Creepy 80s 'kids' movies

[MidnightRambler]

Recently I caught on morning TV two Canadian fantasy movies called 'The Peanut Butter Solution' and 'Bye Bye, Red Riding Hood'. While these were obviously made for children I remember they creeped me out when I was little but didn't know their names til now. They didn't scare me now of course, but I still found they had a nightmarish atmosphere, bizzare plot and some effective surreal images, plus the low-key dubbing and music really added to the dreamy feeling. They're kinda similar to Paperhouse, although Paperhouse is a more serious work and a masterpiece IMO. Anyone remember these or any other similar oddities?

[rhett]

Those two, and many others, came from the French Canadian production house "Les Productions La Fête". Really bizarre kids stuff there, for sure. Their first film isn't as crazy, but it has some pretty devastating moments that would bring any kid to tears (it certainly did me back in the day). It's called La Guerre des tuques (The Dog Who Stopped the War). They actually used my review on the DVD cover, see here (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NrXhHcD6L._SS500_.jpg). I haven't been able to track down many of the others, but every one of theirs I've seen has been notably unique and mostly madcap. I'd love to see more of them. Here (http://www.lafete.com/en/productions_contes_contes_tous.html)'s the listing of their "Tales for All" series, which includes all the titles already mentioned.

The Tommy Tricker movies are pretty crazy too, also from Les Productions La Fête and the "Tales for All" series.

The granddaddy of all these French Canadian flicks, and certainly the most insane, is The Christmas Martian (1971). It predates E.T. by over 10 years, and basically covers the same plot, right down to the martian liking M&M's. Just imagine E.T. being played by a Roberto Benigni-esque Frenchman dressed entirely in fishnets. Lots of weird crazy time-lapse and color cards throughout, too. It's definitely one of a kind, a true Canadian heirloom!

[othervoice1]

Though not an overall good movie, Children of the Corn (1984) has a lot of very creepy scenes, with some very strange killer kids.

While that movie had kids in it, it wouldnt really qualify in this thread as a movie geared towards kids since Children of the Corn was rated R.

[fceurich39]

my favorite is still is The children 1980 horror film if possible avoid the troma dvd and look for the rhino vhs version way better picture quality vhs than the troma dvd me being a fan i have both

[KR~!]

Some people here do not read carefully, this thread isn't about horror movies about kids but rather movies made for Children, G-Rated films that are creepy.

[Slackjaw83]

I'll go with the live action "Alice in Wonderland", as it had more than a handful of nightmarish scenes

[maybrick]

WATCHER IN THE WOODS stuck with me for about 20 years until I saw the AB release and found the lead actress highly annoying. And of course there's that other Disney film from the same period: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES. That one has held up a lot better.

[captain_brandon]

Interesting thread.

I'm a large Francophile and I really dig Canada, being one of the types of Americans that I know that there is an entire world beyond my boarders (for whatever reason I have at least three close Canadian friends that I keep in contact with via e-mail and YouTube that are from the greater Toronto area; go figure), and Quebec is a part of our eccentric North American continant that has always interested me, and being the Cinephile I am, I'll ask a good friend of mine on YouTube, who's an amateur film maker and who lives close in the GTA about the history of those Quebec films.

Don't know why, but like I always said, the area just facinates me.

In a tachnical sense, I feel as a kiddie film that I love, rather we all like it or not, The Monster Squad (1987) should qualify on that list, since the classic Universal Monster's esque villians are treated as a real palpable threat.

Damn glad we finally got that fine Lionsgate DVD two years ago, now. Love the hell out of that movie so much I rushed out and bought three copies of it. Don't ask me why.

While really a fantasy film and not steeped with genre sensabilities and a Jim Henson film, I feel 1986's Labyrinth still has a lot of trippy squences for ultimately being a unique and well made muppet show, in the end. I know as a young lad it freaked me out a bit, but then again, I was quite impressionable. I also believe it's rated G or PG.

Just got a nice two-disc edition of it not long ago.

Hmmm I still gotta see the live acton Alice in Wonderland.

[Slackjaw83]

If anyone needs a taste of the frightening masterpiece that is the 1985 live action 'Alice in Wonderland', simply click the link :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7dxhbHAGRE

[Shlockjock81]

Wow I'm glad a thread like this has been made because now I can add Gremlins to the list.

For a kid about age 4 or 5, Gremlins is a TERRIFYING film (the original, not the sequel). For starters, the gremlins themselves (post transformation) are pretty scary looking. And that entire sequence with Billy's mother going through the house knocking them off one by one had MANY parents dragging their screaming children out of theatres in 1984. This film along with Temple of Doom are the two films that forced the MPAA to create the PG-13 rating, and it's no wonder why.

Needless to say, this film traumatized me to no end as a kid. I can sit and watch some of the most gruesome horror films ever made and not flinch. But Gremlins still has an impact on me. I have a hard time watching it alone and whenever the house-stalking scene comes up, my palms sweat to this day.

Leave it to Spielberg to come up with a film that has horrifying violence but still manage to aim it at kids, and get away with a family friendly rating.

[Mazurka Macabre]

WATCHER IN THE WOODS stuck with me for about 20 years until I saw the AB release and found the lead actress highly annoying.
I tend to praise this movie waaay to much, but it has some really effective scenes: the seance flashback, the hall of mirrors, the heroine's narrow escape from drowning 'assisted' by Bette Davis.

It also taps into some basic childhood fears: the dark, the unknown, the supernatural, the elderly, being deserted by your friends when in peril, the idea that parents (specifically mothers) can't protect their children.

And for all the crappy, clumsy cinematography there's a handful of really well constructed sequences, too.

The other children's material that I found scary were a few renditions of fairy tales: a live-action version of "Rapunzel" that was really atmospheric and an animated version of "The Worn Out Dancing Shoes" that was very dream-like, with a threatening mood. (When the princes turned into monsters I nearly died.)

[Matt89]

I'm a large Francophile and I really dig Canada.

:lol: Hahahahaha dude that just made my day.

and LOL @ Children of the Corn. Yeah....I always found that movie to be pretty creepy too. How bout the two girls in The Shining? :lol:

But creepy kids movies? I always found some parts of The Neverending Story to be fucking creepy as hell. (Gmork is one scary fucker for a G-rated movie.)

~Matt

[captain_brandon]

:lol: Hahahahaha dude that just made my day.

and LOL @ Children of the Corn. Yeah....I always found that movie to be pretty creepy too. How bout the two girls in The Shining? :lol:

But creepy kids movies? I always found some parts of The Neverending Story to be fucking creepy as hell. (Gmork is one scary fucker for a G-rated movie.)

~Matt

Glad I chould make ya day. ;) However was just curious why it's so amusing. But that's fine.

Completely useless personal trivia time: I once came very close as a young lad, to seeing the rare sequel in a theater, but I decided not to ask my mom to go see it when we made the journey to the multiplex that night. I'm now struggling to even remember what fuckin' year this was. Anyone? ...*scratches head* :confused:

[MorallySound]

Those two, and many others, came from the French Canadian production house "Les Productions La Fête". Really bizarre kids stuff there, for sure. Their first film isn't as crazy, but it has some pretty devastating moments that would bring any kid to tears (it certainly did me back in the day). It's called La Guerre des tuques (The Dog Who Stopped the War). They actually used my review on the DVD cover, see here (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NrXhHcD6L._SS500_.jpg). I haven't been able to track down many of the others, but every one of theirs I've seen has been notably unique and mostly madcap. I'd love to see more of them. Here (http://www.lafete.com/en/productions_contes_contes_tous.html)'s the listing of their "Tales for All" series, which includes all the titles already mentioned.

The Tommy Tricker movies are pretty crazy too, also from Les Productions La Fête and the "Tales for All" series.

The granddaddy of all these French Canadian flicks, and certainly the most insane, is The Christmas Martian (1971). It predates E.T. by over 10 years, and basically covers the same plot, right down to the martian liking M&M's. Just imagine E.T. being played by a Roberto Benigni-esque Frenchman dressed entirely in fishnets. Lots of weird crazy time-lapse and color cards throughout, too. It's definitely one of a kind, a true Canadian heirloom!
I've seen a couple flicks off that list. The Tommy Tricker flicks were always pretty cool, haven't seen those in a long time, same with The Great Land of Small. I'm pretty sure I saw Vincent and Me as a kid during a kids film fest in my city back in the day.

[Erick H.]

While I have some problems with it RETURN TO OZ certainly had some disturbing scenes.

[dave13]

:lol: Hahahahaha dude that just made my day.

and LOL @ Children of the Corn. Yeah....I always found that movie to be pretty creepy too. How bout the two girls in The Shining? :lol:

But creepy kids movies? I always found some parts of The Neverending Story to be fucking creepy as hell. (Gmork is one scary fucker for a G-rated movie.)

~Matt

Yeah man! The scene where his horse Artex drowns in the swamp really disturbed me as a kid. I was so terrified of the opening scene of Willow where the old woman is mauled by the freakish dog-things that I was physically unable to watch it.

[vampyr789]

Some people here do not read carefully, this thread isn't about horror movies about kids but rather movies made for Children, G-Rated films that are creepy.

lol sorry, i deleted my post.

[othervoice1]

I found The Dark Crystal to be a bit creepy as a kid- probably wouldnt now but back then it just had a creepiness to it to me

[Hellbilly]

As a kid, the animated "Mr. Rossi" series used to freak me out at times. Not really disturbing but the whole show was bizarre and kind of psychedelic, sometimes even apocalyptic. Here's a bit I found on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PrESaU3GWM

Looks harmless now but back then it was like watching LSD in action ;)

*edit* I just realized "Mr. Rossi" was made in the 70s so that should explain the trippy stuff. It was still quite effective in the 80s when I first watched it though.

[Spacevis]

I always found Nicolas Roeg's "The Witches" quite disturbing in some scenes, particularly...

the scene with the girl disappearing in the painting

[rhett]

Yeah man! The scene where his horse Artex drowns in the swamp really disturbed me as a kid. I was so terrified of the opening scene of Willow where the old woman is mauled by the freakish dog-things that I was physically unable to watch it.

Good calls! Those war dogs in Willow scared me so much I would never dream of leaving my bed at night for fear they were lurking in the hallway. Several nights of holding my bladder to unreasonable proportions ensued! And Gmork, yeah, some scary shit, all those long steadicam shots and the flashes of lighting revealing those big glaring eyes.

[Mattapooh]

Return to Oz, Neverending Story and Dark Crystal all scared me as a kid. There's a level of surreal weirdness about all three.

[KR~!]

Return to Oz, Neverending Story and Dark Crystal all scared me as a kid. There's a level of surreal weirdness about all three.

I agree on all three, Return to Oz is way darker than the Wizard of Oz since it is based on the book.

[spawningblue]

A movie that creeped me out when I was a kid was a made for TV movie called Mr.Boogedy done for the Disney channel in 1986. It had some really scary moments for a kid, and some great effects. Too bad it's not out on DVD yet though.

[satans-sadists]

Not horror, but Time Bandits is pretty dark for a family film. David Warner plays the Evil Genius, which is pretty much the equivalent of Satan. Enjoy this movie just as much as I did as a kid.

[rhett]

You know another good one...Flight of the Navigator. That movie scared the shit out of me as a kid, imagining going off into a space ship and then coming back to find out your entire family no longer exists.

[aoiookami]

I'm glad Return to Oz was mentioned, that movie has some serious nightmare fuel. The Wheelers were absolutely terrifying to me, and the woman that could take off her head and put different ones on was creepy too. I remember watching it with my mom in the room, and the part where Dorothy is running down the hall with a headless woman chasing her, and her gallery of severed heads all screaming "Dorothy Gale!!" and my mom says "We can turn this movie off if its too scary."

I'm glad Rhett mentioned The Dog that Stopped the War, that was a heart breaking movie, and a real example of how childrens movies have changed. I imagine if it were to be remade now, the final scene would have all of the children crowded around a vet table as the dog (bandaged up) slowly wakes up and wags his tail. All the kids laugh, the main character hugs the dog and we end with a heart iris wipe to black.

[captain_brandon]

I'm glad Return to Oz was mentioned, that movie has some serious nightmare fuel. The Wheelers were absolutely terrifying to me, and the woman that could take off her head and put different ones on was creepy too. I remember watching it with my mom in the room, and the part where Dorothy is running down the hall with a headless woman chasing her, and her gallery of severed heads all screaming "Dorothy Gale!!" and my mom says "We can turn this movie off if its too scary."

I'm glad Rhett mentioned The Dog that Stopped the War, that was a heart breaking movie, and a real example of how childrens movies have changed. I imagine if it were to be remade now, the final scene would have all of the children crowded around a vet table as the dog (bandaged up) slowly wakes up and wags his tail. All the kids laugh, the main character hugs the dog and we end with a heart iris wipe to black.


Yeah, Return to Oz is a little underrated mini classic. Wonderfully made and a fine dark fairy tale for the kids, especially wonderful that it was made at the height of the Jim Henson workship era, as opposed to the heavily CGI days, which ironically I feel lacks a lot of imagineation.

I got a copy of the long out of print Anchor Bay version of it, for the Fairuza Bulk interview, and also a copy of the Beuna Vista/Disney one, since it's in Anamorphic.

Fine film; so glad it was mentioned multiple times here. Indeed many elements scared the shit out of me as a young lad, and the film has a palpable, much more quiet (cause it's thankfully not a musical) moments of tension. The shot of the lead Wheeler (who was also the hospital orderly) peeking through that keyhole towards the end of the first half of the film, always creeped me out big time ...

[MrVess]

This.
http://www.youtube.com/v/ZVM8kdy3cVU

[Drouin]

This is a question, rather than a reply. There is a children's movie from the 80's that I can not seem to remember for the life of me. All I can remember is that a young boy finds the creature in an old mine, and I believe the creatures name is either Munch or Mouth. He had large pointy ears and a large toothy grin. I also remember specifically a scene where the creature levitates a pizza from the pizzeria to the boys room, being that he is not allowed to leave the boys room. I know that this is not much to go by but if anyone has any idea what it could be, I would be truly grateful. Thank you.

[rhett]

This is a question, rather than a reply. There is a children's movie from the 80's that I can not seem to remember for the life of me. All I can remember is that a young boy finds the creature in an old mine, and I believe the creatures name is either Munch or Mouth. He had large pointy ears and a large toothy grin. I also remember specifically a scene where the creature levitates a pizza from the pizzeria to the boys room, being that he is not allowed to leave the boys room. I know that this is not much to go by but if anyone has any idea what it could be, I would be truly grateful. Thank you.

It's been awhile since I've seen the flicks, but I'd imagine you're talking about:

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/8370/munchie.jpg

[fceurich39]

i liked munchies waaaaay better

[Slackjaw83]

if you want little monsters in a film, you get some Gremlins. If you can't afford Gremlins, you get some Critters. If you can't afford Critters, you get yourself some Ghoulies. If the Ghoulies are out of your price range, you're going to have to get Munchies. If Munchies are too expensive, well, you end up with Hobgoblins.


Back to topic, the wife and I had "creep 80's kid movie night" a few nights ago. We watched :

- "The Adventures of Mark Twain"
- "Flight of the Navigator"
- "The Dark Crystal"
- "The Neverending Story"
- "Return to Oz"

It was a good night, and it was good to see that these films still had some validly creepy moments

[Drouin]

Thank You!!!! That is absolutely it!! I have been wracking my brain for years trying to remember this one. And I've searched everywhere, but the moment I found this forum I knew it would be where I would find my answer. In fact, I'm quite pleased that a forum like this was made. There are so many good creepy children's movies that could be forgotten if not for forums like this and the wonderful memory of others. I am very grateful, once again. Because as many movies as I remember, there's always the few gems that may elude me. With forums like this, we can communicate and help each other remember, and keep the love for these wonderful movies going. Thank you. You have officially made my day.