When you’re a kid, you never know how certain images are going to affect you. Sure, you know Candyman, Freddy Krueger and Chucky are going to terrify you, but you never expect cute little family movies to have scenes and characters that become nightmare fuel for the rest of your life. The holiday season sparked this discussion online, as many people confessed to being scared of The Grinch when they were kids. That might seem silly now, but when you’re young, The Grinch is supposed to make you uncomfortable. This made us realize that we need to examine some of these other shockingly scary characters from our youth. It’s time to recognize these feelings and move past them with the surprising characters that scared us when we were kids.
Suggested Reading
The Grinch – ‘Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas’
We’re not supposed to like The Grinch. He’s a creepy loner who lives in the mountains and hates everything about his neighbors. He’s actually a sad character. When you get older, his green monster appearance looks more like a “Sesame Street” monster than something scary, but as a kid, we can see how it would creep you out.
The Flying Monkeys – ‘The Wizard of Oz’
If you’ve seen “Wicked”—and the huge box office numbers suggests a lot of you have—you know how tragic the Flying Monkeys’ story is in that adaptation. However, in the original “Wizard of Oz” movie, they’re actually quite terrifying as the Wicked Witch’s loyal army. When you’re little, the image of the skies filled with flying monkeys is going to stay with you for a while.
Scar – The Lion King (1994)
“Mufasa: The Lion King” tries to justify Scar turning on his brother, but we always knew he was bad news. Jeremy Irons exquisite voice performance gave us chills, making him a Disney villain we were genuinely afraid of.
Maleficient – ‘Sleeping Beauty’
When “Sleeping Beauty” was released in 1959, the animation of Maleficient turning into a dragon was the height of advanced technology. It felt like real life. That’s why the scene has captivated and scared children for generations, and Maleficient remains an iconic villain.
Subway Scene – ‘The Wiz’
The entire subway scene in “The Wiz” is creepy nightmare fuel, but the pillars slowly surrounding Dorothy is the kind of image that scars you for life, and makes you avoid subways as much as possible.
Oompa Loompas – ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’
There’s a lot of disturbing elements in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” but the Oompa Loompas showing up to sing a catchy little tune every time one of these kids allegedly dies is seriously messed up.
Broken Toys – ‘Toy Story’
As much as we love the “Toy Story” movies, there’s something inherently creepy about toys coming to life when humans aren’t around. In the first film, that idea is taken to another level when Woody and Buzz find themselves trapped in Sid’s room with his menagerie of broken toys. It’s both sad and frightening.
Puppets – ‘The Polar Express’
In case you haven’t had enough creepy toy talk, let’s get into “The Polar Express’” train car full of puppets. This is the scene we all skip during its many, many holiday airings.
Other Mother – ‘Coraline’
Honestly, we could probably put Other Mother on the horror movie list. That’s how scary she is. From the moment we meet her, she’s just a little off, and gets increasingly more terrifying as the movie goes on. Frankly, it’s the eyes that have stuck with us all these years.
Large Marge – ‘Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure’
At this point, we know to expect a certain level of craziness from Tim Burton. However, this early in his career we weren’t ready for the insanity yet. While we knew Pee Wee Herman would give us something unexpected, we still weren’t ready for Large Marge. It just comes out of nowhere to scare the crap out of us, then she acts like nothing happened.
E.T. – ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’
Yes, this scene with E.T. and Elliott in the operating room is one of the most emotional in movie history. But for some, it’s also a little scary, as they’re creeped out by the alien’s pale, weak appearance.
Audrey II – ‘Little Shop of Horrors’
It’s not just Audrey II’s size and that it eats people, it’s the evil glee that Four Tops legend Levi Stubbs brings to his vocals that makes the “Mean Green Mother” so unforgettable.
The Grand High Witch – ‘The Witches’
In 1990’s “The Witches,” Anjelica Huston goes full camp with her portrayal of the Grand High Witch. But things take a turn into crazy town when the witches remove their human faces, showing their true demonic appearance. It’s one of those scenes you never forget, and you never watch again, no matter how old you are.
Ursula – ‘The Little Mermaid’ (1989)
Now that we’re older, we can appreciate Ursula’s brilliant manipulation of Ariel. She’s a top three Disney villain. When we were younger, her intimidating presence combined with the constant movement of her tentacles made her a very scary bad guy.
Straight From 
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