16 scary kids shows that scared us as kids tvshowpilot.com (2023)

Children's television has always been a slightly more experimental place, where the imagination runs a little wilder and our disbelief is suspended.

This is also where the journey to a terrifying and fantastic world began for many of us - who wouldn't watch TV shows full of fantastic clues, new worlds and challenging physics stunts?

Who remembers when?Courage cowardly dogwas asked to "return the record" or at the opening themeGoose fleshdid his job so efficiently that the tiny hairs on the back of his neck instantly stood up in anticipation of another spooky story?

We decided to go back in time and open the chest where we kept all those spooky memories to find out which kids TV shows scared us the most when we were kids.

Hint - that's it!

Tales from the Cryptkeeper, CBS (1999–2000)

Coming from successStories from the TombAimed at young minds in search of a Saturday morning, this animated TV show had a successful third season before literally going to the grave from which it emerged.

The fun fact is that the series actually aired on the E.C. Comics series basedHorror-AnthologyComics vonthe fifties!

The premise revolves around an animated Cryptkeeper telling spooky stories with a moral twist at the end.

While aimed at young viewers, the show doesn't meet anyone and is deeply rooted in the horror atmosphere.

Ghostly giggles, rival storytellers,witchesand new takes on mythological beasts make it one of the scariest series of our childhoods.

Goosebumps, Fox Kids (1995-1998)

Written by R.L. Stine - often referred to as the Stephen King of children's literature - gave birth to one of the most memorable horror films on children's television.

With more books written than a kid could manage in one summer vacation, it's time for spooky visionsGoose fleshfranchise to go to the small screen.

Each episode of the anthology is based on a different book and often features young heroes finding themselves in perilous situations with a supernatural twist.

One of the scarier episodes that still plagues many fans is The Haunted Mask; a chillingly claustrophobic morale piece and that's all we can say without spoilers!

HerbsGoose fleshis still alive and has spawned numerous reprints, films and even a long-awaited series reboot.

Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Nickelodeon (1990-2002)

If you weren't afraid of the dark as a kid, you've surely fancied a few episodes of this horror anthology.

It proved so popular that there have been two revivals since it first aired in 1990, most recently in 2019.

Meet The Midnight Society, a group of young teenagers in search of serious horror movies and spine-tingling moments.

In each episode, they meet around the campfire and choose one member to tell a story that will tremble the darkness itself.

As the storyteller prepares the audience by saying, "Submitted to the Midnight Society for approval, I call this story X," we and the other members of the group consider how the scene will lead into the story we're about to see.

Sometimes the stories were based on classic horror tropes like witches,Vampireand ghouls, and other times, teenagers drew from their own lives and wrote tales of supernatural retribution and punishment.

By the end of the story, The Midnight Society will put out the flames, leaving viewers in the dark and hopefully terrified.

Brave the Cowardly Dog, Cartoon Network (1999–2002)

Courage is the unlikely embodiment of all fears and a little bundle of nerves trapped in a nightmarish universe in the middle of nowhere.

This horror comedy focuses on the titular Courage and her owners, one of whom is a loving, ecstatic mother figure and the other a typical grumpy old man who can't see the shenanigans around him and harbors only contempt for us little hero.

Courage is an absolutely terrifying journey for any child and holds a special place in the hearts of many television viewers.

He was abandoned as a pup after his parents were sent into space by a villainvetand it's been a rollercoaster ride of supernatural, surreal horror movies from there.

Despite all his fears and anxieties, Courage has only one goal: to protect his new owners, especially Muriel, from the invading forces.

The weekly show had several recurring characters and often raised deeply philosophical questions that the creators seemed to have clarified through this little dog.

And for those in the know, "Give that record back..." are of course still the top three most terrifying words we heard as kids.

The Dark Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Cartoon Network (2001–2008)

On the surface,The Dark Adventures of Billy and MandyIt's a terrifying concept - smart young Mandy and her carefree best friend Billy manage to lure Death Grim into a life of captivity after defeating him in a game of levitation.

But basically it's a healing tale of friendship and acceptance with an oddly supernatural twist.

Although Grim is unhappy at first, he will likely like them both and even be protective of them at times.

Of course, he'll never admit it and often tells himself he'd rather kill her - which he always expresses through a sarcastic joke.

The two children make the best of their fearsome new friend, using his powers to their own advantage - whether it's going to the afterlife to wreak havoc or abusing his ability to gratify incredibly selfish needs.

At the end of the day, the show is usually about our favorite skeleton of woe cleaning up the mess of threats he called family.

Scooby-Doo, where are you! , CBS (1969-2021)

Since there are too many iterations to list,Scooby Dooand the gang have been terrorizing our screens since 1969.

Whether you're hunting monsters, fighting ghouls, or unmasking criminal masterminds, Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, and Fred are part of almost everyone's childhood.

These four "troublesome kids" and their Great Dane are a match for any investigation in their trusty Mystery Machine.

Each member of the team brings a unique perspective on the mystery ahead, and they often split up, not only raising the stakes but getting into mischief when they get into strange trouble.

Each episode began with a highly supernatural mystery that captivated the gang, and after much scaring and skulking, the monster was inevitably revealed to be human through a series of traps set by intrepid teenage detectives.

Deadtime Stories, Nickelodeon (2012–2014)

Based on the book series and 1986 film of the same name,Stories from Dead Timesis an anthology of horror fantasy stories that The Babysitter reads to her hapless customers.

This 11 part series is an iconic series with standout episodes like Grandpa's Monster Movies and Who's Chiggling Now? starring an incredibly scary clown named Giggles The Killer Clown.

The show strays a bit further from lightheartedness and thankfully leans towards the horror aspect, giving it a 10/10 for childhood trauma.

The live-action premise also emphasized the realism of the horror, not to mention the utterly spooky atmosphere the developers were aiming for.

Expect revived corpsesduchyand enchanted items.

Amazing, Indiana, NBC (1991-1992)

Meet Marshall Teller, a newcomer to the terrifyingly isolated town of Eerie, Indiana - a name very apt for a town of 16,661 people.

He quickly befriends Simon Holmes, who is an outsider due to his normalcy in a town with a very odd population.

The two best friends become embroiled in many mysteries, including a group of creaturesPsyIntent on world domination!

The series draws heavily on popular myths and legends, and includes numerous references to urban legends such as Bigfoot and Captain Ahab.

For a series that has only 19 total episodes, she leaves a terrible legacy, and some even believe she only played a small role in inspirationstranger things.

Eerie, Indiana: Another Dimension (1998)

UnbelievableA lasting legacy could not be put to rest and was revived in 1998 with a spin-off series.

The series had a similar plot and concept, but this time we follow Mitchell Taylor and his best friend Stanley Hope as they get caught up in an out-of-this-world horror film.

The premise revisits the original program and establishes a new oneUnbelievablein a parallel universe infested with the "quirks" of the originalUnbelievableafter an unfortunate portal incident in the series' opening episode.

Strange, Disney Channel (1999–2001)

Described as "X filesfor children",Very strangeNarrated by the protagonist Fiona Phillips, whose unique life exposes her to a plethora of paranormal encounters.

Young Fiona lives on a tour bus with her mother, a famous musician who is seizing her chance to return to rock 'n' roll and grieving the recent loss of her husband.

Fiona, on the other hand, is determined to reconnect with her father, which leads her to do paranormal research.

The people around her don't believe her at first, which prompts her to share her encounters on her website entitled "So Weird".

As he deepens his investigation, we viewers grow increasingly afraidstranger, vampires, angels and the memorable Scottish will-o'-the-wisp that closed the show's first season.

Grizzly Tales for Scary Kids, CITV (2000–2013)

The series, based on Jamie Rix's book series, spawned a series of 10-minute cartoons and later returned with a new look in the form ofGrizzly Talesfor the next 26 episodes.

This show had absolutely no qualms about providing us with nightmarish fuel, and the main premise was that the terrible kids would get their reward - terrifying for a young mind!

In the second installment of the series, things took a truly chilling turn when the night-time porter banished evil children so they could spend eternity in his homeHotelScare.

The show may be award-winning, but it certainly scared us as kids - especially when the narrator delivered a moral lesson a little too close to our own misdeeds as kids!

„The Demon“-Regisseur, BBC One (1996–1998)

Another British gem based on a book seriesdemon directorcomes from the mind of Gillian Cross.

Dinah Glass is an orphan who moves in with a new foster family, the Hunters.

Of course, with a new family comes a new school - one where a lot of strange things happen.

The principal seems a little too authoritarian even for a principal, and the students are a little too obedient - and that's just the tip of the weird iceberg.

Now Dinah and her newly adopted brothers must solve the mystery and put things right.

Extremely dark, the show plays on all our fears of power and takes it too far as kids.

Who didn't hate the principal who always ruined the fun?

Aaa!! Real Monsters, Nickelodeon (1994-1997)

Perhaps not as somber as some of our other entries, the thought of a group of monsters training under a New York City subway can certainly send a young mind spiraling into horrible thoughts.

The series centers on Ickis, Oblin and Krumm, three young monsters who learn the mysteries of the monstrosity under the tutelage of their director, The Gromble.

In each episode, they finally come to the surface to practice their new scaremongering tactics that only taught our imaginations as young viewers to find new ways to fear the dark!

A particularly memorable, terrifying moment occurs when Oblina performs her favorite trick - in which she cruelly rips out her own internal organs and induces nightmares.

Luckily, the animation style negated the horror of the series and we were able to enjoy its exploits.

Storytellers, BBC (1987–1989)

From the mind of the extremely talented Jim Henson,BazaarHe told many European folk tales through puppetry and live action.

The episodes begin with actor John Hurt as the titular narrator telling these stories to his very cheeky and sarcastic dog around the campfire.

While this seems like a very whimsical concept, the stories themselves are quite chilling and terrifying.

Watch as death is caught in a magic bag or a woman gives birth to a baby hedgehog and as a spectator try to keep the nightmares at bay.

The show proved so popular that it continued in 1991Narrator: Greek myths- where the storyteller is in the maze with his beloved puppy and tells him stories about itAncient Greekslike Theseus and the Minotaur.

Boy from Outer Space, BBC (1971)

take a more surreal turn,A boy from spaceis part of the BBC Look and Read library.

The series centers on siblings Dana and Helen, who become friends with an alien boy in a blue suit after a meteor strikes.

The siblings affectionately call him Peep-Peep and take it upon themselves to protect their new friend from a very creepy thin man who doesn't have the best of intentions.

For children with70, the idea of ​​an alien being hunted by even more terrifying aliens was a deeply haunted thought — many adults even looked up the series on message boards because they only have small memories of bits and pieces of the series.

The show has an enduring legacy and has been re-aired and re-released in many forms, with additional scenes where grown-up Dan and Helen open the show, reminiscing and triggering flashbacks to their peep-peep years.

True Ghostbusters, ABC (1986-1991)

Whenever we hear the phrase "Who are you calling," we immediately hear the opening themeTrue Ghostbusters.

While many of us remember iconic films, the series that resulted from them had many horrors of their own.

follow dr Peter Venkman, Dr. Egon Spengler, Dr. Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore and their secretary Janine Melnitz as they take on more supernatural Boogie Men and menaces.

In the animated series, we also meet Slimer, who has turned into a good guy - he collects slime for the villains of this world.

Such was the success with the audience that the fourth season of the series was renamedslimmer! and True Ghostbusters.

While the humor of defeating ghosts easily offsets the terror, it sticks in our young minds because a world full of ghouls, apparitions and ghosts is a spooky place!

BONUS: TV shows with unintentionally scary episodes

Dexter's Laboratory Staffel 1 Folge 6 „Dee Dee's Room“

Proper labfollows the boyGeniusDexter and his many adventures in his secret laboratory.

In addition to his constant enemy Mandark, Dexter must also face his sister Dee Dee.

In Dee Dee's room, Dexter must enter his sister's room to retrieve one of his stolen inventions.

While this show is usually a bit ridiculous and offbeat, for the most part it's not scary except for this episode.

While in Dee Dee's room, Dexter must avoid the Cooties, represented by flying creatures trying to overpower him.

The episode feels claustrophobic compared to all the others and overall quite unsettling.

The Powerpuff Girls Staffel 2 Folge 12 „Speed ​​​​Demon“

This series featured some weird characters like Mojo-Jojo and the diabolical villain known only as HIM.

Despite these odd antagonists, with the exception of this episode, the series' themes have always been light-hearted and entertaining.

In Speed ​​Demon, the Powerpuff Girls race against each other and accidentally run fast enough to make ittime travel50 years into the future, where they are stuck in a nightmarish version of their city.

All the villains have gained power and the commoners are struggling to survive.

This is extremely unsettling for the Powerpuff Girls and they are doing everything in their power to return to their timeline.

It's also quite unsettling for the viewer as the Powerpuff Girls grapple with existential dilemmas in this episode.

Invader Zim Season 1 Episode 14 “Halloween Extravagance of Spooky Doom”

This episode stays on the theme of nightmare universes.invader of ZimThrough a portal in his mind, Dib chaotically travels between his universe and a world full of monsters.

invader of Zimdoesn't shy away from downright bizarre and wacky plots and stories penned by Jhonen Vasquez, also known for the comic series Johnny the Homicidal Maniac (definitely not for kids!).

In this episode, Dib and the viewer are forced into another crushing and uncomfortable scene as the time they spend in the nightmarish universe lengthens to the point where Dib comes to the conclusion that he may be there permanently is caught.

In typical show fashion, the characters find a creative and absurd way to solve a problem.