With the exception of most animated films, movies can be a frightening experience for young children.
Action sequences and loud noises are what we as adults go to the theaters to experience. But from the perspective of impressionable kids, those elements, when amplified, can be terrifying.
Until they reach an acceptable age, protective parents may limit their entertainment options to the small screen in the comfort of their own home.
But we all know that doesn't mean scary things don't happen on TV either.
poltergeist GIFGiphy
Strangers on the internet were asked to reflect back on their childhood when Redditor miguelmmdu asked:
"What did you see on TV that traumatized you when you were a child?"
Documentaries can have fearful elements, whether the subject is real crime or the untamed animal kingdom.
A Case Of The Heebie Jeebies
"An episode of Unsolved Mysteries where they talked about Spontaneous Human Combustion. Terrified me for like 2 years."
Scary Title Music
"Unsolved Mysteries. Just hearing the intro music sends a jolt through my entire body. So many stories scarred me as a kid... I specifically remember an episode where a person was describing getting rolled up in a carpet and having their head smashed with a hammer..."
Something A Chimp Did
"On a David Attenborough documentary; some little monkey having its' skin ripped off by a chimp."
"Sure there was uproar about it and wasn't shown again."
"Not something I really want to search for and confirm if I remember it correctly!"
Breaking news reports are unavoidable while watching television programs.
The same goes for intense public service announcements – like the one that used a frying egg to demonstrate what happens to your brain when on drugs.
Exposed Pop Singer
"The Janet Jackson 'wardrobe malfunction' from the Superbowl that year. I don't know where the FCC was to protect my young eyes, but they failed in their task and it was too late for me. I had seen the nipple. Immediately, I became addicted to drugs, and caught the gay. LOL"
Day Of Infamy
"Columbine news report. I was in 5th grade and didn't want to go to school the next day. Terrified me."
Unforgettable PSA
"There was this anti-drug PSA where they were like 'when you sniff, this is what happens to your brain' and it was this girl sleeping in bed while her room slowly filled with water and she drowned. But I was very young and didn't know they meant like, sniffing glue or whatever. I just thought they meant like, sniffing when you have a cold.
So I was petrified for AAAAAAAAAAAAAGES that sniffing was going to drown me. And I had terrible seasonal allergies for like 10 months of the year, so I had runny noses a lot."
"I get that they didn't want to be like 'here are the things people sniff to get high, don't sniff those'. But that commercial was way too vague about what sniffing is."
Some programs geared towards children can still potentially give them nightmares.
Creepy Appliance
"The brave little toaster … all of it."
"The 'Worthless' song from Brave Little Toaster."
– MrMessy
Commentary Cartoon
"Watership Down (1978 version) also various UK public safety adverts from the 70's."
Off With Their Heads
"That one scene in Labyrinth where the puppets are pulling off their heads and tossing them around and they turn to Sarah and just say 'hey, let's take her head off!' then start chasing her and grabbing at her neck and singing about it like it's no big deal that they are trying to kill her."
"6 year old me took a hard pass on that one. big nope."
Factory Of Frights
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when Augustus gets sucked up the tube. They played the movie for me in daycare when I was 4 and I remember it still. I didn't watch it again until I was in my 30s."
Anything can be horrifying for a child.
If an anthropomorphic toaster and a renegade boob can cause lasting nightmares, maybe it's time for reading to become a frequent youthful pastime.
Being a budding bookworm could have spared me from my early introduction to an edited airing of The Exorcist.
As soon as I saw that little girl's head spinning, I noped my way out of the living room and ran to my bedroom.
The problem was, I became genuinely fearful of my bed – because based on what I saw on TV a moment ago, that was where sinister things happened.
- People Break Down The Films That Traumatized Them As Children - George Takei ›
- People Share The Best Documentaries They've Seen - George Takei ›
- People Break Down Which Romantic TV Moments Would Actually Be Traumatic In Real Life - George Takei ›
- People Explain Which TV Series They Can Watch On Repeat - George Takei ›
Redditor Tight_Anywhere6794 wanted to hear about the things parents have said in the past that haunts everyone still, so they asked:
"What insult have your parents said, that is stuck in your head as an adult?"
I've been blessed with the mother I had.
So I can't speak from experience.
But I've heard parenting horror stories.
Bad Expressions
Sad Kid GIF by 1tvGiphy“'You’re so annoying.' Said to me as a young kid while I was expressing enthusiasm over some new interest. Later my father complains I never tell him anything."
foppishyyy
Mean Spirited
"What did I do to deserve a fat kid?"
Silosolo
"My parents also mocked me for being fat, and outright physically abused me as in forcefully grabbed my fat child manboobs or slapped me while calling me fat-related names."
"A lot of people at school did it too, so obviously I have a lot of self-image issues like I never let anyone see me without clothes these days. The worst part is that I legitimately internalized a lot of hate, I could never care for myself enough to actually get fit."
FoeWithBenefits
What's My Name?
"My parents divorced when I was young and they hate each other. My mom would call me my dad's name when she was really upset. What makes it worse is that I confided in her that I never wanted to be like my dad. She used that ammunition against me."
Discarded_Pariah
"That's awful. You are your own person. You aren't your father."
blksmnr
Unfunny
"'You can't even laugh right.'"
"My mom in a weird moment I thought we were bonding. There's something inherently extra evil when someone tells you your joy is wrong. Told her I'm engaged and hoped she could at least be happy I'm happy and she ghosted everyone to the point the family thought died. She's a mess."
BlindEditor
"I'll never understand parents that are so hard on their own children that they can't even be happy for them. So their sole function is to bring misery to their offspring?"
macabre_irony
Evil
Oh My God Wow GIF by The Roku ChannelGiphy"My little brother was drowning, I tried to save him but also almost drowned, we got rescued by a neighbor. My mom told me that they should've left me in the pond. I haven't spoken to her in many years."
Ilookbetterthanyou
Good Lord. How do people like this exist?
Tragic.
HIM
"She told me I was acting just like my father when I would get upset. I would just get kinda pissy and sulk. He would go on rampages and scream and hit and throw things. He pushed her down the stairs once. I would never lay a finger on my current partner. The worst part is I look just like him. I was wondering if my mother always expected me to turn into my dad. I prove her wrong every day."
rot_grl
10 Years Old
"When I was ~10 years old, my mum once said 'If I could go back in time and make sure I never gave birth to you, I would in a heartbeat.'"
"Never forgot it. Talked to her about it a couple of times years later and her responses ranged from 'That never happened' to 'Oh yeah and I suppose I’m just the worst mother ever' and finally 'Yeah but I didn’t mean it, you know that.'"
"Messed me up tho tbh. Another one was '[older sibling] was the only child we actually planned for, the rest of you were accidents.' I don’t think it was intended as an insult, but being told your entire existence was an accident as a child kinda stung."
SpiderP*bes
Failures
“'You’re the biggest mistake I ever made.' - my mother when I was 5. I’m 32 now and it’s been the undercurrent for our relationship ever since, constantly wondering if anything I’ve achieved or struggled for is something she’s genuinely proud of or just relieved to say I wasn’t a total failure on her part."
thefaehost
Generational Issues
"Not a parent but a grandparent, I was adopted when I was 12 years old (my parents were both drug addicts so I was in and out of foster care most of my life) my adopted mother's father turned to me on Christmas Eve when no one else was around and said 'My daughter should have never adopted you, she should have let you stay on the streets where you belong'… he got nicer as he got older and sicker but I couldn’t find it in myself to forget what he said even almost 10 years later. Went to the funeral for moral support but was indifferent about his passing."
samweather227
Just Me
Sad Kids GIF by Cian DucrotGiphy"I was an only child and lonely. When I asked for a sibling, the response was 'If you want to know why we don't have more kids, go look in the mirror.'"
Responsible_Fly_3565
Some people should never have children.
Awful.
"What is something you no longer have patience for?"
Off The Clock Means OFF THE CLOCK!
"Working outside of work hours."
"I used to go above and beyond, now I only put in what is required."
"Life is too short to live only to work."- Chesterfieldcat
"The working world."
"My life doesn’t revolve around working here and it never will."
"It will never be a part of my identity."
"I come in, do the job, make money, go home."
"Don’t expect me to come to all the work happy hours so I can pretend how much I love working here."- nuclearsalt
Some Things Just Don't Get A Free Pass
"Sh*tty people getting a pass 'because they're family'."- cgulash
angry homer simpson GIFGiphySay What You Mean, Not What You Feel
"Having to guess what people REALLY mean by something they said."
"I take everything people say at face value now and don't replay conversations in my head to find out the real meaning anymore."
"Be passive-aggressive if you want to but talk to me like an adult if you really have a problem."- WateredDownSalt
EYES ON THE ROAD!
"People who text and drive."
"You're driving a giant piece of metal propelled by explosive liquid."
"Pay attention."- MasterfulNothasie
The Only Life That Should Concern You Is Your Own
"People and groups of people that only talk about other people."- Turf98
"People who can’t mind their fucking business and are always worried about what other people are doing."
"If it doesn’t effect you, f*ck off."
"It’s literally free."- wackwackwackjpg
GIF by WWEGiphySome People Didn't Mind Social Distancing
"People invading my personal space."- Mighty-Foreskin
Influence Can Be Dangerous
"Anything that has “influencer” in it."- chemistcarpenter
Indoor Voices People...
"Streamers screaming, losing their sh*t, breaking things, and having tantrums."
"I used to think this was so funny now I just can't stand it; I can't even watch a streamer if I notice they're not using their normal talking voice." - Reddit
Fail Oh No GIF by G2 EsportsGiphyTaking Responsibility Is A Sign Of Maturity
"People who constantly blame others for the situation they are in."- SuvenPan
Time Is Precious And Shouldn't Be Wasted
"Waiting on people who are constantly late to plans."
"I will wait 15 minutes then excuse myself."- Dabbles-In-Irony
There's Multi-Tasking, And Then There's Just Being Rude...
"People being on their phone while in a conversation with you."
"Seriously."
"Put your phone away!"- rosieblinkstime
Phone GIF by Poehlmann FitnessGiphyIt Takes So Much More Effort To Be Nasty...
"Bad manners, unkindness and general rudeness."
"It costs nothing to be a nice person and from someone who works in a customer-facing industry, attitudes, sadly, appear to be getting worse."
"It really makes me cross."- Bellamiles85
At Least They're Being Transparent
"Medicine commercials with worse side-effects than the thing being cured."- mrbbrj
Wasting our time and thoughts about things that we know can only bring us down is simply no way to get through life.
It's essential to live our lives by taking the present moment for what it is: a present.