10 Creepy Kids Movies From the 1970s

All motion pictures from the ’70s have a unique really feel to them, due to the numerous adjustments in society that have been taking place on the time. With this got here an abundance of cynicism, which even went on to bleed into a whole lot of media focused in the direction of younger adults and kids on the time. While a whole lot of the kids’s movies that got here out on this period are iconic, a few of them have some hard-to-ignore, creepy undertones which might be even thought-about unsettling by modern requirements.

Whether they have been live-action or animated, these movies did not shrink back from extra mysterious and disturbing parts, difficult the norms of storytelling. Here are 10 of the creepiest children motion pictures from the ’70s that formed the childhood reminiscences of a whole era that continues to go away a mark and hang-out viewers as we speak.

10 Charlotte’s Web (1973)

Charlotte’s Web (1973) is an animated adaptation of E.B. White’s youngsters’s novel of the identical identify. While it may not be as well-liked because the live-action 2006 adaptation, this one will all the time be remembered for its unsettling nature. The plot follows a pig named Wilbur, who builds an unlikely friendship with a spider known as Charlotte. Knowing that he’s susceptible to being slaughtered, Charlotte begins weaving messages into her internet praising Wilbur, within the hopes that it’s going to grant the pig sufficient fame to avoid wasting his life. It’s an extremely necessary story that teaches youngsters in regards to the significance of friendship, sacrifice, and the cycle of life.

A Story of Mortality and Death

Although the story has an attractive message behind it, audiences wanting again now discover that the 1973 cartoon has an eerie and unsettling ambiance. Despite being animated, the movie positively amplifies a whole lot of the darker components of the story, whether or not it means to or not. Of course, a narrative that focuses so much on mortality and the inevitability of demise is all the time going to be robust for younger youngsters, but it surely is not made any simpler by the creepy animation model or musical rating.

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9 Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)

Based on the novel of the identical identify by Alexander Key, Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) follows two mysterious siblings, Tony and Tia, who possess supernatural powers. The pair decides to be taught the reality about their origins, although they do not notice that they’re being pursued by a grasping millionaire who desires to show their powers for extra wealth. While on their journey, Tony and Tia meet a sort widower known as Jason, who helps them to achieve Witch Mountain and evade their pursuers. Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) was the primary of 5 installments in Disney’s Witch Mountain franchise, shortly making their live-action movies extra well-liked.

Strange, Horrific Themes

While Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) is mostly a family-friendly movie, it is usually riddled with horror parts that turn into laborious to disregard. For instance, the millionaire’s lawyer, Lucas Deranian, is arguably the creepiest character within the movie. There’s a component the place he kidnaps each Tony and Tia, the place the 2 then should evade him to flee his compound. The sequence itself seems like one thing from a horror film, and you’ll see why it might need been unsettling for teenagers watching on the time.

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8 Tom Sawyer (1973)

Tom Sawyer is a musical that’s tailored from Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The titular character, Tom Sawyer, is an imaginative and adventurous younger boy who embarks on a sequence of escapades together with his outcast good friend, Huck Finn. This consists of treasure looking, attending their very own funerals, and even witnessing a homicide. The movie does an important job of capturing the spirit of Twain’s characters, whereas additionally bringing the fictional city of St. Petersburg.

A Murder Side-Plot

Though at many factors Tom Sawyer is a lighthearted movie, there are fairly a couple of unsettling points inside it. Most notably, Kunu Hank’s portrayal of “Injun Joe,” who commits a homicide with the intention to settle a grudge. It’s laborious to not really feel immediately scared of him, as he steals each scene that he is in and is a transparent risk to Tom and Huck. If you then mix this with among the movie’s even darker themes, the movie turns into more and more extra disturbing to observe. While the nostalgic really feel to the movie helps to tone it down a bit, it is laborious to disregard a whole lot of the complexities of the society by which the characters reside.

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7 Pete’s Dragon (1977)

Disney’s Pete’s Dragon (1977) is taken into account to be one of the disturbing Disney musicals ever. It tells the heartwarming story of a younger orphan known as Pete, who escapes his abusive adoptive household with the assistance of his animated dragon good friend, Elliott. Together, Pete and Elliott go to the seaside city of Passamaquoddy, the place they meet lighthouse keeper, Lampie, and his daughter, Nora. As Pete begins to find what it means to have a real household, he should additionally shield Elliott from being exploited by the sinister Dr. Terminus for medical achieve.

Songs About Hurting Children

The movie wastes no time exhibiting its darker facet. Within the opening minutes, Pete is already escaping his unhinged adoptive household, who start to trace him down via the woods. The complete sequence is really harrowing, because the household begins to sing a sinister tune about desirous to get Pete again in order that they’ll abuse him much more for operating away. Unfortunately, the poor boy’s abuse does not cease there, as all through the movie he’s topic to relentless bullying by the townsfolk. At one level, his knuckles have been even rapped in class due to Elliott, and whereas this was the norm for lots of faculties on the time, it nonetheless did not make it any simpler to observe.

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6 Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town is a stop-motion made-for-TV movie that’s impressed by the favored Christmas tune of the identical identify. It is centered on a younger orphan known as Kris Kringle, who ultimately grows as much as turn into Santa Claus. Even in his earlier years, Kris was extremely beneficiant to these round him, and would defy the mayor of Sombertown, Burgermeister Meisterburger, delivering toys to youngsters. Throughout the movie, he meets numerous characters, such because the Winter Warlock and Jessica, who would later go on to turn into Mrs. Clause and transfer to the North Pole with him.

Terrifying Puppets

Even the heartwarming vacation really feel to this flick is not sufficient to cover how creepy it’s. First and foremost, the puppets used for the stop-motion animation are completely terrifying, particularly the one for the Winter Warlock. Additionally, there is a moderately unsettling tune in it the place youngsters are advised to arrange to offer Santa Claus a kiss with the intention to obtain their presents. While the intention behind this tune wasn’t to be bizarre and easily to spotlight a Christmas custom, it does not maintain up properly towards as we speak’s requirements in any respect.

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5 The Hobbit (1977)

Prior to Peter Jackson’s epic live-action trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien’s basic novel, The Hobbit, had already acquired an animated adaptation in 1977. Those conversant in the story will know that it follows a younger Hobbit known as Bilbo Baggins, who’s swept right into a heroic journey the place he should reclaim a treasure guided by the dragon Smaug. On his journey, Bilbo is accompanied by Gandalf and a bunch of dwarves, the place they encounter a variety of magical creatures, from goblins to elves.

Scary Character Designs and Scenes

For a whole lot of younger individuals on the time, it was this animated movie that launched them to the world of the Lord of the Rings. It did properly to seize a whole lot of Tolkien’s world, however with that comes some terrifying character designs. The risks that Bilbo experiences all through the movie genuinely really feel like there are excessive stakes concerned, which might really feel fairly anxiety-inducing for a cartoon aimed toward children. Additionally, Gollum feels considerably extra threatening on this movie than he does in any of the Peter Jackson motion pictures, maybe the closest to Tolkien’s imaginative and prescient for the character.

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4 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is an animated movie by Disney launched in 1977 that mixes three beforehand launched featurettes: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too. Extra materials was created to bridge the tales collectively, bringing collectively your entire gang of the Hundred Acre Wood for a heartwarming story. The movie was closely praised following its launch attributable to its faithfulness to the supply materials, capturing the true essence of why individuals cherished A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh tales a lot.

Hallucinogenic Sequences

However, whereas this movie has loads of candy moments inside it, there’s one sequence particularly that has traumatized youngsters for generations since. Tigger causes Pooh to have a nightmare about Heffalumps and Woozles, which then performs out as a tune. During the oddly hallucinogenic sequence that options creepy Heffalumps with out mouths laughing hysterically, whereas others explode from an excessive amount of honey. There’s additionally a component within the movie the place Rabbit begins to lose his thoughts after getting misplaced within the woods, with numerous creepy noises occurring round him, including extra gas to the paranoia.

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3 Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

Set in England throughout World War II, Bedknobs and Broomsticks follows a bunch of three youngsters who’re despatched to reside with Eglantine Price, who’s studying witchcraft within the hopes of aiding within the conflict. All of them embark on a magical journey collectively within the seek for a spell that might assist to defend Britain from enemy assaults. A spell is used to enchant a bedknob, turning your entire mattress right into a magic touring system that enables them to go to numerous animated locales, whereas additionally introducing them to anthropomorphic animals.

Sex Workers, Cigars, and Violence

This whimsical function is finest recognized for its catchy songs and charming characters, although it does have moments that are not solely applicable for kids. Particularly, its most unsettling moments are when the group encounters the anthropomorphic animals, who behave in unusual methods, resembling smoking cigars and evoking an odd sense of uncanniness. Additionally, there are additionally a couple of grownup parts sprinkled in, resembling intercourse staff on Portobello Road, knife violence and darker themes about conflict.

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2 Watership Down (1978)

Watership Down is probably probably the most traumatic animated movie to return out of the ’70s. The movie is an adaptation of the novel of the identical identify by Richard Adams, and follows a bunch of rabbits who reside in a warren close to Sandleford. One of the rabbits, Fiver, has an apocalyptic premonition, main his brother Hazel to information all of them away to security. But their journey is not simple, as on the way in which they encounter numerous challenges resembling predators, people, and inside conflicts. Though they fight their hardest to seek out peace, they in the end have to return to phrases with the cruel actuality of the wild.

Extremely Violent Scenes

The movie is understood for being extremely laborious to observe, with many generations struggling to sit down via the sheer quantity of ache that the rabbits undergo. Even although it’s animated, it does not maintain again from exhibiting viewers distressing imagery. The violence and demise are very graphic and reasonable, fully juxtaposing the thought of cute and weak rabbits that almost all youngsters have of their heads. Though the movie carries some essential messages and themes, a whole lot of dad and mom even argue as we speak that the movie may be too creepy and unsettling for younger youngsters.

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1 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Fans of Timothée Chalamet’s Willy Wonka are more likely to be fully thrown off guard by Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, together with his character turning into an unhinged maniac. Based on Roald Dahl’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this movie options the enduring Gene Wilder within the titular function, taking part in a personality that may scar youngsters for all times. After Charlie Bucket wins a Golden Ticket to discover the mysterious and magical chocolate manufacturing unit owned by Willy Wonka, it quickly turns into clear that the go to will function a take a look at of every of the kids’s virtues and vices, resulting in some horrific incidents.

One scene particularly that’s ingrained in everybody’s reminiscence is the notorious shamanic boat journey, which is taken into account to be one of the scary scenes within the entirety of cinema. During the scene, Wonka begins to recite an unsettling poem whereas numerous disturbing psychedelic imagery begins to happen on display screen because the households beg to be let off the boat. Even the actors on set have been left uneasy after filming the scene, as none of them anticipated Wilder to be so intense in his supply of the poem, scaring all of them. Though the movie has gone on to be celebrated all through the years, it’s simply the creepiest children movie to return out of the ’70s.

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