It’s spooky season! Time to start perfecting our pumpkin carving skills, browsing the shops two weeks early for Halloween costumes and watching scary movies!
I used to be such a night owl. I could easily stay up past midnight and watch several movies in a row. Movie marathons were the absolute best in my childhood, teens and twenties.
Now, I struggle to stay awake past 11 p.m. So, any movie that is longer than two hours usually gets snubbed these days. Sorry, The Lord of the Rings trilogy with your 3-hour instalments. I loved you in my teens and 20s, but as a 30-something parent with two small children, I may have to give that rewatch I had planned a miss for now!
Since we’re getting closer to Halloween, though, I’ve been really wanting to have a scary movie night.
As a kid, there were very few movies that scared me. There were a few that made me jumpy, but not many of them truly terrified me. Since getting older and becoming a parent, though, I’ve become much more sensitive. There are some movies I watched as a kid that truly terrify me now as an adult, especially the ones that focus on children.
Here’s what I believe are 10 of the hardest horror movies to watch as a parent (from a bit hard to the absolute hardest):
NOTE: Minor spoilers ahead. Proceed with caution!!!
10. Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
I first saw Nightmare on Elm Street when I was around 10 years old. I know, I was FAR too young to be watching stuff like that. I’m pretty sure most of us have watched things we shouldn’t have as kids! It was the 1990s, and things were a lot more relaxed back then!
It frightened me, obviously, but watching it as an adult and parent, it hits differently. The only thing I can think about now, during Glen’s memorable death scene, is how terrifying it must have been for his poor mother to walk into her son’s bedroom and watch a geyser of blood being splattered all over the walls and ceiling.
Rewatching the movie as an adult with a better understanding of how and why Freddy Krueger got those scars is also terrifying.
9. Child’s Play (1988)
Child’s Play used to make me chuckle when I first saw it as a teen. I loved Brad Douriff’s portrayal of the creepy Chucky doll. Watching it as a parent now, though, I find Chucky terrifying in this first instalment of the series.
Imagine one of your child’s toys suddenly coming to life in your hands and trying to kill you! Andy’s poor mum can’t even take a break from parenting for a bit either, because the little shit (Chucky that is, not Andy) even murders the babysitter.
Any toy that does that HAS to go.
8. Scream (1996)
I have fond memories of the first Scream movie! My friends and I watched it during a sleepover. Those were awesome days!
There’s no doubt that the opening scene has become one of the most memorable in the history of scary movies. Poor Casey Becker answers questions such as “what’s your favourite scary movie?” from an unknown caller, later revealed to be Ghostface, and eventually ends up being brutally murdered. It was horrible to watch that scene when I was younger. Back then, I was mostly focused on Casey. When I watch it now, I focus on her poor parents, especially her mum, who screams in horror when she discovers her dead daughter hanging from a tree just yards from their home.
Terrifying stuff!
7. Funny Games (2007)
I was a child-free adult approaching my thirties when I first watched this remake of the 1997 movie, and even then, it was hard to watch.
The movie focuses on a married couple and their young son, who are staying in a lake house. They end up being terrorised and tortured by two young men. Thinking back on it now, it would definitely be one of the hardest horror movies to watch as a parent, and I’m not sure if I’d ever want to see it again!
Especially the scene with the eggs, which is just as frustrating as it is unsettling.
6. Jaws (1975)
Jaws was one of those films where it felt like EVERYONE had seen it apart from me. So I took the plunge and watched it while pregnant with my daughter. Big mistake.
Now, no pregnant women are harmed in this movie. But I couldn’t, absolutely COULDN’T, help but find the scene where Mrs Kintner’s son is gobbled up by the shark upsetting (pregnancy hormones didn’t help). The image of her running around on the beach, frantically searching for him amongst the families and shouting his name as his empty, blood-soaked lilo is swept onto the sand has never left me.
We recently went on holiday, and this scene popped into my head. Obviously, there were absolutely no sharks in the section of water that my kids were paddling in, but still…*shudder*
5. Carrie (1976)
The 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie was one of the few horror movies that absolutely terrified me as a kid. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the image of Sissy Spacek’s blood-covered face, or Carrie’s mother’s voice repeating the words “they’re all gonna laugh at you!” out of my head.
I had nightmares about it for weeks. I remember being scared of going to the bathroom at night, worried that a blood-soaked Carrie White might jump out at me. I’d constantly hear that voice in my head.
As an adult and parent, I feel nothing but sympathy for the bullied teenager now. It’s actually quite a sad story that highlights the struggles of puberty and the impact of living with an abusive parent. What was once a scary movie to watch as a child has definitely become one of the hardest horror movies to watch as a parent.
If I ever make a list of the worst movie parents, Margaret White will definitely be near the top.
4. IT (2017)
The scene where Georgie loses his boat and encounters Pennywise the clown is one of the most memorable moments in the 1990 version of Stephen King’s IT. Thankfully, we don’t see Georgie being attacked by Pennywise. All we get is a close-up of Pennywise’s evil clown face, which is truly terrifying for clown haters and slightly scary for people who, like me, don’t mind them.
The 2017 version, though, goes all out. Gone is that slightly scary shot of Pennywise’s face, replaced with a horrifying shot of the clown ripping little Georgie’s arm off as he struggles to get away and dragging him into the sewer.
I still haven’t watched IT Chapter Two yet, and I’m planning to watch part one again before I do. Needless to say, I’ll be skipping that scene.
3. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
I watched this film before I had children, and it has NEVER left my mind. While it fits more into the fantasy genre than horror, there are several scenes in this movie that I believe make it perfectly acceptable to call it a horror movie. The scene with the terrifying Pale Man is one of them.
The sacrifice made by ten-year-old Ophelia makes this movie a truly horrific watch for any parent, though I have to admit that the ending is strangely beautiful.
I’ve only watched this movie once, but I can honestly say that Captain Vidal is one of the most evil movie villains in the history of cinema. Any parent will be brandishing a fist at the screen whenever he appears on it!
2. The Exorcist (1973)
I don’t think I need to explain why this movie has earned the second spot on my list of the hardest horror movies to watch as a parent.
This movie is terrifying for most people, but as a parent looking at it from the perspective of 12-year-old Regan’s mother, it’s truly horrific. Especially THAT spiderwalk scene.
Imagine turning around and seeing one of your kids coming down the stairs like THAT!!
*shudder*
1. Pet Sematary (1989)
I have a confession to make – I have NEVER seen Pet Sematary. I’ve watched just one scene, and it was enough to put me off the entire movie. If you’re a parent and you’ve already seen it, then you’ll know which scene I’m referring to.
THE SCENE WITH THE TRUCK.
I came across this scene on YouTube and was curious about the movie. It’s one of the adaptations of Stephen King’s novels that I haven’t yet watched in full. Even though I’ve only seen this one small scene, it was enough for me to rank it number one on my list of the hardest horror movies to watch as a parent. The scene is just two minutes long, but the sequence of events that unfolds in this short time has an incredibly powerful impact on me.
It’s just a fictional horror movie, but it’s such a realistic moment. It’s a stark reminder that it takes just seconds for a child to wander off and get into danger when a parent turns their back. That a family’s life can change forever in just minutes.
And with that…
Perhaps I’ll skip scary movie night and have that Lord of the Rings marathon instead.
