4 Horrors Movies That Almost F'ed Me Up as a Kid

I’m a little late on the Halloween season thing.  Given the latest circumstances on this blog, you can see why.  But before the calendar turns over and into November, I wanted to share at least four horror movies that messed me up as a child.  And a few of them I can more or less take as an adult (well I do have a hard time watching the unedited Candyman, anyway).  But that aside, my mom watched these movies.  Whether she rented them our bought them, I would watch them with her and turn around and asked to watch them on my own.  I have to give it to her taste, considering what we had to work with in our apartment in the late 80’s early 90’s.  And I kind of feel lucky I got to experience these types of movies, because that’s where my love of the horror genre originated.  Granted I was obsessed with Jason Voorhees and Freddy Kruger as well. 

But let’s get going on the list.  Most of you know the set-up and can look up whatever is missing.  Therefore, I’m just going to try to explain why any of the given movies almost messed me up.

Night of the Living Dead was a movie I would pop into the VHR on my own time.  It really was one of those films I wouldn’t just watch–but also study.  Each time I watched, there was always something new that I hadn't noticed any other time.

But anyway, I would watch this movie asking myself these things:

1.  Could this one day be possible?
2.  What would it take for me to survive?

And most of all…

3.  I refuse to stop watching this movie until I can make sense of how this is happening!

Ah.  Candyman.  This is really easy for me to explain why it almost messed me up as a kid.  It’s simple.  The villain is black.  And, as a black kid living in a community similar to the movie’s setting, that rattled me.  I mean sure.  Black characters get killed first in horror movies all the time.  But the idea of a black man blown into a honey covered, hook-welding, bee-stinging monster willing to come after even me was terrifying.  In a roundabout way.  The shit just hit too close to home for the first time in a horror movie. 

The 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  Another movie I would watch with my mom a whole lot.  Matter-of-fact, I don’t think I could ever watch this one on my one.  This movie terrified me for a host of reasons.  From the panic and fear of the characters.  To the premise of aliens.  All of that stuff.  But I have to admit that the one thing that messed me up was the idea that someone could take over me in a new form.  Leaving me to, well, rotten vegetation.  And the real, real gem of terror was questioning how long I would have been able to fight the inevitable.  I mean, you have a whole city after you and you can’t sleep!  Then ending of this movie always broke my heart.

Last is another classic favorite of mines that I couldn’t watch alone.  Horror Express (1972).  Like Night of the Living Dead, this was another movie I would study (in fear) as a kid.  I bought and watched it a couple of years ago, and finally understand the horror behind it.  But as a child, I think the simple fact that I couldn’t make sense of the horror and how frighteningly easy it was for the “monster” to kill and transport to the bodies of people…

Well, look at what was the last thing the victims would see before either.

GLOWING READ EYES!

But all the same, I love the “how” and “why” behind this film.

And that’s it.  Four of my favorite horror movies that, of course, gave me the love of horror while messing me up in the head.

Share with me your "childhood messed up" horror movie list and comments below!