Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a horror movie for kids.

[Noelle]

Is anyone else out there old enough to remember the original Gene Wilder version of the Chocolate Factory? For those who are, were any of you as traumatised by it as I was when I was a kid? Aside from the worrying rhetorical undertones...

* the all white recipients of the golden tickets except for the one who turned out to be a counterfeit -- how convenient that he was the only South American in the group of "winners"

* the little British brat in the red dress that matched the colour of Hollywood's depiction of red-coated British solders and the horrid American girl creature wearing "yankee blue" with that stupid red stripe around her waist, whilst trying to elbow red-dress brat out of her way and calling her a "ninny"

* the overweight German boy who would not stop eating, because we all know Germans raise their kids to be the most self-indulgent and consequently obese people in the world

*the child hero of the movie -- the little blonde-haired, blue eyed Charlie, who is the only one with enough integrity to not try and steal Wonka's magic gobstopper formula for the staged "competition"

* the 3 countries represented by the flags just as Wonka comes out to greet the parents and their spawn who "won" the golden tickets (USA, UK and Germany--- why?) Why not make one of the American parents responsible for counterfeiting the golden ticket, instead of the guy from Paraguay?? God forbid someone from such a country win such a coveted prize and become equal to the winners from such exceptional white nations?

This movie is disturbing on SO MANY other levels. Too many to detail. I just remember being messed up for years after watching this. Pity, because I really love the music. And that daft fool of a teacher at the beginning -- the Brit teaching a class full of American kids in America-- is some hilarious writing. The film really had the potential to be brilliant. But I mustered up the courage to re-watch it recently and might have gotten re-traumatised. I've not seen the remake with Johnny Depp. I'm not even going to venture into Depp's interpretation of Wonka. Prefer to love him as a pirate.

"Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" Is The Most Terrifying Children's Movie Of All Time

And here are some comments I lifted from a youtube clip someone posted with those nefarious oompa loompas dancing and singing about higher morals for children. It's validating to know I'm not the only one who got freaked out by these things. Needless to say I missed the moral of the song, and of the movie as a whole when I first watched it. Good grief!

 

[Isadoorian]

Yeah the Psychedelic Tunnel Scene used to freak me out a tiny bit but other than that I enjoyed watching it whenever it was on

and yes, the 70s were strange times for movies... still lots of racism, discrimination, stereotypes, and the like at the time that were still viewed as acceptable... plus they were basically still just getting out of the 60s at the time the movie came out as well

 

[Mr Allen]

No, it wasn't a horror movie apart from the slightly scary tunnel scene but even that was pretty tame by modern standards IMHO.

There were plenty of other loads more scary movies out in the early 1970's and before.

However, the 2005 remake was a HORRIBLE movie, I'll give you that, it might've been closer to the book story line wise, but it still sucked compared to the original classic.

 

[Fino]

I loved it! Pure Imagination is amazing and the other songs are catchy! I play the soundtrack on piano.

 

[Thinx]

Hey its just a children's film, don't fret.

 

[Sherlock77]

I never watched when I was a child, have watched it as an adult, loved the movie! Definitely lots of creativity going on with it.

I suppose you do have a point about children watching it... It probably wouldn't happen today

 

[Tom]

You forgot 'The Oompa Loompa Controversy'

Save us from these peddlers of the obvious.

 

[Sid Delicious]

Yes! My two biggest fears as a young child were clowns and those dodgy evil green haired creatures/humans/whatever they were supposed to be! There are a couple of remakes of the trailer online in the stsyle of a horor movie that work really well. In fact, you could probably do the same with a lot of kids films. Mary Poppins I always found a bit creepy as well.

 

[Autistamatic]

I was very young when I watched it. I loved it then and I love it now, though I acknowledge that there are elements of it that would raise eyebrows now. It was based on a book that had old fashioned themes and was made at a time that racism, misogyny and many other prejudices were mainstream and not questioned.
Just like Carry On Movies and Benny Hill, it was a product of it's time and can only reasonably be viewed through eyes that recognise it as almost a period piece. Anyway - the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was far scarier.....

 

[WittyAspie]

The remake with Johnny Depp is so bizarre. I usually enjoy his odd characters, but the new Willy Wonka was too much. He should have stuck with pirating.

 

[WittyAspie]

I was too naive when I watched this as a child to catch any of the obviously prejudiced elements in the film. I have to agree with Autistamatic that a book should be understood within its time and place, but those themes do raise the question of how appropriate it is to produce a movie for children without altering some details of the story. Hollywood has a history of manipulating stories to create whatever the producer thinks will make the most successful film possible. Why not do the same here?

 

[SunnyDay16]

The Oompa Loompas always gave me the creeps.

 

[Sid Delicious]

Yeah, I used to have a huge crush on Depp, but he went a bit nut nut over the last few of years. Saying that, I haven't seen the newer version.

 

[TempeFan]

I predate both movies AND the book. I remember it as one of my top five reads in childhood, right up there with Charlotte's Web, The Secret Garden, Stuart Little and anything Judy Blume. Loved them all. I also LOVE chocolate! Wonka Bars and Pure Imagination! What more could a kid want? Depp is quite a character, but next to Gene Wilder....... Let's just say, he should stick with being a pirate. I admit those oompa loompas had me scurrying under the furniture too. I liked the singing and the dancing and agreed with every word. I think it was the deep stern voices that gave me the willies.

I was too naive when I watched this as a child to catch any of the obviously prejudiced elements in the film. I have to agree with Autistamatic that a book should be understood within its time and place, but those themes do raise the question of how appropriate it is to produce a movie for children without altering some details of the story. Hollywood has a history of manipulating stories to create whatever the producer thinks will make the most successful film possible. Why not do the same here?

Yep. Unfortunately, prejudiced elements is the one most prominent thing that has persevered through the centuries. At least shows back then had a story, instead of just commercials interupted every 5 minutes by the same old repetitious discontinuous scenes depicting discovering/making of dead bodies, sexual deviance, massacres, chases and much angst that the actors and stuntmen and producers had fun slapping together and getting rich off of but held no entertainment or moral value for the audience.

 

[SusanLR]

Yes.
The original version of the tunnel scene kept going through my mind.
At that age I was going through some difficult times with obsessional thoughts.
Psycho was another I couldn't get out of my head.
I felt high anxiety of that one scene. The centipedes and feeling trapped.
Gene Wilder was wild though. No one could have played the role better IMO.

 

[Fino]

I'm scared of everything! I once left a birthday party because The Sixth Sense was put on, I was terrified of Pinocchio, especially the scene where they turn into donkeys, I am afraid of dogs, fire, strangers, wasps, spiders, loud noises, sudden movements, depictions of violence or rage, crossing the street, having people behind me, and probably a lot more, and yet I was not afraid of Oompa Loompas, a fear so many people here share!

That's weird!

I'm Oompa-Immune!

Or Loompa-Immune!!

Or Oompa-Loompa-Doopity-Doo-Immune!!

Or whatever you want to call it.

 

[Bolletje]

I liked it when I was small, no trauma here.

 

[Mr Allen]

The Oompa-Loompas in the original were less annoying than in the 2005 remake.

 

[Progster]

Yes, political correctness wasn't a 'thing' in the 70s and they got away with all sorts of things that they would never get away with now.

Also, plenty of kids programs were scary, including Doctor Who - it never really affected me and I watched it with fascination, but my older sister used to hide behind the settee whenever it came on.

And if you think that Willy Wonka is scary, take a look at most children's traditional fairy tales... Little Red Riding Hood's grandma being eaten by the wolf, or kids being baked alive in the oven in the gingerbread house.

 

[Mr Allen]

Yes, political correctness wasn't a 'thing' in the 70s and they got away with all sorts of things that they would never get away with now.

Also, plenty of kids programs were scary, including Doctor Who - it never really affected me and I watched it with fascination, but my older sister used to hide behind the settee whenever it came on.

And if you think that Willy Wonka is scary, take a look at most children's traditional fairy tales... Little Red Riding Hood's grandma being eaten by the wolf, or kids being baked alive in the oven in the gingerbread house.

The thing about classic Doctor Who was that even by the standard of the mid 70's you could tell the "Monster" was some bloke in a suit.