Dads Share The Movies That Freaked Them Out As Kids

For me, it was that one Twilight Zone episode with the freaky monster on the wing of the airplane. I still look out there when flying at night with a little fear in my heart. For many of the dads in our Facebook community, it looks like Jaws and Poltergeist are the scariest movies of all time. Here’s the story behind those two frightening movies plus a lot more of the films that scared you as kids.

Poltergeist

Jaime Lopez: We went to the drive in for another movie, Poltergeist was the 2nd feature we had no idea what it was about, only got about 15 minutes in and we were crying hiding behind the back seat, we left!

Kurt Marty: Accidentally walked in on it right when the clown pulls the kid under the bed! I didn’t sleep for weeks! Made my parents remove all my stuffed animals from my room!

Bryce Wingate: Not the movie but the beginning to E.T. scared the crap out of me!! The music was really spooky!! I would turn down the volume until the opening was over.

Kathleen Corps: Poltergeist. I would have to hide under the blankets and plug my ears during the part where the chicken turns into maggots and his face comes off in the sink and when the clown doll grabs the kid from under the bed.

Jaws

Chris Brown: I know it hasn’t dated well, but it scared the crap out of 10 year old me seeing it on the big screen in 1977. I have no idea what my buddy’s sis was thinking taking us.

John Francis Connelly: My dad took me to Jaws and American Werewolf in London when I was six and eight respectively. It’s cool though, I got over my fears of sharks and werewolves by about age 35.

Ferdie Tamayo: Since then and up to now more than 35 years I never dangle my legs or any other appendage over the edge of the bed. Ever.

Scooby Doo

Hieu Luu: Freaking any Scooby Doo cartoon. Who thought it would be funny to put ghosts, goblins, witches, mummies, vampires, and monsters with a dark tone in a children’s cartoon?

Willy Wonka

Maggie Blackburn: I legit to this day can’t watch it. I was honestly a little relived when Gene Wilder died (horrible I know) because Willy Wonka scared me so bad.

The Blob

Breandán MacLochlainn: I know it was way before my time but I watched it with my dad once when I was about 4 and had recurring nightmares until I was 9. Way to go responsible parenting!

Alice in Wonderland

Chris Seastrand: Nothing about the (animated Disney) movie made sense to me and the characters were disturbing and there was never a clear idea of why they were who they were. Now that I’m an adult, I can appreciate the imagination of it but man that movie did freak me out.

E.T.

Sarah Gordon: I still don’t like going outside in the dark!

Chris Upperman: I know it sounds silly but the movie that freaked me out when I was ET. When they’re out I the cornfields and shine their flashlights on ET and he raises his neck and screams. Totally freaked me out. Couldn’t turn the lights on in a dark room for a long time.

The Neverending Story

Morag Carter: [Especially] when the wolf jumps out! (I was 6) and Stand by Me when they find the body (I was 10. My son was freaked out as a very small child by Jumanji; when the animals burst through the bookcase. He avoided bookshelves for about 6 months!

Andy Laing: The Neverending Story was simultaneously the most exciting and terrifying experience known to a kid. It’s a morbid fascination.
I’ve seen it over a hundred times, know all the lines, and still can’t work out if I like it.

Gremlins

Marc Schagen: Saw it when I was 5 as my mum thought it was a story about a cute little furry thing! I had nightmares apparently for weeks about the evil ones.

Kyle Sheldon Petit: Gremlins I was born in 92 but that movie scared me until I was about ten. I was always scared they were going to pull me under the bed and kill me.

What movie scared you most as a kid? Share it with us on Facebook!

*Flickr photo by Rob Zand, used under Creative Commons license.