Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think, with hindsight, showing The Neverending Story to a class of 6 year olds was a terrible idea?!

83 replies

AngeloMysterioso · 12/05/2024 22:25

I was one of the 6 year olds in question.

The year was 1991. My teacher in primary school (infants year 1) put it on for us one day.

That shit gave me nightmares for I don’t even know how long. I worried the wolf was going to emerge from any given dark nook or cranny and try to kill me. I worried that the random statues that dotted the town where I lived were going to shoot lasers at me out of their terrifying stone eyes.

And of course, Artax… don’t even get me started on poor bloody Artax.

I haven’t watched it in a really long time so I’m sure the special effects and puppetry would look hilarious these days but still… AIBU to wonder what the fuck my teacher was thinking?!

OP posts:
RandomButtons · 12/05/2024 22:47

I was shown the poltergeist on a primary school trip by the teacher. My first week away from my family. No wonder I cried at night every night.

Motomum23 · 12/05/2024 22:44

My year 7 biology teacher put on arachnophobia for us! 🫣 I had nightmares for years and still can't stand spiders... before that I had a spider living next to me on my ceiling when I had a bunkbed for years.

AutumnLeaves333 · 12/05/2024 22:41

I had nightmares after watching peewee Herman at a similar ages. I was absolutely terrified of it because we weren’t allowed to watch tv at home, just the occasional grown up program like Last of the summer wine with my mum and dad. I’d never seen anything with ‘special effects’ before and the whole thing absolutely freaked me out! God knows what would have happened if I’d seen the never ending story 🤣

2thumbs · 12/05/2024 22:41

We were shown Watership Down at around that age - probably not the wisest choice by the school. Several of the class left in tears

TiroirSousLeMiroir · 12/05/2024 22:36

So many films and programmes supposedly for children are either pretty scary - e.g. SO many deaths in Disney films, which they describe as "peril" in the certificate, or inappropriate in some other way such as language, e.g. shrek - "what a load of crap". Adults assume they're kids' films but I agree with you that they're just no good for the very young. This is why many films are rated PG. Never ending story is also rated PG. It's not aimed at six year olds.

They seem to want to aim for the descriptor "family", which often means there are scenes and jokes aimed at adults. I dont need to be "catered for" when I'm watching with my kids. Seeing them enjoying something is entertainment enough for me.
yet stuff doesn't need to be mind numbing - bluey is a good example of that.

CarolineFields · 12/05/2024 22:32

My son had nightmares for weeks after some childrens video he was shown at that age - teachers need to be careful. I actually was sick in "The day of the locust" which we had to watch for GCSE

goldenlloyd · 12/05/2024 22:31

I remember The Dark Crystal being shown for us to keep us quiet backstage in our primary school Christmas plays when I was about 6!

Piglet89 · 12/05/2024 22:28

That wolf is terrifying even now.

Having had my first and only baby at 38, almost 5 years ago, I deffo look and feel like Morla the Ancient One.

Swipe left for the next trending thread