6 Terrifying Things From Children's TV

Last night I attended a Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror marathon at The Grand Social in Dublin. Needless to say I was filled with the nostalgia of watching the hilariously macabre anthologies which brought back fond memories of Halloween for me. About halfway through they screened the episode entitled The Springfield Files which featured guest appearances from The X-Files' David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson along with the late Leonard Nimoy. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the episode, it features Homers encounter with what he believes to be an extraterrestrial. Although it is not a Treehouse of Horror episode, it was just as macabre and watching it last night reminded me of how much it terrified me as a kid. That led me to recall multiple instances where I was scared stiff by some of my favourite childhood shows, so without further adieu here are 6 terrifying things from children's TV.

The Simpsons- The Springfield Files

The episode which inspired this post and something that left a six year old me shaking with terror after watching it, The Springfield Files is one of the most iconic episodes of the shows eight season. Now The Simpsons isn't exactly a children's show, but it's generally suitable for family viewing. This particular episode features a mysterious alien with a high-pitched voice and a glowing green appearance, in the end it turns out to be Homers boss, Mr. Burns, and everything goes back to normal. As a kid this episode used to scare the hell out of me and I instantly changed the channel as soon as the alien appeared onscreen. Now that I've grown older the episode is one of my all time favourites and I've grown to appreciate the numerous sci-fi references and guest appearances throughout. However, it will always stick with me as that episode that used to terrify me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MQ356o5nCk

Moomin- The Groke

For those of you who don't remember this, Moomin was a lighthearted kid's show about a family of pleasant, hippopotamus looking trolls living in the colourful Moomin Valley based off the books by Tove Jansson. The show had a friendly atmosphere and I used to love sitting down and watching it in my nanny's house as a child. Which is why I was utterly terrified by the appearance of The Groke, a large, menacing figure who made multiple appearances throughout. It usually brought with it an eerie atmosphere that contrasted the usual cheerful one of the show. It scared the Moomins and it sure as hell scared me, although the creature was eventually revealed to be harmless, it's ghostly appearance still freaked me out as a little boy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_4Bjd7VEug

Hey Arnold!- Ghost Bride

One of my favourite cartoon on Nickelodeon when I was growing up was Hey Arnold! The show was humerous and full of great characters including the eponymous football-headed protagonist himself, Arnold. However, one Halloween as I sat down to watch the show I had no idea that I was about to be scared shitless. The episode follows Arnold and his peers going to the local cemetery to investigate the urban myth of the ghost bride, a vengeful spirit who decapitated her groom and his mistress. Already a very dark subject matter, the episode progresses to show the gang trapped in the cemetery with the bride herself! It is extremely tense and creepy and the brides haunting rendition of the wedding march is sinister as hell. Although it turns out to be a friend of Arnold's playing a harmless prank, the episode ends on an eerily ambiguous note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzrph0pEbLg

Courage the Cowardly Dog- The Great Fusilli

I was almost tempted to put the whole show on this as Courage the Cowardly Dog was one of the most morbid kids shows I've ever seen. By the time I had got around to watching the show I was about 7 or 8 years old and didn't scare as easily as I used to, but The Great Fusilli managed to leave me quite freaked out. The episode follows a mysterious alligator puppeteer (the titular Fusilli) arriving at Courage's farm offering Eustace and Muriel fame and fortune. As the episode progresses we get the sense that Fusilli is not as friendly as he seems and eventually reveals his plot to turn Eustace and Muriel into puppets. What really played on my mind in this episode was the fact that it ends with Courage's owners as puppets with Courage operating them himself. It never really resolves anything and viewers are left unsettled as the episode ends with Courage's owners as lifeless puppets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U32VTpeAwBA

Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids- The Whole Show

It was too difficult to pick just one episode of this British anthology series, everything about it used to just terrify me when I was a kid. Each episode focused on a different cautionary tale narrated by comedian Nigel Planer (The Young Ones) who portrays the creepy hunchback on the show. Each episode consisted of a traditionally animated segment along with a stop-motion animated wraparound. The whole show was, as the title suggests, both grizzly and gruesome with each episode following an unruly child facing the grim consequences of their actions. The animation was also quite exaggerated and creepy and I remember hiding in the kitchen until it was over. When I eventually grew a pair and watched the show I fell in love with it's dark humour and eerie atmosphere, although I learned to appreciate it I'm sure many kids still cowered when the credits began to roll.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WEVhF372XE

The Teletubbies- The Lion and The Bear

We all remember Teletubbies, it was one of the most beloved and colourful kid's shows of the past 20 years, until that bloody bear rolls onto the screen. Yes that's right, the top spot goes to the creepy bear from one of the segments in Teletubbies, forget Freddie Krueger or Jason Voorhees because this thing is the true face of evil. Randomly popping up in the generally lighthearted show, the bear sent me running and screaming from the sitting room and plagued my nightmares for years. I don't even know why it was necessary to include in a kids show because both it's appearance and voice are utterly unnerving. Even the atmosphere becomes more sinister upon it's arrival and what was once an innocent kids show turns into a true nightmare, you really have to see it for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idhc85tLPNQ

So there's 6 things from children's TV that personally terrified me as a kid. I'm sure there are many of you out there who agree, maybe you even have your own terrifying TV experiences from childhood. If so I would love to hear them! If you feel I've left something out that terrified you as a child let me know in the comments. Until next time, have a safe and happy Halloween.