15 Movies That Aren't Horror but Have Seriously Spine-Tingling Moments
The "thumb dudes" in 'Spy Kids' were enough to change one Redditor's opinion about the movie entirely.
Published Aug. 16 2024, 6:41 p.m. ET
15 Innocent-Looking Movies with Scenes That’ll Haunt Your Dreams
Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge were living it up in James and the Giant Peach, but the scenes with the rhino left '90s kids shaking under their covers. And speaking of films that aren’t technically horror but have scenes that make them feel like they should be, we’ve rounded up more movies that aren't horror flicks but definitely have moments creepy enough to make us question their ratings (kidding, but not really).
'Spy Kids' — 2001
One Redditor wasn’t exactly a fan of "the thumb dudes," while @GraceREEE found "the part where they played that one song backwards to reveal the hidden message" downright chilling.
'Alice in Wonderland' — 1951
"The original Alice in Wonderland. It terrified me as a kid that she couldn’t find her way home, nobody was really helping her, she was just stuck." — @kclark2293 on Reddit
'My Girl' — 1991
A former Redditor shared why they were afraid of bees for a while after watching the early '90s classic My Girl. "My Girl when Macaulay Culkin gets stung to death by bees. Childhood me was scared of bees for quite a while."
'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' — 1988
"Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Not so much now, but as a child seeing a cartoon die while getting dipped in acid was horrifying," said Redditor @onlywhendrinking000. Apparently, Tim Curry auditioned for the role of Judge Doom but was turned down because he was too scary. Interesting.
'Mars Attacks' — 1996
"As a child I had nightmares for years that the aliens from Mars Attacks were under my bed and would disintegrate me with that gun of theirs." — @itwasntme3 on Reddit
'Pinocchio' — 1940
"I'm surprised I was never traumatized by Disney's Pinocchio as a child, because watching it as an adult, there are moments that are straight=up nightmare fuel." — @neohylanmay on Reddit
"Children literally screaming for their mamas as they're sold into slavery. F--g horrifying." — @goldeee on Reddit
'The Brave Little Toaster' — 1987
"The Brave Little Toaster ... that'll mess with you as a kid." — @scrub_express on Reddit
"As creepy as the Magnet Crane is, the A/C going nuts is the most horrifying part of the film." — @GodFeedethTheRavens on Reddit
'Coraline' — 2009
The graphics definitely deserve their kudos, but swapping your parents for ones with buttons trying to turn your eyes into buttons? Not exactly a family-friendly touch!
'Labyrinth' — 1986
"It's my partners favorite childhood film and I joke it's the reason she is weird. It's scary in a creepy way." — @cjw007 on Reddit
"Bowie’s bulge is seared into my dreams." — @bjernsthekid on Reddit
'James and the Giant Peach' — 1996
"My brother and I made our parents throw the VHS out. I still can’t watch it." — @Promisepromise on Reddit
And let’s not forget Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker — their faces alone are enough to haunt your dreams!
'Jumanji' — 1995
"I still firmly believe Jumanji IS a kids horror movie." — @_NotImpressed on Reddit
'The Wizard of Oz' — 1939
"Bruh, the flying monkeys gave me nightmares well into my adulthood. Could never understand the hype around this film and how people didn’t see it as super creepy." — @KnuckleBuster111 on Reddit
'The Truman Show' — 1998
"His belief that he was living in the real world was so complete for so long. The idea that at any moment your world could start fracturing apart into a horror story like that ... I get the shivers." — @PleaseIgnoreMeNSA on Reddit
'Return to Oz' — 1985
"DOROTHY GAAAAAAAAAALE!" Those two words alone are enough to give you the shivers.
'The Dark Crystal' — 1982
A former Redditor confessed they "thought that movie was creepy AF," while @twcsata admitted, "The Gelflings getting their life essence drained traumatized me as a kid." Talk about childhood trauma!
Any movies that stuck with you for all the wrong reasons?