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I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but when I was a kid, I was almost 12 before I saw The Wizard of Oz all the way through, because I was so scared of the witch. My Mom had to carry me out of the theater when the witch came on in Snow White when I was really small. All kinds of things affected me strongly. Realistic violence was particularly bad. When I was 17 I was up half the night after seeing The Godfather at the theater, because of the realistic (for the time) violence. Bonnie & Clyde, and on and on. Did anyone else have this problem? Being super sensitive to negative images?

Tomfoolery33 9 Apr 29
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23 comments

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6

It's not unusual. My daughter was terrified of the wolf scene in the animated version of Beauty and the Beast but was fine with Jurrasic Park. People react different to different things. Overall I believe that being sensitive is a sign of intelligence.

Well I think my reaction was normal for a four year old, it would be more disturbing if that scene did not bother a child of that age. That movie still stands the test of time, it was a brilliant piece of work.

4

I'm super sensitive to animal violence and abandonment in movies. I'll cry for Bambi and Dumbo. Wasn't like that as a kid, only since adulthood.

4

Flying f'n monkeys! Had to have been about 5 when when I first seen them. Willy Wonka's boat ride tripped my bad dream trigger as well.

Those damn monkeys scared the crap out of me too!

Glad I am not the only one who thought those monkeys were from the pit of hell.

Haha yes! That boat ride was pure insanity! I remember thinking I just wanted it to be over and that Willy Wonka was probably evil

4

Every Elvis movie l ever saw made me woozy. Does that count?

No, but join the club!

4

Yes... the flying monkeys got to me. The exorcist tore me a new ass hole. I thought i saw some stuff untill that came out. My wife wad Pentecostal so i saw some fake speaking in tongues and believed that crap.

4

I think I was four when I saw it and I had nightmares about those flying monkeys coming for me!

flying monkeys make my day

3

Not surprising. You look like you might be close to my age and "Oz" was re-released around that time. The transition from B&W to color was a real shocker, too but I don't blame you for being afraid of Margaret Hamilton. This remains one of my all-time favorite films in spite of it's having very little to do with the book. My best friend was carried out of the theater in tears after Bamby's mother died. I agree that it was Disney's most traumatic film!

3

Can't say I ever have.

2

Oh man the lead up to the spindle prick in Sleeping Beauty freaked me out well into my teens. The combination of the music and the green light, I suppose. It's kind of impressive how effective the little tricks of old cinema used to be.

2

raises both hands and jumps up and down
Tornadoes are a huge trigger for me. I can't stand medical sceens, and several other triggers. (My use of trigger means causes adrenaline here.)

Some of those ideas/images are actually ptsd triggered by an accident when I was 5. Didn't even remember the whole thing until I was 12.

Some, like the tornadoes, I don't know why it makes me so anxious even when it's faked in a movie.

2

Can't watch slasher movies at all. Saw the original 'Halloween' in high school and lasted maybe 20-30 mins. For weeks after, everytime I opened a closet door it was with a raised fist.

2

No.
After my childhood there really wasn't a whole lot left to be afraid of.

2

I saw Jaws at the theater with my folks when it came out in '75 or so. I had just turned 10. It had no real affect on me, but a few months later there was a movie called Grizzly that came out. It was a cheesy B movie about a killer bear (of course) and after seeing that I couldn't go to sleep. I didn't want to go play outside for days after. A bear might get me!! Crazy stuff.

Funny how you remember films you saw as a kid and, when you see them 20 years later they're laughable. The Exorcist really freaked me out and I was in my twenties! It still does!

2

I remember watching it every year, and every year I was afraid of the witch 🙂

gater Level 7 Apr 29, 2018
1

I was little creeped out by Midnight Express when I first saw it at 16 years old, but the one that really got me, (though I have managed to over come my fears) was at the age of 14, watching Deliverance. Being from England I vowed never to go to the USA!!!

lol. Have you ended up coming over?

@tnorman1236
I've made it to Canada, but I'll likely not be taking any canoe trips. ?

@Number6 lol

1

I usually went to sleep at the poppies scene where the team went to sleep. Otherwise I'd sleep to get away from seeing the scary flying monkeys that came after that.

serns Level 5 May 5, 2018
1

I had to be taken out of Snow White and Fifle An American Tale. I remember being very bothered by ET as well. I don't watch scary, suspenseful movies at all now as an adult. I enjoy reading some types of detective fiction or crime fiction. And some of Stephen King or Clive Barker. But I'm picky about it.

I'm not as bad as I was when I was a kid, but some things still bother me.

1

I've had this problem - still do to some degree.
I'm a little desensitized to it now, but graphic scenes can still bother me.
Comical or overly theatrical stuff, aren't so bad, but the more realistic it is, the greater the chance it will affect me.
Note: Wizard of Oz was Damned Scary; Freaking Flying Monkeys!

1

The part of the monkeys swooping in and carrying off the scarecrow and ripping him to shreds scared me too. 😀

1

I am including this article by Roger Ebert regarding the movie "Night of the Living Dead'. [rogerebert.com]
Here is an excerpt...

The kids in the audience were stunned. There was almost complete silence. The movie had stopped being delightfully scary about halfway through, and had become unexpectedly terrifying. There was a little girl across the aisle from me, maybe nine years old, who was sitting very still in her seat and crying.

1

Also I stopped reading/watching Game of Thrones around the end of book/season 2 and I've basically avoided American Horror Story since its inception. I have an overwhelming amount of empathy and because of that schadenfreude entertainment is outside of my emotional capacity. I enjoy horror and psychological thrillers, but anything that operates along the principle of 'watch these people suffer just for the sake of watching their suffering' just makes me uncomfortable for days. Requiem for a Dream comes to mind. I only watch it to show it to someone for the first time. The Kronos Quartet did an amazing job with the score, and the movie is just incredible artistically, but I'm depressed for a week after I watch it. Cabin in the Woods was an exception, because I am a snarky hipster bitch sometimes and meta-entertainment amuses me and I have a begrudging fondness for some of joss whedon's work.

Yes, I'll never watch Requiem for a Dream again. It hurt too much.

1

Yes, I have this problem. I worked really hard to desensitize myself, and to hide my reactions from the people I dated. I used to feel a lot of shame about it, like it was a sign of weakness in me. Now I am more comfortable with myself. I have decided that the world is not made a bad place if I don't like violence. I can just be one of those people who doesn't like violence. I am ok with that, because it is an honest reflection of my values.

1

I have never seen the Wizard of Oz all the way through...not because of any fear of the characters, but because I have found it to be very boring. I just cannot get into fantasy.

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