25 Traumatizing Films That Really Messed Us Up

PocketEpiphany Published 03/21/2022 in ouch

Normally, we watch movies to be entertained. But what if you want to feel like dying instead?

Over the years, there have been plenty of movies that completely traumatized us. Which ones were the WORST? Thanks to Reddit, here is our definitive list!

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1. 'Lorenzo's Oil' is a hard film to watch because it's about a child who's dying of an incurable genetic disorder, it sticks pretty closely to the medical facts of the case it's based on, and it unfolds from the parents' point of view. Harrowing stuff even though the story isn't totally bleak and it was nominated for awards. -u/doublestitch
2. 'When the Wind Blows' from 1986. For anyone who doesn’t know it, here's a short summary from wiki: “The film accounts a rural English couple's attempt to survive a nearby nuclear attack and maintain a sense of normality in the subsequent fallout and nuclear winter.”

Just thinking about this movie gives me chills and not in a good way. Probably one of (if not) the most disturbing movies I've ever watched. I felt sick for days. -u/HellaWavy
3. I’m convinced that the all-glass shower trend is from a generation of home builders who saw the shower scene in 'Psycho' as kids. -u/Makerbot2000
4. 'Watership Down' My mum took me to watch this at the cinema when I was about 7, thinking it was some cutesy animation about bunnies. She promptly fell asleep and I'm still traumatized from it. Never been able to watch it again. -u/idrinkwaterandtea
5. 'The Good Son' messed me up when I was a kid. -u/MadMasterMad
6. The movie itself probably isn't but when I was a kid and saw the wire scene from 'Ghost Ship' and I was pretty traumatized. -u/peachpinkjedi
7. 'Jacob's Ladder' is weird for me because I consider it one of my favorite movies of all time, but I've only seen it three times over the course of 25 years or so. Each rewatch has confirmed to me that a.) it is a cinematic masterpiece, and b.) it leaves me in such a deeply affected headspace that I know I can't watch it again in the immediate future. -u/your_actual_life
8. 'Kids.' I thought this was going to be a cool edgy teen movie to watch when I was 13 or 14. After it was over all I wanted to do was take a shower and go to church. -u/xandrenia
9. 'Threads.' Want to know what a nuclear war would look like for the average citizen? -u/A_Dehydrated_Walrus
10. 'Grave of the Fireflies.' It's the story of every war. -u/TVotte
11. I was traumatized by the ending of 'The Mist.' I had previously read the short story in one of the Stephen king anthologies (I forget which one) so I was NOT prepared for the ending they went with in the movie. Spoiler: IT'S NOT THE SAME. -u/Embarrassed_Put_7892
12. 'Trainspotting.' Saw it once, and I'll never forget it. -u/StickKnown7723
13. 'Come and See.' Literally no other movie compares to the trauma one feels upon finishing a viewing of it. -u/heavy_pasta
14. 'The Road.' The book was even crazier. -u/The_Hive-Mind
15. 'Fire in the Sky.' With the exception of the first and last 10 minutes, it's incredibly boring and mundane. Basically a drama about a murder investigation in rural northern AZ.

Then it ends as a proper sci-fi horror with a dude strapped to an exam table on an alien craft being aggressively "examined" by some ugly-ass humanoid aliens while his screams are muffled by some kind of giant full-body alien condom. My 9-year-old a** didn't sleep well for years after seeing that. -u/juan_epstein-barr
16. 'The Deer Hunter.' My parents decided it was ok for 8-year-old me to watch it. I had nightmares about people forcing my parents to play Russian roulette for weeks after. -u/brigidsbollix
17. 'A Monster Calls.' A little boy manifesting his fear of losing his dying mum in the form of a psychologist yew tree. (Yes you read that right.)

Honestly broke me watching that film. I’ve never been able to watch it since. -u/R383CCA
18. I watched 'Event Horizon' as a 15-year-old who had been left alone for the weekend for the first time at about 11pm on a Saturday night. That was over 20 years ago and I'm still not really over it. -u/Grenache
19. 'Pan’s Labyrinth.' Not necessarily the fantasy part of it, but the main antagonist (Vidal) and the ending. Just horrific. I cry every time. Also, for context, the scene with the Pale Man even scared Stephen freaking King, the reigning king of literary horror. It’s a fantastic and beautiful film but it’s not for the faint of heart.

Notable scenes: wine bottle, more scenes with blood and pain than you should shake a butcher knife at, the face cut (as in a cheek sliced open and you can see the blood and flesh vividly), DIY face stitches for the face cut, the Pale Man, the ending, Vidal’s weird obsession with having a son, and Vidal just being the devil incarnate for the entirety of the film. -u/ItStillIsntLupus
20. 'Bridge to Terabithia.' More like Bridge to Tear my f*cking heart out. -u/LordlessKnight
21. 'American History X.' That entire movie is painful to watch. I love it but it's so depressing, especially THAT scene, you know the one. -u/Brilliant_Surprise_3
22. 'The Brave Little Toaster.' I watched for the first time as an adult and turned it off. It’s a kids movie, but it’s f*cked. -u/fissionmailedd
23. 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.' That movie is amazing but I have not been able to watch it again. It may not be traumatic to most but to someone who has been through that, who wanted to be able to just forget someone, it killed me. -u/sweetsunshine15
24. A friend taunted me with 'The Exorcist' when I was 12. I was so terrified. What she didn't know was, when I was 7, I had misbehaved at a fundamentalist Bible camp and was told I was possessed. That became a full fledged phobia that led to other disorders and I needed tons of therapy. So yeah, that movie. -u/FairyDustSpectacular
25. Watched the original 'IT' when I was like 8 or 9. Made me genuinely afraid of toilets and storm drains for like a year. -u/BenefitIcy3450

1. 'Lorenzo's Oil' is a hard film to watch because it's about a child who's dying of an incurable genetic disorder, it sticks pretty closely to the medical facts of the case it's based on, and it unfolds from the parents' point of view. Harrowing stuff even though the story isn't totally bleak and it was nominated for awards. -u/doublestitch
2. 'When the Wind Blows' from 1986. For anyone who doesn’t know it, here's a short summary from wiki: “The film accounts a rural English couple's attempt to survive a nearby nuclear attack and maintain a sense of normality in the subsequent fallout and nuclear winter.”

Just thinking about this movie gives me chills and not in a good way. Probably one of (if not) the most disturbing movies I've ever watched. I felt sick for days. -u/HellaWavy
3. I’m convinced that the all-glass shower trend is from a generation of home builders who saw the shower scene in 'Psycho' as kids. -u/Makerbot2000
4. 'Watership Down' My mum took me to watch this at the cinema when I was about 7, thinking it was some cutesy animation about bunnies. She promptly fell asleep and I'm still traumatized from it. Never been able to watch it again. -u/idrinkwaterandtea
5. 'The Good Son' messed me up when I was a kid. -u/MadMasterMad
6. The movie itself probably isn't but when I was a kid and saw the wire scene from 'Ghost Ship' and I was pretty traumatized. -u/peachpinkjedi
7. 'Jacob's Ladder' is weird for me because I consider it one of my favorite movies of all time, but I've only seen it three times over the course of 25 years or so. Each rewatch has confirmed to me that a.) it is a cinematic masterpiece, and b.) it leaves me in such a deeply affected headspace that I know I can't watch it again in the immediate future. -u/your_actual_life
8. 'Kids.' I thought this was going to be a cool edgy teen movie to watch when I was 13 or 14. After it was over all I wanted to do was take a shower and go to church. -u/xandrenia
9. 'Threads.' Want to know what a nuclear war would look like for the average citizen? -u/A_Dehydrated_Walrus
10. 'Grave of the Fireflies.' It's the story of every war. -u/TVotte
11. I was traumatized by the ending of 'The Mist.' I had previously read the short story in one of the Stephen king anthologies (I forget which one) so I was NOT prepared for the ending they went with in the movie. Spoiler: IT'S NOT THE SAME. -u/Embarrassed_Put_7892
12. 'Trainspotting.' Saw it once, and I'll never forget it. -u/StickKnown7723
13. 'Come and See.' Literally no other movie compares to the trauma one feels upon finishing a viewing of it. -u/heavy_pasta
14. 'The Road.' The book was even crazier. -u/The_Hive-Mind
15. 'Fire in the Sky.' With the exception of the first and last 10 minutes, it's incredibly boring and mundane. Basically a drama about a murder investigation in rural northern AZ.

Then it ends as a proper sci-fi horror with a dude strapped to an exam table on an alien craft being aggressively "examined" by some ugly-ass humanoid aliens while his screams are muffled by some kind of giant full-body alien condom. My 9-year-old a** didn't sleep well for years after seeing that. -u/juan_epstein-barr
16. 'The Deer Hunter.' My parents decided it was ok for 8-year-old me to watch it. I had nightmares about people forcing my parents to play Russian roulette for weeks after. -u/brigidsbollix
17. 'A Monster Calls.' A little boy manifesting his fear of losing his dying mum in the form of a psychologist yew tree. (Yes you read that right.)

Honestly broke me watching that film. I’ve never been able to watch it since. -u/R383CCA
18. I watched 'Event Horizon' as a 15-year-old who had been left alone for the weekend for the first time at about 11pm on a Saturday night. That was over 20 years ago and I'm still not really over it. -u/Grenache
19. 'Pan’s Labyrinth.' Not necessarily the fantasy part of it, but the main antagonist (Vidal) and the ending. Just horrific. I cry every time. Also, for context, the scene with the Pale Man even scared Stephen freaking King, the reigning king of literary horror. It’s a fantastic and beautiful film but it’s not for the faint of heart.

Notable scenes: wine bottle, more scenes with blood and pain than you should shake a butcher knife at, the face cut (as in a cheek sliced open and you can see the blood and flesh vividly), DIY face stitches for the face cut, the Pale Man, the ending, Vidal’s weird obsession with having a son, and Vidal just being the devil incarnate for the entirety of the film. -u/ItStillIsntLupus
20. 'Bridge to Terabithia.' More like Bridge to Tear my f*cking heart out. -u/LordlessKnight
21. 'American History X.' That entire movie is painful to watch. I love it but it's so depressing, especially THAT scene, you know the one. -u/Brilliant_Surprise_3
22. 'The Brave Little Toaster.' I watched for the first time as an adult and turned it off. It’s a kids movie, but it’s f*cked. -u/fissionmailedd
23. 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.' That movie is amazing but I have not been able to watch it again. It may not be traumatic to most but to someone who has been through that, who wanted to be able to just forget someone, it killed me. -u/sweetsunshine15
24. A friend taunted me with 'The Exorcist' when I was 12. I was so terrified. What she didn't know was, when I was 7, I had misbehaved at a fundamentalist Bible camp and was told I was possessed. That became a full fledged phobia that led to other disorders and I needed tons of therapy. So yeah, that movie. -u/FairyDustSpectacular
25. Watched the original 'IT' when I was like 8 or 9. Made me genuinely afraid of toilets and storm drains for like a year. -u/BenefitIcy3450

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25 Traumatizing Films That Really Messed Us Up

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'Lorenzo's Oil' is a hard film to watch because it's about a child who's dying of an incurable genetic disorder, it sticks pretty closely to the medical facts of the case it's based on, and it unfolds from the parents' point of view. Harrowing stuff even though the story isn't totally bleak and it was nominated for awards. -u/doublestitch

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NEXT GALLERY 21 Comments That Really Nailed It

25 Traumatizing Films That Really Messed Us Up

3. I’m convinced that the all-glass shower trend is from a generation of home builders who saw the shower scene in 'Psycho' as kids. -u/Makerbot2000

4. 'Watership Down' My mum took me to watch this at the cinema when I was about 7, thinking it was some cutesy animation about bunnies. She promptly fell asleep and I'm still traumatized from it. Never been able to watch it again. -u/idrinkwaterandtea

5. 'The Good Son' messed me up when I was a kid. -u/MadMasterMad

6. The movie itself probably isn't but when I was a kid and saw the wire scene from 'Ghost Ship' and I was pretty traumatized. -u/peachpinkjedi

8. 'Kids.' I thought this was going to be a cool edgy teen movie to watch when I was 13 or 14. After it was over all I wanted to do was take a shower and go to church. -u/xandrenia

9. 'Threads.' Want to know what a nuclear war would look like for the average citizen? -u/A_Dehydrated_Walrus

10. 'Grave of the Fireflies.' It's the story of every war. -u/TVotte

11. I was traumatized by the ending of 'The Mist.' I had previously read the short story in one of the Stephen king anthologies (I forget which one) so I was NOT prepared for the ending they went with in the movie. Spoiler: IT'S NOT THE SAME. -u/Embarrassed_Put_7892

12. 'Trainspotting.' Saw it once, and I'll never forget it. -u/StickKnown7723

13. 'Come and See.' Literally no other movie compares to the trauma one feels upon finishing a viewing of it. -u/heavy_pasta

14. 'The Road.' The book was even crazier. -u/The_Hive-Mind

16. 'The Deer Hunter.' My parents decided it was ok for 8-year-old me to watch it. I had nightmares about people forcing my parents to play Russian roulette for weeks after. -u/brigidsbollix

17. 'A Monster Calls.' A little boy manifesting his fear of losing his dying mum in the form of a psychologist yew tree. (Yes you read that right.)

Honestly broke me watching that film. I’ve never been able to watch it since. -u/R383CCA

18. I watched 'Event Horizon' as a 15-year-old who had been left alone for the weekend for the first time at about 11pm on a Saturday night. That was over 20 years ago and I'm still not really over it. -u/Grenache

20. 'Bridge to Terabithia.' More like Bridge to Tear my f*cking heart out. -u/LordlessKnight

21. 'American History X.' That entire movie is painful to watch. I love it but it's so depressing, especially THAT scene, you know the one. -u/Brilliant_Surprise_3

22. 'The Brave Little Toaster.' I watched for the first time as an adult and turned it off. It’s a kids movie, but it’s f*cked. -u/fissionmailedd

23. 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.' That movie is amazing but I have not been able to watch it again. It may not be traumatic to most but to someone who has been through that, who wanted to be able to just forget someone, it killed me. -u/sweetsunshine15

25. Watched the original 'IT' when I was like 8 or 9. Made me genuinely afraid of toilets and storm drains for like a year. -u/BenefitIcy3450

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3. I’m convinced that the all-glass shower trend is from a generation of home builders who saw the shower scene in 'Psycho' as kids. -u/Makerbot2000

4. 'Watership Down' My mum took me to watch this at the cinema when I was about 7, thinking it was some cutesy animation about bunnies. She promptly fell asleep and I'm still traumatized from it. Never been able to watch it again. -u/idrinkwaterandtea

5. 'The Good Son' messed me up when I was a kid. -u/MadMasterMad

6. The movie itself probably isn't but when I was a kid and saw the wire scene from 'Ghost Ship' and I was pretty traumatized. -u/peachpinkjedi

8. 'Kids.' I thought this was going to be a cool edgy teen movie to watch when I was 13 or 14. After it was over all I wanted to do was take a shower and go to church. -u/xandrenia

9. 'Threads.' Want to know what a nuclear war would look like for the average citizen? -u/A_Dehydrated_Walrus

10. 'Grave of the Fireflies.' It's the story of every war. -u/TVotte

11. I was traumatized by the ending of 'The Mist.' I had previously read the short story in one of the Stephen king anthologies (I forget which one) so I was NOT prepared for the ending they went with in the movie. Spoiler: IT'S NOT THE SAME. -u/Embarrassed_Put_7892

12. 'Trainspotting.' Saw it once, and I'll never forget it. -u/StickKnown7723

13. 'Come and See.' Literally no other movie compares to the trauma one feels upon finishing a viewing of it. -u/heavy_pasta

14. 'The Road.' The book was even crazier. -u/The_Hive-Mind

16. 'The Deer Hunter.' My parents decided it was ok for 8-year-old me to watch it. I had nightmares about people forcing my parents to play Russian roulette for weeks after. -u/brigidsbollix

17. 'A Monster Calls.' A little boy manifesting his fear of losing his dying mum in the form of a psychologist yew tree. (Yes you read that right.) Honestly broke me watching that film. I’ve never been able to watch it since. -u/R383CCA

18. I watched 'Event Horizon' as a 15-year-old who had been left alone for the weekend for the first time at about 11pm on a Saturday night. That was over 20 years ago and I'm still not really over it. -u/Grenache

20. 'Bridge to Terabithia.' More like Bridge to Tear my f*cking heart out. -u/LordlessKnight

21. 'American History X.' That entire movie is painful to watch. I love it but it's so depressing, especially THAT scene, you know the one. -u/Brilliant_Surprise_3

22. 'The Brave Little Toaster.' I watched for the first time as an adult and turned it off. It’s a kids movie, but it’s f*cked. -u/fissionmailedd

23. 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.' That movie is amazing but I have not been able to watch it again. It may not be traumatic to most but to someone who has been through that, who wanted to be able to just forget someone, it killed me. -u/sweetsunshine15

25. Watched the original 'IT' when I was like 8 or 9. Made me genuinely afraid of toilets and storm drains for like a year. -u/BenefitIcy3450

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17. 'A Monster Calls.' A little boy manifesting his fear of losing his dying mum in the form of a psychologist yew tree. (Yes you read that right.)

Honestly broke me watching that film. I’ve never been able to watch it since. -u/R383CCA