20 Movies We Weren't Allowed to Watch as Kids
These are the forbidden films from our childhood—terrifying, raunchy, and over-the-top—proving that nothing fuels curiosity like a movie you weren't allowed to watch.
- Alyana Aguja
- 5 min read
When we were kids, the movies we weren’t allowed to watch felt like a treasure trove of forbidden delights, full of stories of terror, mayhem, and jaw-dropping moments our parents believed were too much for our innocent minds. From slasher flicks that haunted sleepovers to raunchy comedies that sent adults scrambling for the remote, these 20 films represented everything thrilling and off-limits. Looking back, the allure wasn’t just the content; it was the mystery, the whispered warnings, and the promise of crossing into the grown-up world a little too soon.
1. The Exorcist (1973)
Warner Bros. from Wikimedia Commons
A film where a young girl rotates her head on her shoulders and vomits with force was out for us. Parents were terrified that it would lead to nightmares—or worse, demonic possession. Just the theme music made us instinctively clutch our nightlights.
2. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Wikiphotos from Wikipedia
Quentin Tarantino’s magnum opus was an encyclopedia of things parents did not want us to learn: drugs, violence, and that one scene in the basement. They knew one viewing would have us quoting Samuel L. Jackson for weeks. “Say what again!” was a playground fight waiting to happen.
3. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
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Nothing yells, “Don’t watch this,” like ultraviolence and a deranged protagonist singing Singin’ in the Rain mid-assault. The adults even seemed scarred by this dystopian nightmare. If you even looked at the VHS cover, you’d get side-eyed for weeks.
4. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
Comedy Central from Wikimedia Commons
An animated movie? It must be for kids, right? WRONG. Between Satan having a love affair with Saddam Hussein and enough F-bombs to fill a dictionary, this was a hard pass.
5. Friday the 13th (1980)
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. from Wikimedia Commons
Camp counselors getting butchered while Jason stalks the woods was enough to put a permanent ban on sleepovers. Parents worried this slasher flick would ruin nature for us forever. Plot twist: It kind of did.
6. Natural Born Killers (1994)
Warner Bros. from Wikimedia Commons
Two psychotic lovers on a killing spree set to trippy visuals and heavy rock? Not exactly family-friendly. The “they’re glamorizing violence!” argument hit so hard that some video stores wouldn’t even stock it.
7. Showgirls (1995)
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This movie was the Holy Grail of forbidden films for teens. We were told it was way too adult—translation: nudity overload. If your parents caught you watching it, you’d be grounded until college.
8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
New Line Cinema from Wikimedia Commons
A cannibal family terrorizing teenagers? It’s not precisely an excellent bedtime reading. If you wanted insomnia forever, Leatherface alone would ensure that power tools scared the crap out of any human for the rest of their life.
9. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Mavelus from Wikimedia Commons
Cannibalism, serial killers, and eerie one-liners such as “I ate his liver with some fava beans.” No wonder the parents ran from the children. This film alone made “Hello, Clarice” the creepiest greeting ever uttered.
10. Scream (1996)
Gennady Grachev from Wikimedia Commons
A slasher film that made kids terrified of answering the phone? Sure, that wouldn’t cut it in a house with a landline. Bonus: the meta-horror jokes went straight over kids’ heads anyway.
11. Basic Instinct (1992)
Lirina21 from Wikimedia Commons
Sure, this film was a thriller, but all anyone ever talked about was that interrogation scene. You’d be lucky to make it five minutes before an adult lunged for the remote. Let’s say this wasn’t something Blockbuster recommended for family movie night.
12. Scarface (1983)
Schreibwerkzeug from Wikimedia Commons
“Say hello to my little friend!” sounds innocent enough, but the parents knew it as the cocaine-laced murder rampage. This movie was an hour-and-three-quarters guide on what not to do in life. And that pile of white powder? Not flour.
13. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. from Wikimedia Commons
A burnt maniac who kills you in your dreams? Sweet dreams, kiddos! Parents didn’t want to deal with 2 a.m. wake-ups for the rest of their lives.
14. American Pie (1999)
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The teen comedy that introduced the world to questionable uses for baked goods was strictly off-limits. Parents were terrified it would give us “ideas” about parties and pranks. Even hearing the phrase “This one time, at band camp” earned you a side-eye.
15. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
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This was more about weirdness than violence. Alien cross-dressers, time warps, and provocative songs were a bit too much for our small, impressionable minds. Parents couldn’t risk explaining what “Sweet Transvestite” meant.
16. It (1990)
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Killer clowns weren’t exactly conducive to birthday parties or happy childhoods. Tim Curry’s Pennywise haunted every kid who accidentally saw the VHS cover. Let’s face it: even adults still avoid storm drains because of this.
17. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Marmolejo1489 from Wikimedia Commons
This was the ultimate “you’ll never do drugs after this” movie. Parents didn’t even let it cross our radar because of its devastating portrayal of addiction. Just hearing about the ending was enough to send shivers down spines.
18. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Schreibwerkzeug from Wikimedia Commons
The “found footage” style made it feel too real, and the parents weren’t about to explain that it was a fake. Wandering into the woods after this? Forget it. The shaky cam alone was enough to make us dizzy.
19. Kids (1995)
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A raw, unfiltered look at teenagers experimenting with drugs, sex, and everything in between? Not. This was the movie parents whispered about but refused to admit they’d secretly watched themselves.
20. Goodfellas (1990)
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This gangster saga made crime seem glamorous—and wildly violent. “Am I funny, like a clown?” wasn’t exactly what you wanted to say to Grandma over dinner.