Movies - TV
Family Sci-Fi Movies That Were Way Too Dark For Kids
By ERIC LANGBERG
Gremlins
Although "Gremlins" occasionally turns violent, it's still mostly fine for kids. The Mogwai are adorable, even when they mutate, and are meant to be a bit scary.
However, when Kate (Phoebe Cates) tells why she hates Christmas, it's so jarring that "Gremlins 2" spoofs it, cutting her off when saying why she hates President's Day.
The Black Hole
Even though this is a PG Disney movie, not much about "The Black Hole" will work for kids. It's a strange, slow film, with characters ruminating on the cosmos.
When the action picks up, its trippy visuals turn terrifying. The00 black hole draws the crew into a hellish oblivion, a descent into an inferno much too haunting for kids.
Transformers
Unfortunately, kids were utterly horrified to see legendary Autobot leader Optimus Prime get killed off in the opening act of "The Transformers: The Movie.”
Voice actor Peter Cullen told Collider that the character was resurrected for some TV episodes thanks to upset kids “not coming out of their rooms and hiding under beds.”
*batteries not included
This Steven Spielberg-produced film starts with "For A Good B*** J**" and "Buck You, Gasshole" graffiti and a pregnant woman being groped by a group of men.
The film isn't nearly as kid-friendly as its PG rating suggests. The movie is mostly charming, but every now and then it dips into blue humor sure to prompt questions from kids.
Ghostbusters
The original "Ghostbusters" starred a bunch of guys from "Saturday Night Live," and its humor reflected that late-night sensibility.
During the iconic mid-movie montage set to that iconic theme song, Dan Aykroyd proves that he ain't afraid of no ghosts... after all, he dreams about receiving oral sex from one.