It’s interesting to note that the motion picture rating system we’re so familiar with today was only put into place in 1968. Even still, It’s amazing what a G and PG rating could get away with, even after that.RELATED:The Best Family and Kids Movies on Netflix Right Now (March 2022)Hidden in the depths of otherwise wholesome films lay moments so traumatic, we only dare speak of them years later. Some viewers joined the horror fandom to help them cope with their damage, others swore to never watch a film with a PG rating again. Then there’s the rest of us, morbidly curious to remember the scenes we wiped from our child minds…
‘James and the Giant Peach’ (1994) — Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker
Why was child abuse so common in 90s kids' movies? In the first five minutes ofJames and the Giant Peach,we’re taken from a sweet dreamscape with his parents to him living in an actual hellscape with two horrible women. It’s a lot to put on a kid!
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The looming presence of the Rhino Cloud and what it represents throughout the film is also incredibly dark. Is James dying? We loveRoald Dahl, but he gave kids some heavy themes to process when they were seven or eight: they barely knew how to multiply and divide.
‘Matilda’ (1996) — Breaking into Trunchbull’s House
Well, look at that, another Roald Dahl classic. Matilda’s (Mara Wilson) teacher’s pet behavior reaches new heights when she decides to voluntarily break into her tyrannical headteacher’s (Pam Ferris) house to retrievea dollfor Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz). It’s a freaky-looking doll, too.
Was this every child in the audience’s first experience with a suspenseful thriller? The entire sequence is heart-pounding and brings even hardened adults to the edges of their seats. We’re sure parents would excuse their children for uttering their first curse word when Trunchbull discovered Matilda’s hair bow.
‘Anastasia’ (1997) — The Death of Rasputin
“In the Dark of the Night” is creepy, but it’s also a banger, which is why the melting death of Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd) and his jiggly skeleton disintegrating gets a spot.
The final battle inAnastasia, where our heroine (Meg Ryan) finally comes face to face with the evil ghoul who murdered her family, is fittingly scary. Earlier in the film, Anya’s dream possession almost leads to her jumping overboard, and that was just a preview of Rasputin’s capabilities. Thankfully, he’s too busy waxing poetic to actually kill Anya before Dimitri (John Cusack) shows up to help her. We all know it’s Pooka who actually saves the day though.
‘Ferngully: The Last Rainforest’ (1992) — Hexxus and The “Toxic Love” Song
Tim Currywas the perfect casting choice for this sleazy sludge, and we mean that as a compliment. His rich tone oozes evil charm, but when paired with visuals of a writhing skeleton, turned poisonous gas genie it’s quite the viewing experience.
The disembodied head wrapping itself around pipes is particularly memorable, andFerngullycertainly made its point clear when it came to the devastation caused by pollution and deforestation, butgeez. Kids who thought this was a cute film about a forest fairy were in for one heck of a reality check.
‘Pinocchio’ (1940) — Pleasure Island
It’s mind-blowing that this film has so much darkness, the titular character being eaten by a whale isn’t even the most disturbing thing that happens. The award for that goes to the Coach Master and Pleasure Island.
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Was the “jackass” transformation a metaphor for something? Is there a way darker meaning to all of this? We can’t help but feel like kidnapping hundreds of young boys, showing them a “good time,” turning them into animals, and then sending them out to work is unrelentingly bleak, to put it lightly. Then again,so is the source material.
‘Dumbo’ (1941) — Mrs. Jumbo Goes Berserk
Hopefully,Dumbodid its part to convince younger generations to back the banning of live animals in circuses, witha worldwide ban almost completely in effect. The Disney classic probably didn’t intend to create an army of animal activists, but those of us subjected to it certainly came out changed afterward.
Seeing the “deformed” baby elephant be dragged away from his mother, while she is tied down and whipped for trying to protect him, is devastating. Watching her cradle him with her trunk through window bars when she’s locked in a tiny carriage is soul-destroying, to say the least.
‘Spy Kids’ (2001) — The Thumb Thumbs, Floop’s Fooglies, and Basically All of It
The first question these creatures bring to mind is probably… why are they so horrifying? It’s likethe creators sat down and thought, “how can we scar children for life?”, andSpy Kidswas born.
They’ve got genetic disfigurement, a Pied Piper villain, aDanny Elfmansoundtrack, the kids are led to believe they are orphans for most of the film and have to trust adults they’ve never met before… oh, and of course, the mutilated heads of Alexander Minion (Tony Shalhoub). Did we miss anything?
‘Jurassic Park’ (1993) — Raptors in the Kitchen
The heart-pounding sequence where Lex (Ariana Richards) and Tim (Joseph Mazzello) crawl around the kitchen trying to avoid two hungry velociraptors is seared in our brains to this day. It’s one of those “watch while holding your breath” scenes that only a child with a wild imagination can truly appreciate.
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From then on, any time you’re alone in a dark room you now have to worry about a raptor popping in. Shadow moves? A raptor. Tapping at the window? Definitely a raptor. If it’s any comfort, though, real-life velociraptors were only the size of a turkey. One swift kick and you’d be free to run to safety.
‘The NeverEnding Story’ (1984) — Artax and the Swamp of Sadness
For years there’s been an awful rumor floating around that the real horse died while they filmed this scene.The truth is that this did not happen, and the real horse lived a long and happy life on a big German ranch. Take a deep breath, everything is okay.
The Swamp of Sadness is still one of the sickest things to appear in a children’s film, and allowing the young viewers to watch as a horse slowly drowns in its own sad thoughts is sadistic.Noah Hathaway(the actor who played Atreyu) joked that he “sent a few people to therapy” by filming that scene. You sure did, buddy.
