Dark Children's Movies That Matter

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

Between Gene Wilder’s eyes and that girl who turned into a grape, I ended up having to keep a nightlight in my room until I was fourteen. But hey, I learned all kinds of valuable lessons from this movie. Like not to just get on any old chocolate river boat.

The Snowman

Maybe it’s the music that does me in each time, or the fact that the Snowman book was one of my very firsts. I just love this cartoon. The heartbreak of melted snow really posed a mature question of transience in this dreamy reality.

Those flying monkeys were another source of nightmares…Not to mention the deleted scene of Judy Garland’s creepy jitterbug.

But what will we be missing?

Something Wicked this way comes

The premise: A traveling circus selling you your fantasy in exchange for your soul?

This was a favorite of mine when I was a kid, especially around Halloween. It if full of stuff to scare the sleep out of kids, spiders, lightning, a man disintegrating into dust, a scary lady with red eyes, regret, a man into naked ladies, and scary carnival.

I just bought this movie last year so I can subject my kids to it as well.

The movie Jacket of Something Wicked This Way Comes

Disney's (?!?) Watcher In The Woods

Tell me there are others out there who got the bejeesus scared out of them by this movie.

And I loved it so! And early confusion of fear/entertainment/old ladies.

And me and my friend used to eat all the girl scout cookies that we were supposed to be selling while watching it.

Priceless.

God, Violet...Why'd you have to chew so much gum?

The Wizard Of Oz

Heartless men? Tornadoes? References to opiates? That’s right! The Wizard Of Oz would never have made it past today’s censors.

The Fox & The Hound

I saw this recently when I was snowed in in a remote cabin with an amazing VHS collection. And it was sad! Now that I’m old enough to realize the racial implications of this tale, I am surprised at how well the basic concept resonated with me as a child.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Leave it to Tim Burton to make stop motion animation scary.

NERAK