When I first watched this movie as a kid, I was scared to death. I don't know why. The beginning when her parents turn into pigs (or something like that) tormented all my childhood. I had nightmares and I blamed my parents for making me watch it. I would rather put children watching Silence Of The Lambs or Psycho than this movie.
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Can't stop the signal.
That's interesting because I know someone whose child was scared of the transformation as well, although I know other children who were perfectly fine with it. They weren't keen on Kamaji the boiler man though as I think they thought he was a bit creepy (I can see that). Is this a common thing for children to be scared of - people/animals being turned into other things? I ask because while I did not see this movie until I was a teenager, I saw other movies in which transformations happened and I don't recall being particularly bothered. And in this case, I really do not understand because nothing bad happens to the parents. I mean, there are contingent threats, but that's hardly that scary.
shareI think it's because when a kid watches the movie and sees a little kid on screen in a family situation with little context and for it all to flip so suddenly is a lot like nightmares I had as a kid.
my niece does on occasion, she dreams that she's somewhere scary and her mum turns into a monster so she's on her own to save herself and her parents can't save her.
scary thought for a kid, especially seeing how kids put themselves into the role on the screen.
I watched this with my five year old and found the faceless monster guy way more scary! Although when her parents started just pigging out I knew something weird was happening.
shareI was also more scared of No Face than Chihiro's parents transforming into pigs since No Face's rampage came unexpectedly when I was little.
shareNo Face is clearly the scariest thing in the film. Sent chills down many spines, methinks.
People with no imagination don't appreciate imagination.
I just found out about this movie and realized I saw part of it. Only up to the parents turning into pigs, couldn't go further as a kid and haven't revisited it
sharean awful lot of people have some low standards for what they consider a "scary movie". Never seen Silence of the Lambs, but I am sure there is actual killing in it. If you don't think a kid can stomach this kind of movie, I highly doubt they can watch something like that.
shareYou were a very strnage child.
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The spirit of abysmal despair
The OP is right. There is just something incredibly creepy, bone chilling and other worldly about some of Miazaki's imagery. The parents mutating into pigs is no exception. It's disturbing on many different levels. That scene puts me in the same mood I feel right after waking up from a nightmare. So creepy :(
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