The 20 Creepiest Kids’ Movies of All Time
What with all the Dark Crystal sequel news that’s been flying around lately, I’ve been thinking about the original, and the slew of dark children’s movies from the ‘70s and ‘80s. The opposite of brightly-colored, pop-culture-referencing Pixar flicks, films like The Secret of Nimh, The Last Unicorn and Watership Down were violent, dystopic and set in dense forests populated by bizarre creatures. Like the fairy tales from which some of them were drawn, these movies were not safe places to lose yourself. However, many of these films were feats of artistic prowess. Here is a look at 20 of the creepiest (and most awesome) kids’ movies of all time, from ‘30s to 2009.
20. Where the Wild Things Are 2009
Spike Jonze’s adaption of the classic features James Gandolfini as the alternatively lovable and wild Carol, who’s not afraid to bare his teeth and sever some limbs.
19. Alice In Wonderland 1951
Disney’s Lewis Carroll-adaption is nearly as bizarre as the book, with Cheshire Cats fading into black, haunted woods and blood-thirsty tyrannical queens.
18. Snow White 1937
The Disney classic is sweet and enchanting, except for the forest scene.
17. The Wizard of Oz 1939
The witch and woods are frightening, but the flying monkeys really take the nightmare-inducing cake.
16. Return to Oz 1985
From the disembodied talking heads to the Wheelers, Return to Oz was ten times as terrifying as the original.
15. Fantasia 1940
Dinosaurs battling each other and eventually dying out, mice summoning walking brooms and demonic mountains did not a family-friendly Disney flick make.
14. The Hobbit 1977
The Rankin/Bass-created TV movie based on J.R.R. Tolkein’s masterpiece featured dragons, Gollum and giant spiders who spun the journeyers in sticky cocoons and hung them up to drain their blood.
13. Winnie the Pooh: The Blustery Day 1968
Two words: Heffalumps and Woozles.
12. The Last Unicorn 1982
Another Rankin/Bass production, this animated novel-adaption about a unicorn trying to find the last of her race features a vengeful, bloodthirsty harpy. It also starred Jeff Bridges, which isn’t creepy, just worth mentioning.
11. The Neverending Story 1984
This gorgeous German-made film about Bastian’s journey through Fantasia was not without its fear-inducing moments, notably the scene where the knight tries to pass the Sphinxes’ gaze and gets fried alive.