Childhood Memes: Hollywood Classics My Parents Allowed in My Youth

Are there certain movies you watched as a child that you now look back on with a mix of nostalgia and shock at your parents' leniency? I remember specific instances where my parents allowed me to watch films that, in retrospect, seemed far too mature for my age. These early experiences have stayed with me, shaping my views on film and parental guidance.

A Nightmare in Technicolor: Curse of Frankenstein

During a shopping trip to our downtown area back in the late Fifties, my parents took my sister and I to a movie theater. Unfortunately, the movie we wanted to see was sold out, leaving us with an alternative. We ended up at a nearby B-movie house and watched Hammer horror classic “Curse of Frankenstein.” The experience was a first for me, and I must confess it was also my last visit to a theater for many years. The film was in blood-curdling Technicolor and featured frightening elements that left me with nightmares for several days. As a child, I was too young to understand the full impact of such a traumatic film.

Alien: A Measure of Maturity

When I was around 8 or 9 years old, my mother made me watch Alien as a prelude to watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her logic, as she saw it, was that since Alien featured what she considered space rubbish and fake monsters, it couldn't be as terrifying as the real demons in Buffy. Little did she know, this decision would make me question why she allowed such a film, leading to deeper contemplations within me.

Complexity of Grown-Up Films: Inglorious Basterds and Full Metal Jacket

At around 11 to 14 years old, my parents allowed me to see films that, in hindsight, were quite complex for my age—Inglorious Basterds and Full Metal Jacket. These films, along with a long list of other horror and science fiction films, formed part of my early viewing habits. Perhaps it is no surprise that my mental state was somewhat affected by these films, which I watched as a teenager and pre-teen.

Horror and Sci-Fi Explorations

The list of films my parents allowed me to watch includes:

Halloween 1–3 An American Werewolf in London Creepshow The Shining Carrion Porky's 1–3 The Howling The Terminator The Thing The Fog Scanners Videodrome Evil Come Evil Gone Galaxy of Terror The Exorcist 10 to Midnight Death Wish 2 Nightflyers RoboCop The Ring The Dead Zone Fright Night Spasms The Lost Boys The Entity Altered States The Kentucky Fried Movie Blue Thunder Runaway Saturn 3 Airwolf the Movie

While many of these films were quite intense, it's the combination of their content and the age at which I watched them that shaped my perspective on movies. My parents were either too liberal or unfortunately unaware of the complexities of the films they allowed me to watch. These experiences are part of my growing up and reflect the carefree and sometimes misguided nature of childhood entertainment.

Reflecting on these memories, it's clear that the films of my childhood had a profound impact on me. They not only influenced my taste in movies but also shaped my understanding of parental guidance and the responsibilities that come with allowing young children to watch adult content.