies, many of which, such as the new They/Them, seem fated to traumatize any children who happen to view them. Of course, this has long been the case with horror movies, as children of all ages often watch them, even knowing that they will be scared nearly witless.
The users of Reddit, unsurprisingly, have identified a number of such movies, demonstrating the extent to which this particular genre can have a significant impact on its viewing audience, even many years after the original viewing took place.
Event Horizon (1997)
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Paul Thomas Anderson is a renowned director, and he has been responsible for many great movies. One of his lesser-known efforts is Event Horizon, which focuses on a group of astronauts sent out to find out what happened to a missing ship. It shows evidence of Anderson’s signature visual style, but it is especially notable for its Lovecraftian ethos.
It is the type of science fiction movie intended to viscerally unsettle the audience. Apology38a relates how they “convinced my friend's mom to rent it for us at Blockbuster and very much regretted getting away with it... we weren't ready.”
The Witches (1990)
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The works of Roald Dahl have been made into several notable movies, one of which is The Witches. It is a truly disturbing horror movie with several disturbing scenes, including the one in which the witches finally reveal themselves for who they truly are. It’s a masterful piece of horror movie-making, and one which has gone on to leave an impression on several Redditors.
Reaqtion is particularly eloquent, writing, “It was definitely the body horror that did it to me, but also the creepy stuff such as the kid trapped in a painting.” Clearly, this is the type of movie which leaves a profound impact on its younger viewers.
Poltergeist (1982)
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Few horror movies have had quite the impact as Poltergeist, which is widely regarded as one of the best horror movies ever made. It also maintains its power to terrify, focusing as it does on a family whose house, in particular their daughter, is terrorized by malevolent spiritual forces.
The movie also happened to terrify many young people who watched it when they were children, including zenaido4, who writes, “It's the reason I still occasionally look under my bed.” As with so many other horror movies, Poltergeist manages to stick with the viewer for years.
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
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In the wide world of notable werewolf movies, An American Werewolf in London, is a rare beast in that it manages to be terrifying, funny, and tragic all at once. What’s more, it also features a truly disturbing transformation scene, demonstrating just how painful and agonizing it is to transform from a human into a beast.
The_great_confuser relates how, after watching the movie, “We had to walk home about a mile, in the dark. Most terrifying walk of my life.” In that sense it accomplishes just what it needs to as a horror movie, staying with the viewer long past the final frame.
The Exorcist (1973)
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The Exorcist is one of the best movies about demonic possession, with a brooding atmosphere that quickly immerses the viewer in this sinister and dangerous world. It was the type of horror movie that was clearly intended to shock and dismay the audience, particularly since the young possessed girl at the center of the story is so seriously afflicted. It also traumatized many young viewers who watched it.
Umkerikin, for example, relates this anecdote: “As a kid, I could handle aliens, serial killer stuff, your usual shock horror... But when you mix in the devil and religion and all that, that got to me pretty good.” It is, indeed, the movie’s mixing together of religion with horror that helps to explain its enduring appeal.
Jeepers Creepers (2001)
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Jeepers Creepers is a viscerally terrifying movie, focusing as it does on a creature that takes the body parts of others in order to regenerate itself. The creature itself is just a part of what makes the movie so traumatizing, however, for as scoobysnackz49 writes: “I had nightmares about the ending for a long time after that.”
The ending is, in fact, a remarkable and memorable one, in that it has the main hero of the movie kidnapped by the creature, who then scoops out the back of his head and takes his eyes for his own.
Candyman (1992)
Not Available To Stream
There are many reasons why Candyman is regarded as one of the best horror movies of the 1990s. Though it is, of course, viscerally upsetting, it is also notable for being a movie that wants to actually say something about the world in which it is produced, and its take on race relations and poverty in the United States is particularly apt.
Small wonder that it is the type of movie that traumatized children who watched it, one of whom was Setekh_ra, who writes, “I still have an issue looking in mirrors in the middle of the night.” Like the best horror movies, it leaves an impression that never quite goes away.
Pet Sematary (1989)
Stream On Prime Video & Paramount Plus
The works of Stephen King have been adapted many times to the screen, and Pet Sematary is often seen as one of the best of those. With its story about a sinister graveyard that has the power to bring the dead back to life–though changed in horrific ways–it taps into some of the darkest desires and fears of the human psyche.
9fingerjeff writes in particular of Zelda, the dead sister of Rachel, “Zelda kinda f***ed me up at the time. Saw it at the theater and didn’t sleep well thinking about her that night.” Clearly, the works of Stephen King have the power to traumatize in both their written and screen forms.
Final Destination (2000)
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Final Destination has repeatedly shown that it is one of the most successful horror movie franchises. In part, this stems from the traumatizing vision of the original movie, which is remarkable for the extent to which it shows its victims being killed in utterly regular (as opposed to outlandish) ways.
As FlameBall128453 writes, “Final Destination however, is scarier because the characters die in a realistic way. But even though the chain of events is unrealistic, the possibility of the accidents shown in the movie is what makes it scary.”
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
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The Hills Have Eyes is a truly terrifying horror movie, as suggested by the ominous sound of its title. With its story about a family who gets stranded in the desert and are subsequently tortured and, in some cases, eaten by hill-dwelling cannibals, it is a perilous reminder of the dangers of the open road.
Jupitergoggles writes of the movie: “ I just remember the raw fear I had after watching it. I slept with my mom that night lol.” It is truly a movie that plumbs the depths of human depravity and as such stays with children who had never experienced this type of horror before.