Top 10 Darkest Kids Movies

I saw this movie with my uncle when I was 6. I remember my mother was watching this movie with my aunts and uncles. I wanted to see it with her, but she convinced me not to because it was "too scary." When I saw it with my uncle and his dogs (this was on DVD. Duh, after all, he wouldn't be able to bring his dogs to a theater), I was so scared that after the movie ended, I had nightmares for weeks. I recently rewatched it when I was 14, and I wasn't scared. This film today is one of my favorites.

The bit where she changed into a spider scared my 6-year-old. And when Coraline was told she'd have to have buttons sewn into her eyes... He's seen the rest on this list except Poltergeist, which is no kids' movie.

When Oogie Boogie was made of worms and beetles, it not only freaked me out but also kind of disgusted me.

When you see the title, it may look dark, but it's actually a really cute and good movie.

What really scared me is when the house was standing up and chasing the kids and the other guy. What disgusted me was that Bones was a real pervert.

Scared me to death when I was little. Now it still creeps me out. Despite that, it's one of my favorite animated movies.

It's strange because nothing on this list ever scared me as a child except Monster House.

I agree with everybody on The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The movie suggests murder and has a dark undertone. There are all these hidden dark messages in the movie.

It is a fine movie, but Hellfire is scary. It gave me nightmares. It's about him murdering her or raping her.

It's really Judge Claude Frollo that scares the hell out of me.

All the bashing for this on the site needs to stop! I love this, and it is way scarier than Paranormal Craptivity.

Just watch this classic movie and see. It's very deep and spiritual on many levels and generally a legit classic, but it is also disturbing and gory for a kid's movie about seemingly cute little bunny rabbits.

It's a kids' movie. People are just too PC nowadays. In the '90s, I watched The Animals of Farthing Wood. I even had a little kids' book and magazines.

This should have been marketed as an adult animated film! Besides that, it is an awesome tale (get it) of rabbits trying to find a new home.

Darkest movie about dogs, but it is actually a really good movie.

Dark? Yes. But is it a fantastic, underrated movie? Yes!

It's sad. When I was like 7 or 6, I cried.

Probably the darkest dinosaur movie. Sharptooth (the T-Rex) was surprisingly very terrifying! Some scenes were also very sad and even depressing, and it has an overall dark atmosphere throughout. But it's a great movie with beautiful music and immensely likable protagonists.

I got scared when Violet turned into a huge violet balloon and when the fat kid got stuck in the tube. I thought he drowned after being in all that chocolate.

It really scared me when I was a kid, especially when you see the boy who becomes very long. I couldn't sleep for days!

It was kinda creepy when the robots caught on fire and melted. Scared the crap outta me as a kid.

It has a plot about Earth being doomed by an asteroid and stuff.

Good thing it's rated PG, though - it's darker than the other Ice Age movies.

One of the best animated - no, one of the best - movies of all time. The internal conflicts of the characters, the dark atmosphere, and overall gloomy moments make this movie quite intense. Its complicated plot may be too difficult for younger kids to understand, but it's overall a great movie for people looking for an animated film for older kids and adults.

A masterpiece in every sense of the word. The best Don Bluth film. A dark tale full of tense moments and even a little bloodshed. Although it is rated G, the intention was to give it a PG, which would have made much more sense.

This movie is so creepy, especially The Large Marge scene. I always cover my eyes every time I see that part.

Harry Potter stopped being just kids' entertainment after the third movie. The books were always for all ages.

Yeah, the title says Half-Blood, so yeah, it's not like it sounds family-friendly.

After Sirius Black dies, the HP movies get darker. This is an exception. At the start of the film, we see skulls that represent death and Harry Potter twerking.

The pumpkin head freaked me out, but what really freaked me out was the Hall of Heads! I was like, What?

Between the shock therapy and the Hall of Heads, it's definitely a dark and disturbing movie.

This was based on the books, and it seems cool!

17? This should be somewhere down in the top 10 list! It's the darkest Harry Potter movie of the entire series.

It's a movie based on a really deranged, dark, and twisted book. The movie's dark too, but OH MY LORD. The book's just sadistic!

This is a fantastic movie. It scares the crap out of me though.

The part when the kid turns into a donkey freaked me out, man.

Very dark. If you get scared easily, don't watch it.

Two dogs surviving in England, where they also eat one man.

It is so dark, and the elves are creepy. My cousin likes it, but I hate it.

I was scared of the movie when I was a kid. Now that I am older, I really like this movie. I didn't like when they were going to poison a human, but other than that, it is okay.

Just as dark as films like Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas. The reason why is because they are all by the same creator, obviously!

Well, DUH. Why can't this be number 1 or 2?

This movie is dark, and the fact that it was made by the same guy who did Sesame Street and The Muppets - Jim Henson - makes it even more interesting. I think the reason he made this film was because he didn't want all his work to be bright, colorful, or overly happy and optimistic. I agree with that approach. I believe kids' films need a bit of a dark edge, but not too much. Don't listen to the people who say kids can't handle darkness. Sure, little kids who are five might struggle, but kids older than that, I think, will be okay.

Jim Henson also went on to do Labyrinth, which is another dark children's film. The puppets in Labyrinth are just as disturbing as the ones in The Dark Crystal - maybe even creepier. It also stars the late David Bowie. It's a good film, and you should check it out since it's on this list too.

Now, let me explain why The Dark Crystal is dark:
A) The puppets are creepy and want to rule the world.
B) One of the human animatronics gets slaughtered (though there's no real gore).
C) That's pretty much it.

If you're someone who loves old, dark fantasy children's films, you'll probably enjoy this. But if you're someone who isn't interested in older films, or if you're one of those people who think kids older than six can't handle dark themes, this isn't for you. Personally, I enjoyed this film. I like how it's dark, disturbing, and weird.

To the adults saying kids can't handle darkness: Did you even grow up in the '70s, '80s, and early '90s? A lot of kids' films back then were like this - some a little less dark, some even darker! I wish they would keep making films like this. The only ones we have today that are even close are films like Coraline. I heard Coraline scared a lot of people. Surprisingly, it didn't scare me when I saw it as a little kid, but everyone treats it like it's the darkest kids' film ever. Yes, it's pretty dark. It's even darker than The Nightmare Before Christmas, but I think The Dark... more

Absolutely LOVE this movie. It's sad though, and a little creepy.

It seems cool! A good way to introduce your kid to classic movie monsters!