I love horror, always have been willing to get creeped out complete with goosebumps and chills, but I’m also quite capable of being chicken shit. I can’t just shake off a good horror movie, even as a grown up, and have had trouble getting to sleep on many occasions. When I was a kid it was much worse. These are some of the movies that seriously scared me growing up.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Yes, the movie known for not sleeping definitely applied to me as a kid after watching this movie. Nothing’s scarier than watching something that preys on an act that you have to do yourself. I would try to avoid watching this when I was younger because without a doubt it would lead to a restless night filled with nightmares. Just remembering the eerie “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you…” tune was enough to keep me up at night.
Jeepers Creepers (2001)
I have a distinct memory of the first time I watched this movie. I was huddled on a bed with my 3 siblings watching it with the lights out. It started out just a little weird with, you know, just a church with hundreds of dead corpses sewn together like the world’s worst quilt. As if that wasn’t horrifying enough come to find out it’s not just some psycho serial killer chasing the two leads around. It’s some grotesque, seemingly unkillable monster who is attracted to those that fear him. What sort of message is that to a group of frightened kids huddling in a bed? Now that I’m older I’m mostly just concerned that someone is harming Justin Long.
Poltergeist (1982)
What’s scary to a little kid? Having your family be tormented by malicious spirits that your parents can’t do a damn thing to save you from. Also, your TV hurting you (more on that later). The horror set pieces are so well done and varied in this movie that there’s something to freak out anybody. Undoubtedly the worst part of the movie to me is when the son is attached by the toy clown and dragged under the bed. For someone who panics juuuuuust a little bit at the sight of clowns the visual couldn’t be more horrifying. Maybe this scene is the reason I hate clowns to begin with? It’s certainly a possibility.
The Ring (2002)
Back to the whole TV being the source of all evil. After watching this movie the sound of the TV buzzing over the black and white scramble freaked me out for at least a couple of years. Maybe it was just for a second, but it definitely had a lasting effect. The visuals of the actual death-inducing tape are some of the creepiest in horror movie history and despite appreciating how well done they are, when I was younger they certainly had the intended effect. Also, little Aiden was one freaky little horror movie kid.
Candyman (1992)
I don’t remember really paying attention to the actual plot of Candyman when I was little because I was too busy being frightened by Tony Todd’s hook and all of the bees and blood. The movie seemed so gory but on top of that was the whole urban legend concept. I would never have been so brazen to turn off the lights in the bathroom and say “Candyman” three times. That was just a risk I was not willing to take.
Arachnophobia (1990)
Apparently this movie is a horror comedy… but somehow as a child all the humor seemed to be lost on me. The premise alone of a deadly batch of spiders unleashed on a small town, killing people with a little bite scared me to death. As a kid all I could think was “Everyone has spiders in their house!” without really comprehending that it was unlikely those spiders I might have seen from time to time would be the same killer spiders from this movie. Anytime I watched this movie I couldn’t help but feel like something was crawling up my leg as I laid in bed that night.
Carrie (1976)
As a kid I feel like I only caught the beginning when Carrie gets her period and the crazy ass ending. Womanhood = ultimate humiliation leading to a psychotic breakdown in which you burn down the school and then get abused by your mother. Okay, I knew even as a kid that it wasn’t quite like that but it still makes high school look like hell. Beyond the insanity of the final prom scene, Carrie being attacked by her mother at the end was just an even worse topper. And of course, the most lasting image in my mind as a kid watching this was the bloody hand coming through the ground and snatching her classmate’s wrist. To this day I’m still jumpy as hell whenever a maneuver like that is pulled in a horror movie despite how commonplace it is at this point.
Honorable Mention: It (1990)
The reason this gets an honorable mention is because I, to this day, have not been able to watch this movie. No matter how many times people tell me the story isn’t that scary in itself and it hasn’t held up much to time, I cannot and probably will never be able to bring myself to look that goddamn clown in the face. I know it’s just Tim Curry under that costume, but no, never, not happening. And yes, that is why there’s not a picture for this list entry.
