One of the joys of parenting is getting to relive childhood with our kids, which includes rewatching some of our favorite films together. However, I’ve realized some movies might not be the best for kids despite their PG ratings, whether scary, heartbreaking, or mildly inappropriate. For example, in The Mighty Ducks, I totally forgot Gordon Bombay gets stuck coaching the hockey team because he was arrested for drunk driving. Not exactly what I want my kids to take away from the film. But what about the movies that actually traumatized us as kids from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early 2000s?
After rewatching several nostalgic films with my kids, we’ve found some favorites: The Sandlot, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Freaky Friday, and most Disney animated films. But with more family movie nights in our future, I don’t want to accidentally traumatize them during a rewatch. So I polled my coworkers at The Everygirl Media Group about their “childhood trauma movies.” Here are the top movies that traumatized a generation of kids, with a guide for parents on whether to rewatch or the scary parts to skip.
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‘80s movies that traumatized us as kids
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982 | Rated: PG
This 1982 flick ran the board when it came to childhood trauma movies from the team at The Everygirl Media Group. It even traumatized Editor-in-Chief Robi’s 8-year-old son last year. However, the movie was a four-time Oscar winner and even had a family theme park attraction at Universal Studios for a long time. As CEO Alaina Kaz said, “E.T. is creepy the whole movie, but then you cry when he goes home at the end.”
The NeverEnding Story
1984 | Rated: PG
A childhood trauma movie for multiple team members, The NeverEnding Story had a lot of reasons why it’s not the best movie for kids, even if Common Sense Media says it’s appropriate for ages 8+. “The gigantic villains, the amorphous/ambiguous antagonist of ‘The Nothing,’ and the loop of getting stuck in a book and never remembering your own dad or name!? TRAUMA!!!” said Megan, Senior Sales Manager.
Return to Oz
1985 | Rated: PG
“If there’s one thing I take very seriously, it’s introducing my son to my favorite movies,” said Robi. “That being said, he knows that there’s one movie that will never play on our screens—Return to Oz. The movie came out in 1985, and I was probably 6 by the time I saw it. I don’t think I can ever get the images out of my head (pun intended if you remember the hall of heads), and those weird robots on roller skates gave me absurd nightmares. We love all things Oz around here, usually, but that’s one that I just can’t bring myself to watch again or let him watch. Truly horrifying.”
Beetlejuice
1988 | Rated: PG
“My older brother would tease me and say ‘Beetlejuice’ two times, and it TERRIFIED me. I didn’t want that third ‘Beetlejuice,’” said Patty, Associate Editor. And watching this Halloween movie as an adult is an experience—even though the effects are from the 1980s, the sand snake is still pretty scary. Not to mention, there are sexual innuendos that probably went over our heads as kids.
More traumatizing ‘80s movies
On the whole, these ’80s movies are family-friendly, but parents might want to be aware of some of the scenes that scared (or scarred) some editors—and their kids.
- Ewoks and the Battle for Endor (1985): Cute Ewoks are all over this Star Wars spin-off, currently available on Disney+. But the main character is orphaned in the first action sequence, and the bad guy is so scary.
- Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985): This throwback movie is available to rent on multiple streaming services, but you might want to skip the nighttime drive with “Large Marge” if rewatching with kids.
- An American Tale (1986): This animated immigrant story follows Fievel Mousekewitz and his family as they head to America in search of a better life. What do I remember? The cats were so, so terrifying, while the song Somewhere Out There was the best.
- Willow (1988): I loved and hated this adventure-fantasy flick as a kid. My pre-teen crush on Val Kilmer after Top Gun made me love his character Madmartigan, but any movie where a baby is in danger was just too much. Willow is available on Disney+ if planning a rewatch.
- The Land Before Time (1988): This animated movie is full of lovable prehistoric characters, but the scene following Little Foot’s mom’s encounter with Sharp Tooth might be just as traumatizing for parents as for the kids. Her last words, “I’ll be with you, even if you can’t see me,” all but destroyed me watching as a parent 😭. The Land Before Time is currently available on Netflix.
- All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989): This movie broke a million tiny hearts when beloved dog Charlie is called ‘home.’ It is currently free with a Prime Video subscription and on YouTube; just have the tissues handy.
‘90s movies that traumatized us as kids
Jurassic Park
1993 | Rated: PG-13
Common Sense Media recommends Jurassic Park for kids 9 and up, mainly because of the intensity of the dinosaur attack scenes. That tracks with what our editors found in practice: one let her 8- and 11-year-olds watch with the T. Rex-eats-a-person scene fast-forwarded, only to be caught off guard later by a bloody-arm reveal she’d forgotten about. Even Jeff Goldblum has weighed in, noting his own sons, ages 9 and 11, watched it without being scared.
If you’re showing this to a dino-obsessed kid you think could handle it, know the exact scenes to skip ahead of time rather than relying on the PG-13 rating alone. You know your kid best. While one of our editors loved this movie as a child, another mentioned she “had nightmares about dinosaurs for years. I was terrified of a velociraptor popping outta my closet ‘til i was like 12.”
Jumanji
1995 | Rated: PG
“As a kid, there is nothing more terrifying than the unknown—especially when that unknown involves giant mosquitoes, lions, and falling through the floor,” said Assistant Editor Madigan. “So, with a fictional board game full of mysterious pieces with horrifying consequences, consider a young me terrified.”
James and the Giant Peach
1996 | Rated: PG
“James and the Giant Peach is soooo scary,” said Robi about this ‘90s family movie based on Roald Dahl’s famous children’s tale. Why is it so terrifying? “For me, generally, it’s all claymation,” said Garri, Senior Managing Editor. But you know your kids best. For example, one of our editors loved the character Mr. Centipede as a kid—and still does.
Witches
1990 | Rated: PG
Another Roald Dahl childhood trauma movie—my brothers and I borrowed the Witches VHS from the library on repeat growing up. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t scare us. I recently learned Angelica Huston’s character was made extra terrifying by the talents of Jim Henson’s creature shop.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
1990 | Rated: PG-13
Adorable Gizmo might make you think this sequel to the ‘80s movie Gremlins is for kids—but it’s decidedly not! I was excited to watch this movie at a friend’s sleepover when I was a kid… Little did I know I would henceforth only sleep with all the lights on in my bedroom because the creepy gremlins couldn’t live in the light.
It
1990 | Rated: PG-13
Some people are born with a fear of clowns, and some people watched the movie It as a child. “My brother had a TV in his bedroom, and I ALWAYS wanted to be in there with him. So in an attempt to get me out, he watched It one night (the version on TV with commercials),” said Allyson, Editor-in-Chief. “[Afterwards], I would not shower without the door open until I was in junior high. I would plug all the drains, only take baths, and leave the door wide open with a full exit plan.”
Mars Attacks
1996 | Rated: PG-13
While this movie’s cast is filled with big names—Jack Nicholson, Annette Bening, Michael J. Fox, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, to name a few—it’s up there in the childhood trauma department. “I was NOT supposed to watch [Mars Attacks], and my friend’s older brother played it while I was at her house for a sleepover,” said Megan. “Didn’t sleep for weeks… It was so bad my dad called my friend’s dad about it.”
More traumatizing ‘90s movies
Here are a few more ’90s movies that our editors accidentally traumatized their kids by watching:
- Hook (1991): On the whole, my elementary-aged kids loved Hook except for one scene: the “Boo Box.” In it, Captain Hook’s pirates lock another pirate in a box and drop scorpions and bugs inside as punishment. My daughter is a tough girl, but hates bugs, so I think the Boo Box was her literal nightmare.
- My Girl (1991): I’ll always remember this summer movie as the first film to make me cry, and I warned my tween daughter before we watched it together: Thomas J., the mood ring, the glasses… IYKYK.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): For claymation-phobes, this Halloween film was filled with a lot of creepy characters, but none was as scary as Mr. Oogie Boogie was to my then-kindergartner.
- The Lion King (1994): “We always skipped the part where Simba’s dad dies [for my toddler] except for the ONE time we forgot,” said Patty.
2000s childhood trauma movies
Bridge to Terabithia
2007 | Rated: PG
This family adventure flick is based on the famous book that many of us had to read in elementary school, and is recommended for ages 9 and up by Common Sense Media. A major caveat for Bridge to Terabithia is that a major character’s sudden death is the central plot point, not a side detail. That’s exactly what blindsided our team as kids: Senior Social Media Manager Lex remembers it as the first time she realized a movie character could just die, and one editor’s entire 4th-grade class field trip ended in tears. If your child is in that 9-to-11 range, this can be a genuinely good first exposure to grief in fiction, but go in knowing it’s coming so you can talk about it afterward rather than being caught off guard.
Chicken Run
2000 | Rated: G
“Unfortunately, every time I’ve seen this movie, it’s been against my will,” said Garri, Senior Managing Editor. “Chicken Run was a favorite for movie days at my daycare, but to this day I cannot stand that style of clay animation; it truly freaks me out.”
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
2005 | Rated: PG
“Narnia had a lot of death, which made it very difficult to watch,” said Kaia, Video Content Editor. “But the scene that struck me in the heart was when the White Witch humiliated and killed Aslan, all while Susan and Lucy watched from afar. Not to mention, all of the creatures that were cheering on the White Witch were horrific and ugly. It’s a no from me!”
Coraline
2009 | Rated: PG
Coraline is rated PG, but Common Sense Media puts the recommended age at 10 and up, flagging the dark themes and unsettling visuals (yes, the button eyes) as the reason it skews older than the rating suggests. The Everymom readers agreed: when we floated this as a Halloween movie for kids on Instagram, parents pushed back hard, calling it “dark” and “creepy” for kids. If your child is sensitive to body horror or scary imagery, this one’s worth previewing yourself first, even at 10+.
More traumatizing movies from the early 2000s
Animated movies today handle some pretty deep topics for kids. For example, Encanto addressed generational trauma, Inside Out 2 addressed anxiety, and Frozen was a love story, not about romance. But some animated movies from the early 2000s have some questionable scenes for kids:
- Finding Nemo (2003): Take my advice, fast-forward through the first scene when Nemo’s mom gets eaten—and be ready to skip the deep-sea anglerfish scene later in the movie unless you also want your preschooler reliving it each night before bed.
- The Incredibles (2004): Another Disney-Pixar movie trauma? Only watch The Incredibles if you’re ready to chat about suicide—it’s what the entire opening scene is about.
- Ratatouille (2007): “We just watched Ratatouille, and we hyped it up [for my 4-year-old],” said Patty. “But the opening scene has an old lady with a shotgun killing all the rats. And when Remy is running up in the ceiling through Parisian apartments, there’s a scene where a woman has a gun pointed at her lover.”
FAQs
Why were ’80s kids’ movies so scary?
A PG rating in an ’80s movie may look more like a PG-13 rating by today’s standards (the PG-13 rating was introduced in 1984). Additionally, parents today may just be more attuned to kids’ emotional needs and temperaments than our parents were when deciding what was appropriate for us to watch.
What nostalgic movies seem like they’re appropriate for kids, but aren’t?
Some movies from our childhoods were definitely marketed as family movies—or our parents just didn’t know—but have mature themes, adult humor, sexual innuendo, scary moments, and more. Some inappropriate movies not mentioned on our list above include Ghostbusters (1984), Three Men and a Baby (1987), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Grave of the Fireflies (1988), and Dick Tracy (1990).
Kathy Sisson, Senior Editor
Kathy Sisson has been a key contributor in the editorial parenting space for nearly a decade, not only as a full-time editor at The Everymom but previously as a freelance writer for top parenting sites, including Scary Mommy, Motherly, Parent Co., and more. As an editor at The Everymom, she has produced hundreds of articles on a range of parenting topics, reviewed dozens of family-focused products, interviewed leading experts in the children and parenting world, and created viral parenting social media content. A mom of two, she is committed to sharing the honest, helpful, and often humorous stories of motherhood.
