Pajiba

Those fucking Wheelers...

DALEKS!!!!

Peter Cushing made two Dr. Who movies back in the 1960's and the Daleks were in color and they could hover and fly way before the TV versions did.

What?!? You claim that Jareth is the scariest thing in Labyrinth?

Bitch, please.

How about those red-feathered nasties that take off their appendages!!! Stuff of nightmares!

But Jareth...naw man. UNLESS you count the multitude of Bowie crotch close-ups. In that case, you are correct. Too much codpiece...way too much.

What about the banshee from Darby O'Gill & the Little People? Or does that not count as a creature?

ooh MAN... my brother had a clown JUST LIKE THAT FROM POLTERGEIST!!!! ugh... I will forever hate clowns, marionettes and puppets... until... I imagine... one creeps out from under my bed late one night (probably when my feet are not safely covered by the protective magic of the comforter) and strangle me to death... with its cold lifeless CLOWN HANDS!!!!

*that movie FUCKED ME UP man... did I mention that we had the exact same make/model TV in my house too... and that my parents moved it into my BEDROOM when I was 8... so I could play nintendo... so it was constantly on a static channel late at night... yea... messed me up GOOD...

laredo: What I principally remember from The Wiz were those walking pillars in the subway station. Scared the CRAP out of me.

This is a pretty good list. Large Marge scared the ever-lovin shit outta me as a child. I ran away and refused to return to my friend's living room.
Not all the ghosts in that Fantasia bit were scary, some of them had boobies.

Speaking of cartoons, what about the elephant made of elephant heads in the drunk/dream sequence from Dumbo? That was fucking terrifying!!! He shows up around 3:30 in the clip below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLgl3KCM7sY

And fuck that clown doll. Fuck it right in the head.

This is a pretty good list, but I agree that Jareth wasn't all that scary. Those crazy-ass red things with the detatchable limbs or that pit of talking hands were much more scary.

I also found the following things scary:

Yoda, when he delivered that "You will be... You will be." line in Empire.

The little monsters from the "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" tv-movie.

Perhaps the scariest things I remember, however, were from that "Twighlight Zone: The Movie". I saw it while staying with a friend's family in Florida, so being 9 years old and away from home certainly helped add to the scariness, but that monster that tormented Jon Lithgow on the plane, the monster that Dan Akroyd turned into, and, worst of all, that crazy wish kid's mouthless sister trapped upstairs in that room watching TV all terrified me. I couldn't sleep at all the night I saw it. I just sat in bed with the lights on because every time I closed my eyes I saw one of those faces. I know that wasn't a kid's movie, but it left an impression on a young, lil' donut.

Jareth???

Jareth?!!

Jareth was a fuckin sexy beast, even my five year old self knew that. I remember being like if I was Sarah I'd definitely abandon my stupid ass younger brother to bask in the sexiness that was Jareth

Awesome. The only thing missing from this funhouse of nightmares is one of the guys from "The People Under the Stairs."

I'll be sleeping with a light on tonight.

Fantasia was one of the few Disney movies I owned as a child, and I always turned it off before Night on Bald Mountain. Those ghosts should be number one on the list.

Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one who was freaked out by E.T. I watched it for the first time when I was about six, and I still get the creeps thinking about his freakishly long fingers.

This list seems thrown together without enough fore-thought. What about Gollum or the giant spiders from "The Hobbit" cartoon? How about the harpy or the Red Bull from "The Last Unicorn?" For fucks sake, you left off the Devil from "Legend!"

Jareth and E.T. scared you? Puss.

There was a movie, I think it was actually a Disney film, when I was very young called The Watcher in the Woods. I remember there was a blond girl in a blindfold trapped in a bunch of mirrors. I don't remember much else about the movie except that blond girl, and Bette Davis, who I think played her mother, gave me nightmares for years. YEARS.

I agree with you on the abominable snow man, dammitjanet. That thing was a jerky monstrousity.

Also, I've just about had it with Rowles and his shenanigans. I will not tolerate any further attacks upon my credibility and will take action if necessary. I understand that you're intimidated by the impending Canadian takeover on Wednesday, but that is no reason embark on this campaign of personal attacks and shady dealings. Don't hate me because I'm beautiful DR. I can't help it.

*Adds Rhyme to list*

I'm gonna go ahead and agree with Myysharona... that pink elephants scene was far more terrifying than anything out of Fantasia for me.

And the Poltergeist clown is the reason that, 27 years later, at the age of 38, I am still afraid of things reaching out from under the bed for me. I haven't had a bedskirt since I moved out of my mother's house. And there are still nights that I take a little bit of a jump to the bed, like if I watch a horror movie and get myself creeped out. AND I can't sleep without a blanket of some kind covering my feet. (Except in summer when it's way too hot, and then I curl up so my exposed feet are pretty much in the center of the bed. Pseudo-Mr. vB loves it, let me tell you.)

What about the banshee from Darby O'Gill & the Little People? Or does that not count as a creature?

Posted by: MissGina at September 28, 2009 2:13 PM

I'll second that one!

I would also like to mention: The orcs and Nazgul from Bakshi's craptacular adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.

Disney scaries: Supposedly I made my grandfather abandon a showing of Pinocchio early when Monstro scared me. Though I don't recall it. I do, however, recall very well hiding behind a chair when Maleficent changed into the dragon in Sleeping Beauty.

Martians. Any mention of Martians when I was a kid kept me from sleeping peacfully for weeks. All because of an entirely too vivid imagination coupled with Jeff Wayne's rock opera War of the Worlds.

True story: My mother would not allow me see Labyrinth until I was 13. This made it more appealing, so I watched it almost immediately after my birthday. When she came home from work that day, I just wandered over to her and asked, "... was it the pants? Was that why I couldn't see it?" To which she replied, "No, he's just so evil..."
But I'm with arr matey; it had to be the codpiece.

What about the banshee from Darby O'Gill & the Little People? Or does that not count as a creature?
Thank you, MissGina, for reminding me of the exact moment I fell in love with Sean Connery!

Uuuhhhh. The Telletubbies? A living nightmare.

"Well, now you've lost the element of surprise."

Canadians are too polite to just invade without calling first. They don't get involved in wars because there would be just too many 'Thank You for having us' notes.

"Canadians are too polite to just invade without calling first."

Hee hee hee! Good one. I mean, good one, eh?

THE TALL MAN

Anna von Beaverplatz thats EXACTLY what I AM TALKING ABOUT!!!! there are THINGS UNDER THE BED THAT CAN GET YOU!!!! I SWEAR!!! The blanket is a barrier that will protect you and save you... they cannot get you if your feet are under it... I abide by this rule even when it's fucking 9 million degrees sometimes and I've been out of the covers and a noise startles me and I jolt awake and I have to DIVE under the covers to save myself from unknown mosters :|
my husband just LOVES this about me... ie does NOT love this about me...

THE TALL MAN

Jeff Goldblum?

Oh wait, he was the tall guy.

AvB & Tammers, I, too, understand the protective properties of being COMPLETELY under a cover, regardless of the weather, and the fact that there are THINGS UNDER MY BED THAT WANT TO KILL/EAT ME!!!! Mr. Dammit likes to sleep with his feet uncovered at times....I, on the other hand, will sleep with my feet, hands, and head all secured under the covers. Imagine how stupid he is going to feel when he wakes up someday with NO FEET!!

Large Marge effin' SUCKS. I totally ran out of the living room like a cat doused with water when that shit happened. Wasn't that supposed to be a kid's movie?! Man, fuck you, Tim Burton.

Forget the Wheelers, that talking chicken is fucking terrifying.

*shudder*
*shudder*
*slow curling up into fetal position*

My coulrophobia dates back to the first time I ever saw this scene. I couldn't even click "play" because the very thought makes me want to release my bowel hounds, if you get my drift.

Once in college, a friend thought it would be funny if he told a street busker dressed as a clown to come up to me. When I slowly melted down and cried in front of all of our friends, he started thinking, "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh" indeed, idiot.

So don't make fun of coulrophobes, people!

Make fun of arachnophobes instead!

Pleeaaase make the clown go away!!!!

Because of course said creature under the bed couldn't simply remove a few ounces of fabric to get at it's tasty snack.

Because of course said creature under the bed couldn't simply remove a few ounces of fabric to get at it's tasty snack.

I read that as "to get at its tasty SACK." Now, I don't have a sack, but if y'all thought the monster was going for your sack instead of your feet, you might be a little more worried.

Does anyone remember the show V? Those lizard things gave me nightmares for years. They still creep me out.

THANK you for mentioning Gremlins--it's exactly where my mind went when I saw the thread title. Effing Stripe scared the bejesus out of me. I tortured my poor parents by being too scared to sleep for WEEKS after that. My mother cursed my daycare mom (a close friend of hers) who had let us watch it at her house.

I owe my parents so much sleep from my childhood.

Oh, and Jareth? Really? David Bowie's tight pants and sexytime with the different colored eyes and the magic crystal balls? Scared you?

Confession--the masquerade scene in Labyrinth still gives me the good shivers. A teeny part of me still wants that damn dress J. Connelly is wearing. Oh, complete with David Bowie accessory, please.

Critters.

They completely fucked up my childhood. I didn't even watch the whole damn movie, but i remember being so traumatized that I had to lock up all my stuffed animals at night because they looked like Critters. They STILL terrify the hell out of me.

Those flying monkeys were damn scary. And we'd always watch that movie at sleepovers. And then I'd have to pretend to be watching but really sitting with my eyes rolled back in my head so I wouldn't see. And occasionally another kid would look over at me and get really freaked out because you could only see the whites of my eyes. Then I'd have to pretend it was just a weird prank and I'd been waiting for someone to look at me. All in all, never a good situation...

Jason: That movie was "Cat's Eye". A Stephen King anthology movie. Not as awful as most.

I was mostly terrified of the slasher kings. I was convinced Jason Voorhees lived under my bed at night and if I ever had a nightmare about Freddy Krueger I was done for the night.

In gremlins 2 the spider-gremlin gave me nightmares for a week. and I once woke up to find all of the leper sailors in my room from "The Fog". That sucked mightily.

I always have to have my feet covered in bed, too, lest someone stick knives in the bottom of my feet and then make me walk around on them.

My boyfriend just doesn't get it.

@ TylerDFC: That sounds right. Thanks. Haven't seen it since I was like 10 or 11, pre-dating my exposure to any slasher movies and, thankfully the need for more intensive psychotherapy. I think I was disturbed because, even though the cat saves the day, I was like, "Oh, wait. I don't have a cat..." (10-year old imagination runs wild)

Make fun of arachnophobes instead!

Posted by: Jelinas at September 28, 2009 3:31 PM
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Don't even start! IT'S A DUDE IN MAKEUP. Coulrophobes will get my sympathies when clowns are in your shoes and up your jacket sleeves and under fucking everything and DANGLING IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE WHEN YOU PEE! Has a clown ever crawled up your leg at 3 AM? Are there street performers living in your garage? Do they have more than the necessary number of legs? NO.

myysharona, that's why I need to read through the comments :-)

I do, however, recall very well hiding behind a chair when Maleficent changed into the dragon in Sleeping Beauty.

Posted by: Lubeg at September 28, 2009 2:47 PM

I thought I was the only one that did this! I couldn't watch Sleeping Beauty until I was well into adulthood because this scene scared me so badly as a child. I went nearly 20 years without seeing the end to the movie.

I would have been his Goblin Queen, concubine, dirty whore, whatever. Screw the kid, lets get dirty! The Muppet goblins can watch!

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at September 28, 2009 2:51 PM

You're not the only one. I came across this fanfic while I was researching something for my site. It's so well thought-out that it terrifies me a little bit.

AvB, Tammers, and dammitjanet, I am totally with you. The covers will protect me from axe murders, vampires, Freddie Krueger, and the boogie man in general. My husband sleeps on top of the covers sometimes and I keep telling him that the boogie man is going to get him, but he just won't listen. I'm beginning to think I should take out a life insurance policy, just in case.

There was a movie, I think it was actually a Disney film, when I was very young called The Watcher in the Woods. I remember there was a blond girl in a blindfold trapped in a bunch of mirrors. I don't remember much else about the movie except that blond girl, and Bette Davis, who I think played her mother, gave me nightmares for years. YEARS.

Posted by: Lillie

-------------------------------------------

It was a Disney flick, and one that terrifies me still 20 years later. The scene that kills me is when the little girl falls in the lake, and the crazy lady keeps pushing her with her cane under the water. In hindsight, she is trying to push her out of the weeds, but just thinking about it causes my throat to close up.

I second the "red-feathered nasties" from Labyrinth. Otherwise, this entire list is spot-on. *Shudder*

This list is like a Who's Who of my childhood nightmares.

Except that Alf was also in that revolving cast of characters due to a childhood trauma I would prefer not to relive, and ET still freaks my shit out big time.

Also, The Dark Crystal was scary as hell, yet I watched it all the time as a kid. Maybe I brought all of this current psychotherapy upon myself...

YES on the Flying Monkeys. When I was a tot I used to run out of the room when they were on screen. Hated them. Still don't even like the movie.

The Clown from it....though to be fair it is my own damn fault for sneaking out of bed when my parents were watching it.

And now I'm finally reading the rest of the comments. Good call on Meg Mucklebones, uh, whoever it was. She was green and slimy and . . . veined. And sopping wet. And icky. And that voice!! And it was WORSE when he cut her head off and the hands are scrabbling around on her neck stump.

Don't even start! IT'S A DUDE IN MAKEUP. Coulrophobes will get my sympathies when clowns are in your shoes and up your jacket sleeves and under fucking everything and DANGLING IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE WHEN YOU PEE! Has a clown ever crawled up your leg at 3 AM? Are there street performers living in your garage? Do they have more than the necessary number of legs? NO.

Posted by: Lauren at September 28, 2009 4:56 PM

-------------------------------------------

Aww, great, Lauren, now I have images of miniature clowns hiding in my shoes, up my sleeves, popping out when I'm on the can, crawling into bed with me (despite the protection of BLANKETS!!!), and a big one with eight legs haunting my garage.

There goes my night's sleep.

Empire Strikes Back. The wampa. Seeing that on the big screen as a five year old will scar you for life. That and the water monsters that live on Yoda's planet. His planet was bad enough being swampy and slimy, with random shit hanging everywhere, but add those water monsters and the whole thing is a kid's worst nightmare. And it wasn't the clown that scared me in Poltergeist, it's the scene at the end when they finally get the bedroom door open. Yeah, this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o07qRVETglQ

There goes my night's sleep.

Posted by: Jelinas at September 28, 2009 7:30 PM
---------------------------------------------------
Well, good. Live like one of us arachnophobes that you dared, DARED to mock. And remember:

Spiders/mini-clowns can be ANYWHERE. Under the bed. On the bed. IN the bed. In the closet. In the cat food bag. Under the bean bag chair. Zipped in your suitcase. In your couch. Up the Christmas tree. In your car. IN. YOUR. PANTS.

I speak from experience.

Oh, and the only thing Jareth scares is my panties. Whenever I see him my undies tend to just fall right off and lay on the ground, paralyzed in terror.

"Back in my circus days. . . "

That's officially the best way to start a sentence, ever.

Yes, the reason so many clowns are saaaad clowns is that no one understands them. Because no one wants to talk to them about their problems when they have clown makeup on.

I'm not particularly afraid of spiders unless they're actually ON me, but if I picture them with tiny clown-faces, they're terrifying.

Time bandits. The creatures at 1:48. To misquote zombieland, like a greatest hits collection of childhood nightmares.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4vQ6y5gyoM

Hmm... on the subject of spiders with clown faces, what's more terrifying - spiders with clown faces, or clowns with spider faces?

Royale, I'm gonna go with b: clowns with spider faces. Because that means the mandibles (?) are very VERY big. And I just shuddered.

Spiders with clown faces would be too tiny to see without getting reallllly close and I would never do that so it's a moot point. Unless it's a giant spider. And fuck that.

I still maintain that the makers of the curtains in my childhood bedroom were sadistic assholes. In the repeating lace pattern was a profile of an evil clown. All. over. the curtains. And the moonlight would shine just so . . .

I need a drink. I'm 30 years old and I'm scared of curtains.

That damn Arachnophobia movie. Why the hell did I ever go and see that? John Goodman was funny in it though. It is, of course, biological poppycock, as are most films that involve animals.

I hate that spiders can dangle into your personal space and get in your hair, crawl down your neck, and bite the bejesus out of you. Ever been bitten? It burns like icy fire. One time, I could see all my veins on my calf turn red from the bite of a wee jumping spider. It was nearly enough to make me throw up.

Aside from their web-spinning, venom injecting, for me the creepiest thing about spiders is their faces. It is so unnecessary to have eight eyes. Honestly. I hate spider faces.

How about Tim Currey as the damn Lord of Darkness in Legend??

ALso, I think the R.O.U.S's should be on that list too. I always hated that part in Princess Bride.

And while I'm here thinking about it, The Troll that tried to kill Drew Barrymoore in Cat's Eye. That used to give me nightmares.

Ok yeah, I'm old, fuck y'all, but SLESTAKS! I watched those fuckers through my fingers and from behind the couch.

The horn head! The horn hands! The big black bug eyes! THE HISSING SOUND!

That being said, this generation of kids will someday answer this question with two words: Lady Gaga.

Poor kids.

I know this thread is about terrifying movie creatures, but as a child from a po' white Australian family, my viewing was primarily restricted to network television.

I see your clown and raise you a Karen Black. After "Trilogy of Terror", I couldn't catch a glimpse of Ms Black's seemingly ubiquitous face in the 70s without an involuntary bladder spritz (a foreshadowing of life in my 40s).

"Also, I happen to think that Princess Mombi from Return to Oz (and all of her heads) were far more likely to induce nightmares than were the wheelers."

MissGina, I am so with you on this one, the wheelers were scary but Mombi threatening to steal Dorothy's head! Yikes that shit gave me the scareds for years.

Also Padame: bloody bunnies in Watership Down is still so creepy.

I think that the scariest thing I saw as a kid was Rachel's older sister in Pet Cemetery. "Rachel, Rachel" with her boney face and gross back. Just the thought of it now gives me shivers.

I agree with most of these, especially the flying monkeys, that scene is horrifying.

Mehhh . . . I see your Large Marge, and I raise you a Judge Doom in Roger Rabbit going "When I killed your brother, I talked just . . . like . . . THIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

Now, THAT was bug-eyed pee-pants terrifying.

Nevermind Gmork - the concept of The Nothing freaked the fuck out of me as a kid.

And in the second Neverending Story, the whole memory loss thing terrified me. I remember watching the film in cinemas with a incredible sense of real horror at what was going on.

Jareth's package scared my kid.

I had trouble going to sleep last night because of this thread and the one about the poltergeist in the upcoming indie movie. I can't remember the title right now. No more scary Pajiba threads before bedtime. I'd never thought I might get stabbed in the feet and then forced to walk on it, but thanks to Pajiba, that has all changed.

wow i seriously don't get people who watch pinocchio and are scared of monstro or of the little boys turning into jackasses. i never made it past geppetto.

What about the candyman in "Chitty chitty bang bang"? I still find him terrifying.

Nieve, why did you have to say that. I left that damn doll rusticating in the far corners of my mind for years and you go and dredge him back up.

I hid all my She-Ra dolls thanks to that movie. (Yes She-Ra)

And that ghost/demon scene from Fantasia was damn eerie to watch as a 7 year old.

But why is Jareth on this list. He wasn't scary. Dude was hot!

Large Marge was only scary the first time you saw it and weren't expecting it. I never thought Stripe, or any of the gremlins, were scary - great movie but not scary. The others are all good choices though.

OOH, good one, Mattfactor!!! That bad-acid-flashback scene in the tunnel with the boats freaked me out -- not quite on the spider-clownface level, but it still kept me up at night for a few weeks. I'd close my eyes and see that scene in my head. I couldn't get rid of it.

Flash.

Back.

City.

Coming to you from under a blanket in a puddle of pee. AUGH!

Jareth? In the words of my good good friend,

"If by 'terrified' you mean 'sexually awakened' then yes, I was terrified."

A couple of old ones that stuck with me into adulthood
1) The owl in the Secrets of Nihm
2) The Wargs (freaky black dog thingies) in Willow

What about Nicodemus from The Secret of NIMH? Or pretty much every second of that movie? Little cute mice were given injections! Little cute mice were blown through air vents! Even the good guy in that movie had glowing red eyes! That movie was one long childhood trauma for me.

older than dirt... kid of the 60's. some movies, some tv...

flyin monkeyz - oz

any number of twilight zone epi's.
most if not all, nightstalker epi's, especially the murderous mannequins and the swamp/moss monster.

mummy - johnny quest.. even for a toon, that was a nighmare generator. *shivers* i can still hear its theme music....

mcfeely - mr. rogers.. *shiverz*

minimonsters in fireplace, 'don't be afraid of the dark'...sally set us free! years of nightmares, and swearing i'd caught sight of them, up late wknd nights.

vampires 'salem's lot'

neighbors 'rosemary's baby

zombies - night of the living dead

exorcist.

camouflage stalker - 'when a stranger calls', and 'calls back'.

pet cemetery- steven king, that was it.. no books, much less watch his movies, even as a 20something.
he is one sick puppy.

Im sorry to ask again, but have you an email or something. I-d like to ask you a few things. it-s quite important. thanks /instantempo

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Uhm... I don't really know what to think... though I have a question I'd like to ask you in private, ideally by email. How can I reach you?

Uhm... I don't really know what to think... but I have a question I'd like to ask you in private, ideally by email. How can I reach you?

Uhm... I don't really know what to think... but I have a question I'd like to ask you in private, ideally by email. How can I reach you?