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

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Halloween is almost here, marking the end of Spooky Season! Many people love this time of year and enjoy watching their favorite scary movies – and looking forward to new ones. Interestingly, fans have been discussing movies that aren’t traditionally considered “horror” but still managed to frighten them, with titles like James and the Giant Peach surprisingly making the list.

What Non-Horror Movies Are Fans Saying Scared Them?

Growing up, my parent loved horror movies – everything from classic Universal monster films to the Halloween series, plus pretty much every Stephen King adaptation and a lot of strange, unusual titles. However, I don’t actually enjoy the horror genre myself – I have plenty of nightmares already! That’s why I especially connect with a recent discussion I saw on Reddit about people preferring cozy autumn movies this time of year.

Someone asked the group for movie recommendations: films that don’t seem scary at first, but actually are. The responses are still coming in, but a lot of people mentioned James and the Giant Peach, pointing out how creepy the bugs and aunts can be. Here’s a look at some of the other suggestions people have made.

  • 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.

It’s interesting how many children’s movies and animated films have moments that are genuinely scary. I remember being really frightened by scenes in The Neverending Story – even though the theme song is amazing! The idea of being pulled into a book was terrifying as a kid, and honestly, still doesn’t appeal to me now.

I’ve never seen The Brave Little Toaster, but it clearly made a big impression on someone – and they’re not the only one who feels strongly about it. I personally connect with the slightly creepy atmosphere of The Secret of NIMH. It’s also interesting to note that it was the first animated feature film directed by Don Bluth, who isn’t associated with Disney.

People quickly started discussing a recurring theme in Bluth’s work, pointing out that it often seemed like he thought children learned best through difficult or traumatic experiences. One person noted a generally unsettling feeling throughout his films that they couldn’t quite put their finger on, and the criticisms continued to pile up.

  • 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.

It’s amazing, isn’t it? We’ve been unintentionally scaring kids with certain movies and shows for years! I grew up with Willy Wonka and The Dark Crystal being a little creepy, but a Winnie the Pooh movie being scary? That’s wild! And the director of Spy Kids doing this? I saw someone mention Fraggle Rock and how genuinely unsettling it was for them as a kid – they even joked the Doozers funded their therapist’s kids’ education! I’m honestly confused by this trend, but I totally get why it messed with so many of us.

It seems like everyone carries some kind of lingering emotional baggage, and it’s likely we all experienced something unsettling when we were young. It’s true what people say: the scariest things are the ones that stay with us in our minds. (Or maybe that’s just my own experience? Never mind.)

Happy Halloween, y’all!

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2025-10-29 20:10