Horror Film Countdown Day 8 – Movies Anxious Parents Should Avoid

Welcome to our countdown to the most anxiety-inducing horror films for parents!  Today is day eight.

Each day, we are covering the films I both love and hate because they’re awesome and they give me panic attacks now that I’m a mom.

Considered one of the most beloved horror classics, this film takes a bite out of parenting confidence in a way few others can compare.

Disclaimer: Trigger warnings are a given when you talk about horror, but I’m going to say it anyway.  Many subjects covered by horror films are disturbing to parents in ways we can’t possibly understand and each is unique to the parent and his/her experiences. Tread carefully and know your limits.  If this begins to be too much, there’s no shame in closing the window.  Also, this post contains some spoilers throughout. 

24. JAWS

Okay, let’s start by prefacing with this: I love the ocean.  I would move to the beach in a heartbeat if I could. If I had the means, I’d be staring at the sea at some point, every single day of my life.  When I DID live closer to the ocean, I’d go there several times a week.  It’s a place of solace, peace and grounding for me, but now that I have children, it’s also a place where I am constantly aware of just how fragile we are as humans and it forces me to be that much more careful with them.

Oh, I still love the ocean, but that love became sprinkled with a dash of “a giant shark could eat my babies” with a side of, “rip currents killed 58 people SO FAR this year” as soon as I had children of walking age at the beach.

And seriously, before you say, “oh, it’s only 58… don’t be so paranoid” let me ask you, would YOU want to be labeled as one of those 58 families who lost someone because you thought, “oh, it’s fine, it hardly ever happens”?

No.  No you would not.

There have been over 50 horror films made about shark attacks since the 60’s and with good reason and sure, the general rule is that sharks don’t like to eat people, but smallish people who resemble small seals and other animals far more than they look like people from underneath are unarguably an easy target… especially when all the children have seen about sharks are the “nice shark” movies with characters like Bruce who is a vegetarian and does not eat fish because they are friends.

So yeah, I love the ocean, but I do NOT love the idea of something happening to my children because I ignored the voice in my head that does nothing but sing the Jaws theme any time they are more than ankle deep in the water.  

What is worse for me, is my daughter believes if she goes out there in the water, beyond where the waves crash… she will turn into a mermaid.  Guys, this is a terrifying thought to a parent.  I remember being that child and wanting to do the exact same thing… I even wrote a story about it when I was about 12.  The thing is, death is out there.  Death in the form of rip tide, seaweed getting you caught and animals who want to eat you and for me, the balance between wanting to encourage her magical imagination and my desire to keep her alive is constantly at odds.  I don’t want to kill the magic, but I don’t want her to die.  

So, by now you’re probably asking, what does rip tide, mermaids and seaweed have to do with Jaws?  Am I REALLY that worried about a great white shark eating my children?  Honestly, no… but that’s because the movie Jaws, the shark in itself, is not what makes me anxious at the water’s edge.

To me, Jaws is more of a symbol of the reality;  The ocean is an uncontrollable force of nature.  It can come at you in the form of an animal, a plant or even the water itself.  This film drives home the reality of just how terrible the reality can be when you actually think you are in charge.  The ocean will claim who she wishes; man, woman, child or ship, and no amount care is enough to ensure that she doesn’t lay claim on one of mine.  So, for me, Jaws is a symbol much like the Titanic.  It reminds us that nothing is unsinkable, nothing is controllable and nothing about the water is safe, not really, for a child.

It’s no secret that water is deadly to children when unsupervised.  Water is like a child magnet.   Out of a hose, in a plastic pool, a sink, bathtub, river, lake or ocean and until they become adept swimmers, it’s deadly even in the most shallow and innocent of situations.  An average of 20 children die every year due to deaths in 5 gallon buckets.  350 children die every year in residential pool accidents.  At least 2 toddlers die in toilet-related accidents a year.  Now, back to the shark situation; 312 attacks have taken place in 2016 so far, world wide.  This does not make me paranoid about sharks alone, but it does remind me that without a proper respect and undo parental diligence, my children have just as much chance as anyone else’s as being the next on that list of statistics and some water-animal’s dinner.  (Disney World ring any bells here?)

The result of all these numbers and real-life tragedies is an anxious parent’s reality; we  must keep our kids safe. Educate them, make sure they have a proper respect for the ocean, it’s many creatures and methods of trying to kill us.  The moral of this story?  Water, and all who live inside it, want to eat you.

While we’re on the “water” topic…  Tomorrow’s is nothing short of horrifying in about a hundred ways.  Stay tuned for day #9 and more on just how dark water can be…