Fans Are Talking About Non-Horror Movies That Terrified Them, And It's Not Just James And The Giant Peach

We are currently so deep into Spooky Season for it to nearly be over, with Halloween approaching quickly. Many people adore this creepy time of year and love to celebrate by binging as many of the best horror movies of all time as possible, while awaiting all the upcoming horror movies we’ll see. However, not all scary movies are strictly classified as actual “horror” films, and fans have been talking about the non-horror movies that did scare them, with James and the Giant Peach being far from the only title that qualifies.

What Non-Horror Movies Are Fans Saying Scared Them?

I am the child of a horror aficionado, and grew up watching innumerable titles from old Universal Monster flicks to the Halloween franchise, along with nearly every Stephen King movie and a lot of plain, weird-ass shit. I am not, though, a fan of the genre (my brain needs no assistance in the “nightmare fuel” department), and because I prefer cozy fall movies this time of year, I completely relate to a recent fan conversation that’s been taking place on reddit.

A member of the community posed a question to the group, wanting to know, “What's a movie that isn't supposed to be scary but is actually terrifying?” and people’s thoughts are still rolling in. While James and the Giant Peach with its “giant bugs” and “aunts more terrifying than the bugs” seemed to be a popular choice, there are tons of other films on the list. Observe:

• The Neverending Story. That movie is so....dark and creepy
• The Cable Guy. If Jim Carey hadn't been coming down from his comedic heights and had played this just a smidge straighter you easily go from black comedy to straight horror.
• Brave Little Toaster. Fuck that movie
• Secret of Nimh
• All Dogs Go to Heaven
• Don Bluth films in general.

Yeah, are you seeing a pattern here? Children’s movies and animation are taking a really big hit when it comes to this topic, and I get it. I definitely remember being severely creeped out by scenes in The Neverending Story (though it does have a banger of a theme song that I’ll always love), along with the whole idea of becoming part of a book I’m reading being an absolute no-go for me as a youngster (and, let's be real, RIGHT NOW).

I have no idea what happens in The Brave Little Toaster, but someone had very strong feelings on it, and you can bet they aren't alone. I relate to the somewhat-forgotten The Secret of NIMH giving an all-around unsettling vibe, and, yes, it is non-Disney cartoon master Don Bluth’s animated feature film directorial debut.

In fact, folks went off on a Bluth tangent, noting that he seemed to believe “we gotta teach kids life by giving them trauma,” and one person feeling that “all of his movies had kind of a creepy element that I can't really describe.” And, the hits just kept on coming:

• Willy Wonka is only a small shift in POV or tone from being a full on horror movie
• The child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang gave me nightmares for years.
• Return to Oz
• Dark Crystal
• Idk why, but the heffalumps and woozles in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh always creeped me out as a little kid.
• I was a child but I will stand by it until my final days that Spy Kids 1 is objectively terrifying. An absolute master class in body horror that to this day. Makes my skin crawl.

WOW. We have really been out here terrifying kids for generations, haven’t we? Willy Wonka and The Dark Crystal have been popular scary-but-not-horror picks for decades, but a Winnie the Pooh movie? The originator of the massive hit Spy Kids franchise? Special shoutout to the person who veered into television territory and noted that “The entirety of Fraggle Rock” fucked them up and “the doozers have put my therapist’s kids through college.” I don’t get it, but I feel your pain.

We all have our creepy crosses to bear it seems, and if nothing else it’s pretty clear that we were all unintentionally traumatized at very young ages. You know what they say, our minds hold the only horrors that we truly can’t get away from. (Do "they" say it, or just me? Oh, well...)

Happy Halloween, y’all!