Top 10 Terrifying Deaths in Live-Action Kids Movies
#10: E.T.
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“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) Yes, we know E.T. doesn’t stay dead. But the moment when he seems to be gone forever has traumatized generations of children. It’s disturbing enough seeing any close companion wither away from sickness, but “E.T.” elevates it to another level. You’ve got scary government agents all over the place, E.T. visibly sick and weak, tubes and ventilators, E.T. entombed in a transparent body bag, and Elliott wasting away due to the link he shares with his extraterrestrial pal! Spielberg isn’t shy about bludgeoning the viewer with the horror of it all. These scenes are unsettling enough for an adult, never mind a kid!
#9: Jack
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“Jack Frost” (1998) Losing a parent is every child’s worst nightmare. Unfortunately for 11 year old Charlie Frost, that nightmare becomes a reality when his father Jack dies in a car accident. While we don’t see the accident itself, we do see the event from Jack’s point of view. The close-up visuals and creepy music are terrifying; but what makes this death extra scary is the fact that this type of accident happens all too often. “Jack Frost” left many of us feeling dread anytime mom or dad got in the car on a snowy day!
#8: Skip
“My Dog Skip” (2000) People hate seeing dogs die so much in movies, there’s a website dedicated to informing audiences in advance: doesthedogdie.com. Well, the ending of “My Dog Skip” is one of the reasons we’re all scared. The movie culminates in an unsavory character called Junior knocking Skip over the head with a spade; Willie screams and cries for his dog, thinking he’s just been murdered. It’s enough to send children into hysterics! Fortunately, the dog survives his injuries; unfortunately, the movie immediately launches into a montage that sees a lonely Skip dying alone in Willie's bed while he’s away at college. Talk about emotional whiplash!
#7: The Wicked Witch of the West
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“The Wizard of Oz” (1939) This movie is filled with unsettling visuals, but nothing comes close to the Witch melting into a puddle before our very eyes. Sure, there’s gore, but the movie does all it can to make the scene terrifying. The Witch screams in obvious pain and we hear nasty corroding noises as she slowly dissolves. The camera’s refusal to cut away, combined with the lack of music, makes the scene feel all too real . . . And we’re not sure we WANT realism when it comes to watching someone melt to death! The scene still looks impressive today, so we can only imagine how terrifying it was in 1939!
#6: Antie
"Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" (1989) This movie starts off as a lighthearted romp, but its tiny world turns out to be terrifying. The huge bees are nerve-wracking enough . . . but the giant scorpion is legit nightmare fuel. Well, OK, it’s a normal-size scorpion, but it’s all relative! Trying to defend the kids, their newfound ant-friend, Antie, rushes in to the rescue - but is fatally stung in the process. And it couldn't be more traumatic. The scorpion pins Antie to the ground and he screams in pain and fear before the scorpion's tail is driven into his back. It's both devastatingly sad and deliriously frightening. It certainly made us think twice about kicking ant hills, that's for sure.
#5: Charlotte
“Charlotte’s Web” (2006) E. B. White’s timeless story has been teaching young children about change and mortality for decades. In 2006, it finally got a live-action adaptation; and even rewatching today, Charlotte’s death is still just as horrifying as ever. Julia Roberts’ soft, faltering voice is haunting, and Wilbur’s pained expressions tenderly convey his feelings of confusion and grief. Death is a scary concept for children to understand; but while E.B. White’s novel is a time honored teaching tool, this particular adaptation might be a bit too much for younger viewers to handle.
#4: Artax
“The NeverEnding Story” (1984) It was one of the most magical and imaginative movies in a decade full of them. Yet “The NeverEnding Story” still found time for evocative, emotional moments such as this. While traversing the Swamp of Sadness, Artax gets stuck in the mud and slowly sinks to his death as Atreyu tries desperately to free him. There are just so many frightening things about this scene, we don’t even know where to start. There’s the fact that Artax actually looks scared and confused. There’s the dark, muddy, misty setting of the swamp. And there’s the old synthesizer music that builds to a haunting crescendo as Atreyu grows increasingly desperate. This scene is, for many viewers, a neverending nightmare.
#3: Old Yeller
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“Old Yeller” (1957) Sad dog stories are a dime a dozen, but “Old Yeller” is the one by which all others are judged. After the titular dog is bitten by a rabid wolf, he begins to show violent signs of being rabid himself. Wishing to spare the dog more misery, Travis takes matters into his own hands. Children are forced to deal with a lot of unsettling realities throughout the climax of this movie. There’s the very concept of rabies itself; seeing a once-peaceful and friendly dog go rabid; and finally, euthanasia. It’s really heavy stuff for a kids’ movie, and it may prove far too unnerving of a viewing experience.
#2: Leslie
“Bridge to Terabithia” (2007) Perhaps the most tragic thing about Leslie’s death is just how unexpected it is. Seemingly out of nowhere, Jess is told by his father that Leslie is dead. And while we don’t see the tragedy itself, Jess’s pained reaction is more than enough to play on our inherent fear of death. This plot development is not only scary for children, but adults as well. For kids, the film conveys the idea that death can be senseless and completely random; sometimes it takes good people full of promise and potential. For adults, it's a reminder of every parents’ worst nightmare - the fact that their child can be taken from them at any moment and that they’re powerless to stop it.
#1: Thomas
“My Girl” (1991) “Bridge to Terabithia” shares a lot in common with “My Girl.” While attempting to find Vada’s mood ring, Thomas is attacked by a swarm of bees. We see Thomas swatting the bees before the camera cuts to his falling glasses, implying his death from an allergic reaction. As if seeing the event wasn’t traumatizing enough, we later see Thomas’s pockmarked face as he lays in the coffin. It touches on all the same themes as “Bridge to Terabithia,” including senseless loss and childhood grief. Only this time, we actually see the event and the aftermath. These are important themes, but man did the filmmakers ever make it hard to sit through.
