Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Cin's Top 5 Childhood Tramas

So Stac has posted a rather fab article on things that scared her shitless as a child. Well keeping in theme, and since this blog is currently in its infancy, I thought I would follow suit with the subject of childhood. As you can see, Stac has a gift for the written word. She really has a knack for writing about and describing things vividly.
Me?
I make lists.
I typo a lot and I make lists.
In fact I'm a list addict. If you toss me a top ten list chances are I will read it no matter how uninterresting the subject may be. Top ten uses for peanut butter, top ten japanese accountants in outer mongolia....
I have a problem. I will admit it.


So for my kick off post here are the top 5 films and scenes that tramatized me as a child. Any of these ring a bell or make you want to go back to therapy? Read on!


5-That Freaky Boat Ride- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Okay...what child WASN'T completely terrfied of this moment? Just about every person I talk to about this movie mentioned how this moment scarred them for life and how Gene Wilder now pops up in their nightmares to this day. Its seems Freddy Kruger and Gene Wilder are top reasons for insomnia. Just seconds before this moment we had a lovely whimsical musical number about imagination while everyone frolicked in the technicolor land of candy and rainbows. Then suddenly you've taken a hard left onto the corner of crack street and LSD avenue. The 60's where a scary time, kids.




4-The Great Owl -The Secret of NIMH
I'm still a big lover of this film. The animation is incredible and the story is wonderful. Its one of the few films that I like better than the book. But during my tender first grade years, this guy haunted my sleep. This ain't no Hedwig the owl, folks. The Great Owl is a creepy old scary bastard! And did you catch his Exorcist head turn there? UGH! I'm 32 years old and that moment still gives me the willies.






3-The Shining Commercial...JUST the Commercial.

My parents love to remind me that at one time I was terrfied of just about anything on the TV when I was a toddler. They still think my love of horror films is a blatant lie to cover up the chicken shit I was when I was a kid. Now, I don't remember this but apparently when I was very little, I would scream whenever any comercial for The Shining came on the tv. Not just a scared kid scream but a primal, blood curdling, help I am being torn apart by wild dogs scream. This caused my parents much in embarassment at many a party and sent them vaulting over furnature and relatives to turn the TV off. Luckily, I grew out of that.





2-The Vomit Monster - Poltergeist 2

I was forced to watch Poltergeist 2 against my will by my cousin who was calling me a chicken. We were around 8 years old at the time. To save face I managed to watch most of it from in between my fingers. But the vomit moster was the last straw and I hid behind the couch for the rest of the movie. Of course, now I can handle just about any horror film that makes my cousin cringe. Who's laughing NOW, Brian?!
You know what? Even as an adult this scene is pretty fucked up.




1-The Watcher in the Woods
I recently rented this movie to see if its as scary as I remember. Its not. But at the time, this was the scariest damn thing I had ever seen! My 6th grade self and my cohort at the time, Lina would watch this movie at night in the dark on the ye olde VCR and squeal in delight on how it made us jump. Now a days its pretty dated and well...kinda lame. It does have some genuinely creepy moments and Betty Davis looking like 50 miles of bad road is pretty off putting. but I would say its best for nostalgia viewing. Here's a trailer.




So there you have it! The beginings of what scared me as a kid. And as you can see, I was a huge chicken shit.

8 comments:

Stac said...

Awesome contribution, and your list was, as always, faboo!

That's so weird that you listed Watcher in the Woods-- I hum the music box theme when I'm nervous, and was doing so like, five minutes before typing this!

I love WitW. I think it still has an awesome, really eerie vibe to it that kids movies are too chicken shit to make now.

Hel said...

Oh man I so agree about all of these, except Watcher, which I don't know if I've seen. A Disney horror movie for teens, eh? Hmm.

Another movie that always freaked me out as a kid was Something Wicked This Way Comes. I couldn't watch certain parts without having to put my hands over my ears and squeezing my eyes shut. Bedroom full of spiders? Ah, thanks but no thanks.

Stac said...

I just noticed that you said "LDS street" instead of LSD. You want too fix that, or do the Mormons have something to do with Gene Wilder's sinister plot? ;)


It's 28 degrees here, and I am COLD.

Cins said...

Well since i don't really have any problems with the mormons I better fix that.;)

Cins said...

Hel>>*L* The Watcher in the Woods is a pretty lame film when youre over the age of twelve. I will totally agree with you. Under the age? Terrifying.
I LOVE Something Wicked This Way Comes! I think mostly for Johnathan Price's Performace with was fantastic and Jason Robards as well. Its not quite as creepy as the book but I really enjoyed it. I plan to do an article on that movie in the future BTW.:)

Anonymous said...

I have a strange fear threshold. That vomit monster made me laugh, but goodness if I have an easy time sleeping without my lights on, sometimes!

FYI, I'm here to tell you ladies that even though horror movies are not healthy for me, I've fallen in love with your blog. Am so pimpin' it now.

Addendum: THE GREAT OWL. YEAH I remember that scene being creepy as a kid. I loved the Secret of NIMH. The older I got the more amazing that scene became for me.

Cins said...

BHGeorge>>Hey, everyone has their fears! I have the fear of sleeping alone in the quiet. I have NO idea why. Actually, I do but its a lame reason.
I'm a huge fan of Secret of NIMH. Its a movie that seems to get better and better with age. The older you are, the more you find to appreciate it for.
Thanks for the pimpage! Hope you enjoy our antics!

Nojh said...

Man I both loved and feared that owl. He was soo scary and so cool at the same time. I couldn't watch him the first hundred times I saw that movie.

I remember finding the boat ride kinda scary, but I saw that movie so much and it kinda lost its scariness after awhile. While the owl still haunts me sometimes.