15 People Share the Scary Movies Their Parents Let Them Watch When They Were Way Too Young

When it comes to your precious little ones, protecting them at all costs is your number-one priority. You don't want them to get hurt at the park, be left out at school, or experience any feelings of sadness or fear, right? But when it comes to scary movies, your parenting techniques might just bend a little bit. For starters, they might beg and plead to watch something that "all their friends have seen," and you don't have the energy to fight so you cave. You also might convince yourself that it's all just pretend and they'll be totally fine with a few jump scares.

Well, as someone whose parents let her watch Halloween YEARS before she was emotionally ready, I'm here to tell you that scary movies can stick with your kids for life. Sure, I laugh about it now, but those reoccurring nightmares and touch-and-go bed-wetting phases weren't all that great in the moment. Don't believe me? Keep reading to hear from 15 POPSUGAR editors about how they were scarred for life after their parents let them watch certain scary movies when they were way too young.

01
It
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It

"My parents realized quite early on that I was a sensitive soul after I dragged my mom to the bathroom and told her I didn't want to go back into the movie theater because I was scared of the witch in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It was Disney from there on in. Sadly, my friends' parents didn't know this, and I used to spend every afternoon after school being looked after by a neighbor who had a son in the same class as me. We were often left alone with the TV, and he somehow got hold of a VHS of Steven King's It, which he made a 7 or 8-year-old me watch. To this day, I'm frightened by storm drains and paper boats." — Gemma Cartwright, UK senior editor

02
Sleepy Hollow
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Sleepy Hollow

"My mom let me watch Sleepy Hollow when I was 8 and it RUINED me. I slept on the floor of my parents' room for an entire year because I was too scared to sleep alone. To this day, my family still makes fun of me and calls me crazy, but I stand by the fact that a dead, headless man riding around on a demon horse terrorizing a town is horrific. I recently asked my mom why she let me watch the movie and her response was, 'You liked Johnny Depp so much in Chocolat, I thought you'd like Sleepy Hollow, too!'" — Kelsey Kennick, Voices operations associate

03
Bride of Chucky
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Bride of Chucky

"The scary movie memory that will forever be etched into my mind is when my grandmother put on Bride of Chucky because she thought it was about dolls (this is what happens when a non-English speaker goes to Blockbuster). I was absolutely horrified, as was my mother when she found out what I had watched at 6 years old. Pretty sure I didn't play with my Barbies for about a month." — Chari Perez, assistant social and partnerships coordinator

04
Poltergeist
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Poltergeist

"I just need to vent: THIS MOVIE WAS RATED PG. ARE THEY KIDDING? The way Heather O'Rourke says, 'They're here' (and then 'They're back,' because my parents are monsters and let me see the sequel), will forever haunt my dreams. Every time my television gets staticy, a cold sweat comes over me while my trembling fingers attempt to fix the television. Had I seen this movie a little later in life — not at around 5 or 6 — I think I would have been OK, but now as a grown adult I still believe that when the TV loses signal that ghosts are going to terrorize me and pull me through my bedroom closet. It's a real problem." — Alessia Santoro, Moms editor

05
Arachnophobia
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Arachnophobia

"I watched Arachnophobia when I was about 6 or 7 and am STILL terrified of spiders to this day. I made my dad check my room (including my bed, under the bed, my closet, etc.) every night for spiders before bed for at least a year. My parents didn't so much let me watch it as they didn't really monitor what we were watching (I had an older sister who would watch me when they were gone). Needless to say, they wished they had paid closer attention to the movies they let us watch." — Christina Stiehl, assistant Fitness editor

06
The Shining
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The Shining

"I had a sleepover birthday party with about eight girls that happened to fall on Friday the 13th. We wanted to find a good scary movie to watch, and my mom suggested The Shining. Did I mention it was my 10th birthday? I was clearly used to watching super scary movies, but some of my friends really couldn't handle it. We decided to stop half way through and finished it in the morning while eating leftover birthday cake. Even though we were all pretty terrified by Jack Torrance and Room 237 at the time, whenever I talk to my childhood friends, they still bring up this party and say The Shining is one of the of their favorite movies." — Joanna Douglas, senior Native editorial director

"When I was about 10, I was having a sleepover with my sisters and my cousins, and my uncle announced it was time for all of us to see The Shining (I have NO idea why). We were terrified, but also kind of intrigued. I actually don't remember being that scared, but I do remember my cousin and I were huddled together on the couch and I put my hands over his eyes when the naked lady emerged from the bathtub." — Becky Kirsch, senior director, content strategy

"The year was 2001, and my dad and I were settling in to watch The Shining. My dad has a funny ability to forget how scary and weird things are. That's when my mom realized what we were about to watch. She immediately protested, and my parents argued about it for weeks. It took a year (so yes, basically my mom won) before I was allowed to rent it from the video store. I watched it by myself, which is probably for the best because there's a lot of NSFWWYP (Not Safe For Watching With Your Parents) moments. My mom was 100 percent right. That movie is terrifying. I'm not sure if anyone is old enough to see it at all, like ever. I'm getting chills right now." — Julie Calnero, email marketing manager

07
Rebecca
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Rebecca

"My mom was really into old black-and-white thrillers, and the ending of 1940's Rebecca, when Mrs. Danvers sets Manderley ablaze, really messed me up. Despite the fact that this scene stuck with me for so long, I'm glad I saw the film — it was a cultural education I wouldn't otherwise have gotten, especially at 8 years old." — Maggie Panos, Voices editor

08
Jaws
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Jaws

"For whatever reason, my parents let me watch Jaws on TV one afternoon when I was about 6 years old, a decision that awakened the horror movie freak inside me. I've been equal parts deeply fascinated and horrified by scary movies (and sharks! and open water! and the deep end of pools!) ever since. Jaws is far and away my favorite movie, and I've seen it easily 10 million times (a conservative estimate). I can't remember what my exact reaction was, but since I demanded the special edition VHS set for my birthday later that year, clearly I loved it just as much then as I do now." — Quinn Keaney, Entertainment editor

09
Halloween
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Halloween

"My dad loves the original Halloween (don't even mention the other trash ones in his presence), and he was totally fine with letting my sister and I watch it when we were 7 and 8 years old. There's actually a photo of us holding onto each other for dear life while watching it on the couch and screaming (thanks, mom, for taking photos instead of comforting us). Michael Myers' mask chilled me to my very core, and to this day, I still have trouble getting through this movie without taking frequent breaks for water and fresh air." — Caitlin Gallagher, Voices editor

10
Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things
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Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

"As a tween/early teen I wasn't allowed to watch pretty much anything that all the other kids were watching, but somehow my parents saw fit to allow my sister and me — 3 and 5 at the time — to stick around while my mom and my aunts watched a movie called Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things. Suffice to say, we were traumatized for life. To this day, I avoid wakes and open caskets at all costs and get slightly nauseous with anxiety whenever I even think about the movie." — Dara Stewart, copy editor

11
Jeepers Creepers
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Jeepers Creepers

"I remember being allowed to watch Jeepers Creepers at like age 6 or 7 in my parents' basement. I felt SO cool when the flick started rolling, but as it got scarier I seriously began to regret my decision. The worst part about that movie is that it really doesn't have a happy ending, the main character gets killed and then it ends. It stuck with me for MONTHS. I can't even tell you how much sleep I lost. I thought the monster was going to jump out and get me at any moment!" — Murphy Moroney, assistant Moms editor

12
Signs
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Signs

"When I was 9 or so, my mom wanted to go see Signs, but was worried it would be too scary for me. I promised her I would be fine, so she caved and let me. I don't remember much of the movie to this day, just the scene where the alien jumps out at that birthday party. I literally screamed in the theater — I expected it, but it popped out from a different spot and subsequently scared the sh*t out of me. I never forgot it." — Rachel Crowley, senior copy editor

13
Gremlins
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Gremlins

"Gremlins. I was 7 and just couldn't shake the image of their creepy eyes and sharp teeth. I did, however, have a Gizmo stuffed animal that I hugged at night to keep the bad Gremlins away. It's crazy, because my son got scared at the crab scene in Moana when he was 4, and I was watching this sh*t?!" — Jenny Sugar, Fitness staff writer