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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:
HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 21/08/2021 22:05

I hate horror films which I think probably stems from staying at my Aunts and her putting on Village of the Damned (I think that's its name, scary alien twins living in a town) and terminator taking out his eye grossed me out I think I was somewhere between 8-10. My parents were not happy.

countrytown · 21/08/2021 22:06

jaws - i'm still scared of water

Noorandapples · 21/08/2021 22:07

Die Hard when I was about 6. Still my favourite film!

VienneseWhirligig · 21/08/2021 22:10

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime that was based on the Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. We had to read that and analyse it in year 7 Confused

SunburstsOrMarbleHalls · 21/08/2021 22:10

@OverByYer I never watched beyond that point either. It still gives me the chills too. I remember not being able to get to sleep without thinking about it for weeks afterwards. I've never wanted to watch another horror film since. The curtain issue is probably learnt behaviour but if I can see moonlight flooding through any gaps it makes me irrationally anxious.

JBlow · 21/08/2021 22:11

Candyman
Poltergeist
Dirty Dancing
Return of the Living Dead

Aged 12

drpaddington · 21/08/2021 22:11

The Birds. Watched it with my Dad when I was about 10. Didn't sleep much that night!

Derrymum123 · 21/08/2021 22:11

The Birds. I watched it as a child, not sure what my mum was thinking. HmmI have ornithophobia and panic/ have palpitations when they fly/come near me. Pigeons scare the life out of me especially in cities.

Historyfan · 21/08/2021 22:11

We watched way too many movies that where not suitable as kids
Dirty dancing
Pretty woman
Nightmare on elm street
All the Chucky movies
Grease
Death becomes her

I didn’t let mine watch anything like these when they where little but their dad sat them down to watch dr who-which sparked so many nightmares for months afterwards

Saying that I had to ban the numberjacks in our house as my daughter was convinced that spooky spoon was going to drag her down the toilet when she went for a pee

countrytown · 21/08/2021 22:11

I also read some very inappropriate books think bonk busters at about 9/10

butwhatcanwedo · 21/08/2021 22:13

Watched all of the Young ones very young - obviously liked the little animations of talking vegetables etc and found it funny but was really scared of the episode where Vivian is decapitated putting his head out of the train window.
Others I watched far too young (young primary age) are Stand by me and Raiders of the lost ark - the scene at the end terrified me for years
also terrified by the end of The charmer with the fire. Preschool age.
As a preteen or teen all the usuals, the shining etc although terrifying I did grow into a true horror fan as an adult. Still watch all my favourite 1970s horrors every October.

butwhatcanwedo · 21/08/2021 22:15

Oh yes Rita Sue and Bob too. Again young primary age.
I am very strict on films for my own DC too.

LimeRedBanana · 21/08/2021 22:19

I had a very cosseted viewing environment growing up - wasn’t even allowed to watch The Dukes of Hazzard, let alone anything actually racey like Dynasty or Dallas.

I remember watching Jaws aged about 13 at a sleep-over and being pretty traumatised. But the stand-out one was A Clockwork Orange, aged 17 (17, FFS!). It was at the cinema, and I was with friends so couldn’t just turn it off or walk out.

I went from being sheltered from pretty innocuous stuff, to watching something so questionable, it had been banned. I couldn’t actually watch it, and had to focus on the floor for pretty much the entire length of the movie.

As an aside, one of the local cinemas had a horror film festival around Halloween one year. DH and I went along, thinking it would be fun to watch Jaws on the big screen.

The audience laughed every time poor Jaws honed into view. The special effects are just too dated for a modern audience!

melmo26 · 21/08/2021 22:23

My dad let me watch Train Spotting when I was about 9. He was visiting from abroad and probably just thought he would put a Scottish movie on for me.
Wasn’t until I watched it as an adult did I even realise what it was about. Good thing it went way over my head.

Timeforsinging81 · 21/08/2021 22:24

Hellraiser
From dusk till dawn
Scream

At a sleepover when I was about 12. My friend's older brother thought it would be funny to jump out at us through an open window. I hate horror films.

I used to watch a lot of Carry On films when I was in primary school, I think they often showed them on TV on a weekend afternoon. It's only watching them as an adult that all the inuendo makes sense!

blueshoes · 21/08/2021 22:24

Jaws
Godfather (horse head in the bed)

My dcs watched Jaws and were very unimpressed. They watch such realistic violent films without flinching. I would have been a puddle and lie awake at night at their age.

LegArmpits · 21/08/2021 22:28

Scum, age 12.
Went into school next day saying "4737 Carlin Sir! Did you see that really good film last night?"

No one knew what I was on about.

stealingbeauty · 21/08/2021 22:29

I watched Interview With The Vampire at a friend’s house when I was 12. It was horrible; I had nightmares all night. I still hate anything like that.

My favourite film when I was a child was Return To Oz. It’s a children’s film, but it’s actually pretty dark.

countrytown · 21/08/2021 22:29

Omg the wheelers are scary & the head women!

Percivalthebabyspider · 21/08/2021 22:30

@Tempusfudgeit

The Neverending Story. Horse. Swamp. Enough said Sad
Me too. Traumatised me for years.

‘Heathers’ at a friends house. I’ve never watched it since!

SpamIAm · 21/08/2021 22:32

Love all the people saying Grease. We went to see it in the theatre and our teacher was outraged at one point. We didn't know why, but concluded it must be because they mentioned periods 😂

Boatonthehorizon · 21/08/2021 22:35

Im still scared of drains because of Childs Play.
It was all the rage to watch horror movies as children in the 70s /80s. I hated it but had to go along with it. I do know some very MC people who still encourage their 13yos to watch 18s but not me.

Amdone123 · 21/08/2021 22:50

I remember us all sitting down to watch a film called The Longest Night. I think it was based on a true story about a girl who was abducted and kept in a coffin til her parents could pay the ransom. It had a happy ending but we were only young (12 - 16), and we all agree today we were traumatised by it. I'm scared of closed spaces to this day.
We were brought up as Catholics but my dad let us watch The Life Of Brian. We thought it hilarious but I remember my mum hopping mad. And she went stark raving mad when my brother brought home Quadraphenia.
I remember we all enjoyed Jaws though !

LimeRedBanana · 21/08/2021 22:55

We watched Grease at school in class, aged 11!

At least half of it went right over my head, including thinking Sandy would be very, very tired if she didn’t go to bed until she was legally wed. Confused

stealingbeauty · 21/08/2021 22:57

@countrytown

Omg the wheelers are scary & the head women!
And when she’s taken into the basement for electric shock therapy. So frightening!