20 90s Movie Scenes That Traumatized Us All

20. Jumanji - Where To Even Begin?

Jumanji is an infectiously fun fantasy flick that was a defining part of many childhoods, which might've surprised adults at the time. After all, this movie is pretty bloody scary, and several reviewers criticized the film for being too frightening for its intended audience. From young Alan Parrish being creepily sucked into the titular board game to the many convincing animal and human antagonists that the game later unleashes, this one is absolutely packed with frights. 

But critics were wrong to bash Jumanji for being scary because, in fact, that's one of its greatest strengths. Like quite a few family films from this time - including several more that will be discussed on this list - Jumanji was such an exciting watch for kids because it didn't pander to or mollycoddle them. It wasn't afraid to frighten them, and it was a far more thrilling experience in the process, for it wasn't what youngsters were necessarily used to. One could compare it to, say, the best eras of Doctor Who, which provided so many with some of their earliest experiences of horror storytelling. 

One could even say that Jumanji traumatized kids in the very best kind of way. And besides, for all the scares this movie unleashes - the lion, the crocodiles, the spiders, the stampede, that ruthless hunter (Jonathan Hyde) - it's all wrapped up in the most heart-warming of ways in the end, so all's well that ends well.