Many horror fans remember watching a horror movie when they were young, and Reddit fans are sharing the scary films that creeped them out the most.
While kids often want to watch movies that are meant for older audiences, watching a horror movie is particularly tempting, especially if it involves ghosts or monsters. Many horror movie fans have memories of watching a scary film when they were growing up, and in several cases, these eerie stories made big and lasting impressions.
Redditors are sharing the horror movies that gave them nightmares when they were younger, and many of these are classic films that would make any child want to check under the bed for scary creatures.
The Ring holds up well and for several fans of the horror genre, this is still a horrifying movie that has an intelligent hook. Since it’s hard not to be creeped out by the story of Samara and the cursed videotape, it’s easy to imagine young kids having nightmares after watching this film.
Redditor sushicakes found The Ring scary and wrote, “I didn’t pick up a phone or look at a TV for week.” It’s tough to watch The Ring and not imagine Samara coming out of the TV screen.
CriscoOne watched A Nightmare On Elm Street when they were young and found it scary, writing, “It was one of the first horror movies I saw and I was 8 at the time.”
Since Wes Craven’s film is such a classic, it’s often a movie that people start with as they’re learning more about the genre’s history and seeing how newer films have been influenced by the stories that came before. It’s easy to imagine being terrified of Freddy Krueger killing teenagers in their nightmares.
Many people have strong memories of watching the ’90s miniseries It as children as Pennywise is a particularly unnerving character. Since clowns are already up there with heights and spiders as common things that people are scared of, it’s no wonder that some horror fans recall being freaked out by watching Tim Curry play this classic villain.
Redditor Ortho_TD_Stice found the line “They all float down here” creepy and wrote, “I still walk around storm drains because of this.”
Jaws is another classic horror movie that many start with, and it’s tough to resist the pull of a movie about sharks as a kid, as that sounds fascinating.
Redditor Abe_Vigoda watched Jaws when they were growing up and wrote, “I still will not swim in open water.” It’s likely that Jaws made a lasting impression on many kids who would always look around lakes and oceans nervously while swimming on vacation afterward.
Redditor thelonedeerranger said that The Blair Witch Project was terrifying when they were younger because “I thought it was real documentary.”
Several viewers thought that the movie was real, which was part of the marketing, and watching it through that lens does make it seem chilling and even possible. The style of the film is particularly haunting.
One Redditor posted that Pet Sematary “still scares me” and while there are scary moments in the 2019 Pet Sematary remake, the original film delivers even more reasons to be afraid.
There are countless moments that stick in fans’ minds, from Gage dying and coming back to life in an evil form to the family’s cat, Church, terrorizing everyone. The movie also has a twist ending with the wife and mom Rachel proving that she has returned from the dead as well.
Redditor pretendingtoknowthis said that Poltergeist was scary and they were especially creeped out by “The tree, among other things.”
Since the classic horror movie focuses on a family and the kids are the ones getting involved with the spirits in the house, it makes sense that any children watching would be totally freaked out, wondering if ghosts could really be in their own TVs.
One Redditor said that while watching Salem’s Lot as an adult, the movie is “pretty cheesy” but “when I was a kid it terrified me.”
The Salem’s Lost miniseries has two episodes and tells the story of vampires. While it would seem like corny and entertaining fun for an adult, it would definitely be frightening for a child.
Redditor Velorium_Camper was scared of Child’s Play and wrote, “None of the other horror movies phased me as much as Chucky.”
From the deaths in the Child’s Play franchise to how unsettling Chucky is, it’s no wonder that kids are scared if they happen to watch any of these films. Kids would likely find Chucky even scarier since they’re used to playing with toys and especially dolls.
One Redditor shared that The Sixth Sense “was the first horror movie I had seen in theatres” and they asked their mom to take them. They found it really terrifying, especially the scene when Kyra Collins throws up.
Many horror fans have a memory of watching this acclaimed movie when they were younger and it likely still feels haunting to this day. Watching Cole Sear talk about seeing dead people will always feel eerie.
Aya Tsintziras is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant who enjoys writing about TV and movies. She has a Political Science and Media Studies degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. She lives in Toronto with her husband and has a special interest in teen dramas, reality TV, and horror movies. Aya has been a freelance writer since 2014 and has written about topics ranging from pop culture to travel, parenting, and dating and relationships. When she’s not writing, Aya enjoys working out, reading a good book (usually a thriller) with a cup of coffee, and spending time with friends and family. Aya’s favorite movies are Scream and You’ve Got Mail and her favorite TV shows include My So-Called Life, Gilmore Girls, You, and Seinfeld.
10 Horror Movies That Scared Reddit Fans When They Were Kids – Screen Rant
