The Exorcist, Nightmare On Elm Street, The Shining, The Thing, Halloween and The Evil Dead.

Some of the scariest films ever made……

Yet none of these films are as terrifying as Watership Down – also known as the Hampshire Bunny Massacre.

As part of our 31 Days Of Horror celebration of all things macabre, we take a look at some of the most frightening and shocking moments in family friendly movies.

Star Wars: The Original Trilogy (1975-1983)

Shocking Moment: A Farewell to Arms

Despite all being rated U, the original Star Wars trilogy features plenty of violent scenes – most of which involving the frequent dismemberment of hands or arms.

During the battle between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) on Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke’s hand is lopped off at the wrist by a well placed lightsabre swipe. It’s clearly a painful moment for Luke…. But perhaps, not quite as painful as the revelation that follows.

There’s also the cuddly Wampa on Hoth, and in the first Star Wars, we see Obi-Wan Kenobi cut Ponda Baba’s arm off during a scuffle in Mos Eisley Cantina. This obsession with dismemberment is so apparent throughout the films, that the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail wouldn’t be out of place.

Ghostbusters (1984)

Shocking Moment: Paranormal Sexual-Activity

Ivan Reitman’s supernatural comedy is something of a family favourite – and it’s also become a childhood classic for many of us who grew up in the ’80s and ‘90s. Therefore it’s pretty easy to forget that Ghostbusters is actually full of risqué humour and some nasty scares such as the creepy librarian ghost.

Let’s not forget the frequent cussing, or the wonderful line “I want you inside me” from a scantily clad Sigourney Weaver. However, none of this compares to the scene involving Dan Aykroyd and a very horny ghost, which will quickly make parents reach for the remote.

Daddy….. What’s the ghost doing??

Just helping him undress for bedtime……..

But why is the man so pleased…?

Because he loves bedtime !

Watership Down (1978)

Shocking Moment: The Whole Thing !!!

Watership Down can be easily misinterpreted by the uninitiated as a cutesy animation about frolicking rabbits. What actually lies in store is an emotionally shattering and traumatic tear-jerker, filled with graphic and gory depictions of cute bunnies being torn to shreds and the realistic struggles that face such animals in the wild.

Watership Down is ultimately a beautiful film, but it’s a harsh and difficult one to take in at a young age. The disturbing and bleak imagery leaves an effect on both youngsters and adults that can never be forgotten.

It speaks volumes that the BBFC still receive complaints to this day about the films U rating.

Jaws (1975)

 Shocking Moment: Farewell and Adieu

Spielberg’s classic is one of the most oft-debated PG rated films of all-time.

It managed to pass as a PG due to the violence being infrequent and too brief for a restrictive rating – but Jaws is definitely gruesome.

The brief shot of a chewed off leg or a fountain of blood as the young Alex Kitner is eaten are both distressing – as is the manky decomposing head of Ben Gardner, complete with a gaping eye socket.

But it’s Quint’s (Robert Shaw) painful demise that sticks out as the most traumatic PG moment – being chewed up like a fleshy stick of gum as the water runs red with blood.

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Questionable Moment: Burning Love

Disney films have often dealt with dark themes of death and abandonment, preparing children for the dangers that they can later be faced with in life. Notable examples include the death of Bambi’s mother, or an almost equally heartbreaking demise of Mufasa in The Lion King.

Recently, their collaborations with Pixar have continued this trend, such as the tragic ‘married life’ montage in UP and a relentlessly dark third act in the Toy Story series. Sure, there are plenty of laughs to be had in Toy Story 3, and it ultimately ends with a heartwarming conclusion. Yet there’s no denying the sheer horror of the incinerator sequence.

Faced with death after falling into a huge pit of fire, the toys react to the situation in the only way they can, by holding hands and preparing for the very worst – while grown men try their hardest not to weep.

John Lasseter and the folks at Pixar thankfully didn’t decide to end one of the most successful movies of all time by traumatizing families around the world. But although Woody and co are ultimately saved, it’s a powerful and distressing sequence which speaks volumes about mortality and the value of friendship and family.

The Witches (1990) 

 Shocking Moment: “You may remove your wigs !”

Of all the Roald Dahl adaptations I watched when I was younger, The Witches was probably my favourite – I actually enjoyed it more so than the book itself. It seemed to capture the darker tone of Dahl’s books more so than many other adaptations, with director Nicolas Roeg unafraid to tone down the frightening aspects of the novel.

But the really scary part was the terrifying make up and prosthetics from Muppets creator Jim Henson  – transforming Angelica Houston into a sinister mix of Nosferatu and Freddy Krueger.

If the grotesque make-up wasn’t enough to frighten kiddies and adults alike, there’s a sinister undertone that runs throughout the whole film. In fact, one of the most frightening moments comes early on, with the creepy and unnerving story of Erica – a kidnapped girl who became forever trapped inside a farmyard painting.

Mission Impossible (1996)

Shocking Moment: Going Up!

It’s not particularly surprising to find shocking violence in a film from Brian De Palma – the man who gave us Scarface and Dressed To Kill.

It is however shocking to find it in a PG-rated spy adventure starring Tom Cruise.

When a routine operation in Prague goes wrong, IMF agent Jack Harmon (Emilo Estevez) finds himself stuck on the top of a moving elevator. With no possible escape route the agent is gruesomely squished by the spikes protruding from the top of the elevator shaft. It’s a fleeting and unexpected moment of graphic violence, which sticks out in the movie like a sore thumb.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)


Shocking Moment: Is the grizzly reaper mowing?

The books of Roald Dahl are filled with dark and eerie moments which are often watered down or even cut out entirely when adapted to the big screen. Even though the 1971 adaptation of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory has deservedly become a children’s classic, the multiple changes made to Dahl’s screenplay left him dismissive of both the film itself and future adaptations of his work.

But there’s one particular moment in the film which is unmistakably Dahl, and couldn’t be any scarier than it already is. After the golden ticket winners witness what might be the death of Augustus Gloop, they are taken on a surrealistic boat jouney through a tunnel of disturbing and graphic imaginary. As Wonka recites trippy poetry (“Are the fires of Hell a-glowing ? Is the grisly reaper mowing ?”) we see flickering glimpses of a centipede crawling into an open mouth, and even a chicken being beheaded – pretty strong stuff.

There’s only one boat trip in the history of film that’s more questionable, but Cuba Gooding Jr is no Gene Wilder.

Airplane! (1980)

Shocking Moment: PG Boobies

Despite a misleading 15 certificate on the DVD and Blu-ray versions of the classic comedy, Airplane! is in fact rated PG – having its certificate upped due to the special features rather than the film itself.

With a smattering of smutty off-colour humour (“ever seen a grown man naked?”) and frequent references to drugs and sex, it’s often hard to believe that Airplane! managed to get through with a PG.

This is especially true in terms of nudity, holding the distinction of being one of the few PG rated films to feature a pair of jiggling naked breasts in gratuitous close-up – making it something of a holy grail for prepubescent teenagers in an age before the internet.

Jurassic Park: The Lost World (1997)

Shocking Moment: Tear ‘N’ Share

Spielberg strikes again with another moment of not so family friendly PG horror.

Jurassic Park was frightening enough to carry a similar warning to Jaws over its high intensity for younger children – yet the 1997 sequel The Lost World was considerably darker, and often mean spirited in a similar way to the first Indy sequel, The Temple of Doom.

After coming to the rescue of his teammates and towing their precariously hanging trailer to safety, Eddie (Richard Schiff) is trapped by not one, but two hungry Tyrannosaurs.Before having a chance to flee or change his underwear, Eddie is plucked out of his jeep, tossed in mid-air and ripped apart like a cheesestring.

Arachnophobia (1990)

Shocking Moment: A Blocked Nose

Arachnophobia is a fun creature feature – but if you’ve got something of a fear of spiders, even a small one, it’s not exactly comfortable viewing.

When a deadly poisonous strain of the creatures invades a small rural town, Dr. Ross Jennings (Jeff Daniels) – a suffering arachnophobe – has to deal with not only the increasing deaths but also multiplying swathes of creepy-crawly spiders.

There’s a number of unnerving moments which will make your skin crawl – such as a a spider crawling in a bowl of popcorn, instantly having the power to put any viewer off their own movie snacks.

The ickiest bit ? As Dr. Jennings inspects the body of a bite victim, a spider crawls out of a nostril  – giving anyone with a dislike for the eight legged insects a solid week of vivid nightmares.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

Shocking Moment: The Child Catcher

The last thing you want to see in a movie as a child is a stark depiction of why everyone tells you never to approach a stranger – even if offered sweets, ice cream or apparently treacle tart (a niche option for the pickier child).

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang continues to frighten children and adults alike with its long-nosed villain the Child Catcher (Robert Helpmann)

Interestingly, the character wasn’t in Ian Fleming’s original book – first appearing in Roald Dahl’s screenplay for the film. This marks Dahl’s third contribution to this list, making him almost tied with Spielberg for having the ability to traumatize young children through family films.

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982)

Shocking Moment: Where No Eel Has Gone Before

There’s only one thing scarier than William Shatners hairpiece in the follow up to Star Trek: The Motion Picture and that’s the Ceti Eel.

Burrowing its way into the brain via the ear canal and controlling the thoughts and actions of its victim, the Ceti Eel is perhaps the freakiest creature in the entire Star Trek universe.

Although a close up shot of the creature bloodily weeding its way out of Pavel Chekov’s (Walter Koenig) ear was snipped from the original release (later re-instated for a 12 certificate) the prolonged sequence of the creature first entering Chekov’s ear, complete with screams and sinister music is an intense and disturbing moment.

Poltergeist (1982)

Shocking Moment: Face Peel

Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist is a classic horror which has become somewhat overshadowed by the persisting rumours of directorial interference by producer Steven Spielberg. It’s also a film which – along with fellow list entry Temple of Doom – contributed towards the founding of the PG-13 rating, following complaints over its frightening content.

And seriously, Poltergeist is pretty damn frightening – deservedly receiving a 15 certificate by the BBFC but being bizarrely granted with a PG in the U.S.

If kids aren’t given sleepless nights by the possessed clown doll, rotting corpses or even the weird ramblings of the creepy Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein) than I can guarantee that the scene in which a man rips his own face off will seal the deal.

Looking at the sequence today, it’s a little corny and the effects are rough – but it’s still a gruesome scene which far exceeds a level of gore that you’d ever expect to see in a film rated PG.

The Indiana Jones Trilogy (1981 – 1989)

Shocking Moment: Melting faces, ripped out hearts, rapid aging….. Monkeys?

I don’t want to purposefully exclude Crystal Skull here, but frankly, it was lacking in the classic tradition of Indy films featuring at least one disturbing anti-PG moment that would send kids either jumping behind the sofa or glued to the TV in shock. About as close as it got to being frightening was Shia LaBeouf’s towering pompadour.

Raiders of the Lost Ark’s melting faces and exploding heads was pretty terrifying stuff to witness as a youngster, as was Temple of Doom’s heart-ripping (Kali Ma!) or the gross-out feast of bugs and monkey brains. So dark is the second entry that its still cut by the BBFC (and at the request of Spielberg himself) removing among other things, the shot of a heart being ripped out and Mola Ram (Amrish Puri) being eaten by hungry crocodiles.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade isn’t quite as violent as the first two and is easily the most light hearted of the three, but there are still some pretty disturbing moments. I’m sure I’m not alone in being freaked out as a nipper by the rapid aging of Walter Donovan (Julian Glover).

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Which other moments do you find shocking or disturbing in family friendly films ?

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