To modern eyes, old shows and movies made for kids are creepy. This may be due to the costumes and special effects looking odd by today’s standards. The subject matter may be surprisingly dark for a kid’s show. If there are YouTube uploads of any of these shows, the comments may be full of people who say they were scared by them as kids. Personally, I love these kinds of shows. So I’m looking at 22 old shows and movies from around the ’70s or ’80s that look so creepy and wild, but are also so fun and imaginative. If you’re not spooked out by these shows from your childhood, I’ll also tell you where you can watch them nowadays.
#1: Land of the Lost (1974–1977)
Land of the Lost is a TV show created by Sid and Marty Krofft that aired from 1974 to 1976. It centers around the Marshall family trapped in a world of dinosaurs, aliens, and other strange creatures. While some of the effects look cheesy (those Sleestak alien costumes are as rubbery as they come), other creatures could creep a kid out. Cha-Ka, the ape boy, definitely strikes that uncanny hybrid between man and ape.
While the show has fallen into obscurity, there have been attempts to revive it. There was a 2009 movie starring Will Ferrell, but it was poorly received, and it led to the Krofft brothers announcing a remake show in 2015, with the last update on it being in 2018. In 2023, Marty Krofft passed away, and while Sid is alive, he’s 95 years old, leaving the chances of a remake lost. That said, the series is free on YouTube with ads if you want to relive your childhood or are curious.