Throwback Thursday: What movie terrified you as a teen?

Everyone has that one scary movie that scarred them when they were young. Maybe it was something you watched when you shouldn’t have, or maybe it was your first Halloween at the theater. For me, it was at a 7th grade sleepover, when the birthday girl decided we should all watch The Ring. I had heard rumors that the film was horrifying, and I wasn’t one for horror movies anyway. After I watched When a Stranger Calls at too young an age, I tended to steer clear of anything that could keep me up at night. But it was the birthday’s girl wish, and at least I had eight friends who could hold me while I cried.

The movie started, and I immediately cuddled up with the girls next to me. I think I had a blanket pulled up to my eyes just about the entire movie, but just to clarify: I watched the whole thing. And to prove it, I can designate the moment that made me literally climb over the back of the couch and cry/scream. The Ring fans know it all too well … the moment when that freaky girl crawled out of the television. WHAT?! How was that even possible? It was the most terrifying thing I’d ever seen. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep that night. I’m just thankful that stupid movie didn’t ruin my relationship with TV. Can you imagine?!

Watch the clip and relive the horror below, but full disclosure: I did NOT re-watch this:

In honor of Halloween, here are some of the other terrifying choices from EW staffers, from the classics to the unexpected:

Sandra Gonzalez: Little Monsters with Fred Savage

Jen Arellano: Stephen King’s IT!

Lindsey Bahr: E.T., weirdly.

Jeff Labrecque: Nightmare on Elm Street, Poltergeist

Lanford Beard: Candyman

Marc Snetiker: The Chucky movies terrified me when I was a kid/teen. Like, I was actively a 13-year-old boy who was afraid of a doll that I did not own finding my house and coming to stab me, even though I’m sure I would have just tried to throw a duvet on him and bolted.

Deven Persaud: Ghostbusters II gave me nightmares. Robocop scared the sh– out of me — the toxic waste!! (I am a weird person.)

Andrew Asare: The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity

Denise Warner: Chucky [Child’s Play]. I had to hide all my dolls for months. Also there was this episode of Tales From the Crypt where someone takes someone else’s brain out using a hanger, and it freaked me out.

Laura Hertzfeld: A Clockwork Orange. Saw it in high school. I am still too young for it.

Now it’s your turn! What scary movie terrified you as a teen/young child? Did it stop you from ever putting your hair in front of your face again? Because that definitely happened to me.