Earlier this week we got our first look at Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, including character portraits of the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) and Tweedledee and Tweedledum (both played by Matt Lucas). And like most people who saw the images, we believe that this version of the Lewis Carroll classic may end up being too creepy for moviegoers in general, let alone for children.

In response to the promotional pics, a number of people (and blogs) began discussions of disturbing and scarring kids’ movies. So, to join in the fun we’ve compiled a list of our own picks for creepiest flicks made for children. It took a lot for us to be freaked out by a film when we were young (most horror movies didn’t phase us), but each of these titles gives us nightmares still.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

The first adaptation of Roald Dahl’s candy-centered children’s novel was frightening enough, but leave it to Tim Burton to out-creep one of the creepiest kids’ movies of all time, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Some people will argue that the earlier version is still scarier for the boat scene alone, but can anybody truly say they wouldn’t rather visit the 1971 factory and hang out with Gene Wilder? Even the Oompa Loompas in the original were more lovable (and made better music). Burton’s factory is far less appealing, mainly because it seems that Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka might try to molest his guests, young or old. He just has that creepy Michael Jackson thing about him. The part that gives us the willies the most, though, is that “It’s a Small World”-like presentation with animatronics that look like Chucky from Child’s Play and a song reminiscent of the jingle from Halloween III. Even if it hadn’t caught on fire it would still haunt us forever.

Moonwalker (1988)

Speaking of Wacko Jacko, he made his own share of creepy kids’ movies, including this bizarre attempt to make a narrative film connecting music videos of songs off his “Bad” album. It came out at just the right time for us, as we liked anything verging on the surreal, but we never could get through the part where Jackson becomes a Transformer. In retrospect the segment is even creepier, because he looks like a robot version of Eddie Murphy in Vampire in Brooklyn. Also in retrospect the scenes where Jackson is playing with children (including Sean Lennon) make us a tad uncomfortable.

The Wiz (1978)

The 1939 classic film of The Wizard of Oz has frightened plenty of kids in the last 70 years, and 1985’s Return to Oz is constantly cited as one of the scariest kids’ movies ever made, but neither is anywhere near as creepy as this musical version of the L. Frank Baum story (also starring Jackson). We may appreciate The Wiz for its fantastical use of New York City landmarks, but one location isn’t employed favorably. To this day we have trouble feeling at ease in the Hoyt-Schermerhorn subway station in Brooklyn. We keep thinking the pillars and trashcans are going to come alive, or worse, that a strange toy peddler will unleash his extremely frightening puppets on us. Interestingly enough, the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station also appears in Jackson’s “Bad” video, a version of which shows up in Moonwalker.

The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996)

Here’s further proof that all creepy kids’ movies can be outdone with even creepier remakes. Disney’s classic animated version of the Carlo Collodi novel is plenty scarring, particularly throughout its Pleasure Island sequence, but it’s cute and kid-friendly for the most part. This live-action version of the story is disturbing almost all the way through thanks to the creepiest character ever created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Sure, an animatronic puppet makes sense for a live-action Pinocchio movie, but it could have been done in a less nightmare-inducing way. Such a frightening-looking protagonist was to be expected, however, since this movie was made by the director of the also-creepy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Adventures of Pinocchio is so creepy that even Roberto Benigni couldn’t outdo it with his own terrifyingly unappealing Pinocchio film.

The Dark Crystal (1982)

When we stated that the animatronic Pinocchio is the creepiest character ever created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, we didn’t mean to imply that it’s creepier than any of the puppets in The Dark Crystal, which was made before (and inspired) the inception of the Creature Shop. But which character(s) in this frightening fantasy film is/are the creepiest? Some might say the Skeksis are scariest; others are more disturbed by the Gelflings; you might be forever haunted by the fuzzball “Fizzgig.” As for us, we were most traumatized by the Landstriders. We even feared our childhood friend’s skeletal, long-legged dog because we thought it was a Landstrider (it may have actually been a Borzoi).

The Witches (1990)

We have to admit we’ve never seen this movie, on account of its trailer gave us enough nightmares on its own. Even now that we’re grown up and have become a fan of Nicolas Roeg’s other films we still can’t bring ourselves to watch this. Not even the end of Don’t Look Now is as creepy as that witches convention scene appears to be (bald-headed old ladies, yikes!). To be honest, after seeing both versions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we fear pretty much any movie adapted from Roald Dahl stories.

The Peanut Butter Solution (1985)

It may be a great alternative selection for stoners to watch while high, but The Peanut Butter Solution is not easy viewing for young ones. The magic paintbrush sweatshop is disturbing enough for kids. So is the evil art teacher (“The Signor”). The creepiest thing about TPBS, though, is the Asian kid’s ever-growing pubic hair. It would be fine if the movie merely joked about the idea of putting the peanut butter tonic “down there.” Actually showing the hair coming out of the pant legs of a little boy is just wrong.

Pom Poko (1994)

A lot of Japanese animation is creepy. Hayao Miyazai (Spirited Away) could almost fill this list on his own for all the scary creatures and old ladies he puts in his movies. However, it’s Miyazaki’s partner at Studio Ghibli, Isao Takahata, who has made the creepiest anime of all time. Mostly Pom Poko is a cute and eco-conscious film about shapeshifting raccoon dogs (Tanuki) trying to save their forest habitat. The creepiness comes from the infamous faithfulness to Japanese folklore, in which Tanuki are known to have prominent testicles. Not only are the characters depicted as having balls in their regular appearance, Takahata also shows these balls to be malleable, enlargeable and usable as weapons. The Tanuki even sing songs about their balls (not in Disney’s English-language dub, though). Pom Poko isn’t a scary movie in any way, but something doesn’t have to be frightening to be creepy; it just has to be disturbing. And this kids’ movie is plenty disturbing.

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Some may argue that this Ray Bradbury adaptation isn’t necessarily a kids’ movie, but because it was produced by Disney and features young boys as its protagonists, that’s a hard argument to make. Still, as far as autumn-set horror flicks go, this one has given us many more nightmares than any of the Halloween movies have. Thanks to the creepy Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce) and his age-changing carousel, we grew up very wary of carnivals, their carousels, their mirror mazes and certainly their employees. This film is also the reason we’re so suspicious of precocious kids who act a lot older than they appear.

The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings (1983)

Technically this animated short is a TV special, not a kids’ movie. But since it was by far the creepiest thing we ever watched in our youth, it has to be included. Plus, we find it interesting that it first aired exactly a week before Something Wicked This Way Comes hit theaters, meaning the spring of 1983 was a heavy nightmare period for us. For 26 years now we’ve had haunting visions of those floppy frog-like slaves of Professor Coldheart’s, which are revealed to be kidnapped children transformed by the Care Bears’ nemesis. Sure, they’re kind of a rip-off of the boys-turned-donkeys in Pinocchio, but they’re so, so, so much creepier.