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Original poster

Films you saw as a child that you probably shouldn't have (lighthearted)

151 replies

DoTheNextRightThing · 21/08/2021 19:44

My parents were never very restrictive of what I watched as a kid. Their mindset was "if she doesn't like us, she'll tell us," which meant I watched a lot of 15+ movies when I was still a tot. Braveheart, Deep Impact...

Has anyone got any stories about movies they watched as a kid that affected them and they probably shouldn't have watched?

Mine was The Sixth Sense. I was all good until the bit where Hayley Osment sees the hanging people. Then Mum took me to bed because I was so freaked out BlushGrin

OP posts:
lanbro · 21/08/2021 19:47

My parents recorded Dirty Dancing for me when I was about 10, I got up and watched it the next day with my grandfather in the room...he let me watch the whole thing then must've told my parents it wasn't suitable and I wasn't allowed to watch it again for a few years! This was 30 years ago!

Waxonwaxoff0 · 21/08/2021 19:47

I watched a movie called "House Of 1000 Corpses" when I was 11 at a sleepover. It's actually one of my favourite movies now but it was disturbing as a kid!

AuntieJoyce · 21/08/2021 19:49

There’s a whole generation x brought up on hammer house of horror

Anyone for charlie boy?

LadyFannyButton · 21/08/2021 19:49

I remember watching the blue lagoon when I was a very young teen -that was not age appropriate. Apart from that, our video store let me rent all the Freddie Krueger films, and other horrors, from around age 13.

Now, nearly 50, there are times I’m too scared to go to the loo in the middle of the night because my mind thinks back to all the horror that could (never in a million years) happen.

Comedycook · 21/08/2021 19:50

I remember our mum putting on a video for me and my sister...I was about 11 and she was 6. It was Pretty Woman Shock

stargirl1701 · 21/08/2021 19:52

The Shining age 11 at a new friend's house whom I had met in S1.

I didn't sleep for a year. 6 months in bed with my Mum then more than 6 months with all lights on and a barricade on my bedroom door.

I am INSANELY strict about age ratings. My DC didn't get PGs till they were 7.

MariaAngustias · 21/08/2021 19:52

I watched The Exorcist at a friend's when I was around 12 - and couldn't sleep for weeks. It terrified me so much!

Bananarama21 · 21/08/2021 19:54

Rocky horror show about 10ish candyman about 10ish

scrivette · 21/08/2021 19:55

Grease, my brother and I used to watch it every Saturday morning and sing and dance along. We must have been about 7/8 at the time.

MacavityTheDentistsCat · 21/08/2021 19:58

Not me but DD: I watched ET with her when she was about 7 or 8. I remembered it as a fairly harmless film but it seriously frightened her. She couldn't comprehend that ET and the other aliens were not real. She's now nearly 15 and still talks about how frightening she found it

AllforOnsies · 21/08/2021 20:00

Threads... gave me nightmares for years.

Grease when I was about 5... thankfully most of the words went over my head for 15 years.

I've never been able to watch Nightmare on Elm Street again having seen it at 12... and I love horror and also love House of 1000 Corpses and everything else Rob Zombie has done.... and I'm wearing a Pennywise dress atm

glasshalfsomething · 21/08/2021 20:01

Candyman too! Must have been about 10-11, at an older cousins sleepover. Wasn’t a fan of mirrors in the night for a few weeks

ohstopityourmakingitup · 21/08/2021 20:02

Nightmare on elm street when I was about 9. Poltergeist, The Exorcist,The Entity when I was around 12 ish. The entity really really upset me - and the the bit where the young girl goes up the stairs like a crab in the Exorcist.

My mum like to watch horror films. Been NC for a long time now!

TheVolturi · 21/08/2021 20:04

I must have been 7 or 8 when my parents decided we'd all sit down and watch good old Poltergeist 🙄

Lovemusic33 · 21/08/2021 20:06

We were allowed to watch horror films from the age of 10 (18 rated films), the Omen, nightmare on elm street, IT, poltergeist and Halloween. I think Poltergeist was the only one that scared me though I have a friend who is still scared of clowns after my brother made him watch IT.

NoWordForFluffy · 21/08/2021 20:07

My dad clearly had a bang on the head let us watch War of the Worlds when I was 7/8 (DSis was 10/11). Not a good idea! 🙈🤣

salooone · 21/08/2021 20:07

There’s a whole generation x brought up on hammer house of horror

Yep!

My best friend's parents were really lax and we watched Halloween, Friday the 13th etc at a very young age!

I do remember jumping from my room door to my bed at times, and ducking when I walked under the attic hatch at the top of the stairs for about 6 months. Can't remember the name of the film but it was a 'killer is in the house' one and a hook came down from the hatch and whipped her up!

The omen freaked me out a bit too.

Rosewaterblossom · 21/08/2021 20:08

So many.

The Halloween movies
Nightmare on Elm Street
Childsplay
Candyman
Dirty Dancing
Pretty Woman
Showgirls (!)
Sooo many more..

I think parents were more relaxed back in the 80s and 90s. I don't remember there being specific kids films in the way they are now. I couldn't even imagine my dc being even interested in watching adult films nowadays, it's all kid friendly or superhero movies etc.

Karmagoat · 21/08/2021 20:10

I was about 7 or 8 when I first watched the original Halloween. My Mum and Dad had rented it out on VHS and I begged them to let me watch it, they gave in, absolutely shit myself, but loved it lol.
Started a life long love of horror films, I'm 46 now.

GordonsAlive85 · 21/08/2021 20:10

I distinctly remember RoboCop around 7 and Halloween: season of the witch

MidnightHangingTree · 21/08/2021 20:10

I watched Saw at a friend's house when I was 10... my mum wasn't too pleased about that one Grin It did kickstart a bit of a horror movie addiction though!

Sunbird24 · 21/08/2021 20:11

Nightmare on Elm Street at a school friend’s 11th birthday party. Don’t think I slept properly for about 3 months, and still hate horror films now

DoubleHelix79 · 21/08/2021 20:13

Watched 'IT' when I was about 12 or so. Showered as far away from the drain as possible for several months afterwards. Still weary of clowns.

Spaceforus · 21/08/2021 20:17

The Towering Inferno - watched it on tv in the 80’s and it gave me a fear of being in any high rise building and it catching fire.

Jaws movies - aged about 8-9. It gave me Aquaphobia for many years. Had to see the GP as I would physically collapse near a pool or even trying to walk near the sea and be unable to walk, stand, felt light-headed and nauseous, unable to focus my eyes properly, and retch for a good 1-2 hours. Took about 15 years for the symptoms to abate, and another 10-odd years to actually get in the water. My DS will not be watching Jaws until he’s well into his teens if I can help it! Grin

Horrors like The Omen, Nightmare on Elm Street, Cujo etc - I watched these around a friend’s house aged about 12, whose DM was very relaxed about what we watched. My DM was not happy when she found out.

SnoopyLights · 21/08/2021 20:18

American Werewolf in London.

My Nana let me watch it with her. I was 7 at the time. She gave me a cushion to hide behind during the scary / gory bits.

She also let me watch those Hammer House of Horror episodes, I think there was one about some kind of devil worshippers and a dog.

I spent a year asking my parents to get me christened. They thought I'd found religion but really I was just trying not to be eaten or sacrificed.

Someone upthread mentioned House of 1000 Corpses. I can't watch that kind of horror, I don't get scared but it makes me feel ill. It's more gory than scary and I blame AWIL for my aversion to that kind of film.