17 Things That Absolutely Terrified ’80s Kids

Every generation has its fair share of things that jumble up the brain and linger a little too long in the mind during bedtime after the parents have said, “Shut that darn light off!”

For ’80s kids, some of those moments came not from everyday life stuff like a schoolyard urban myth or a ghost story from scout camp, but instead from an all-too-real movie of the week or a news story discussed around the dining room table. Even if you didn’t grasp all the details, you could tell something was a bit heavier in tone than usual.

Why ‘The Day After’ Was One of the Most Disturbing TV Events of the ’80s

One of the more memorable examples arrived in the usually cozy space of the family living room via the ever-present television, in the form of a 1983 ABC made-for-TV movie called The Day After.

MORE '80s: If You Grew Up in the ’80s, You Had These at Home

This unusually grim broadcast imagined the aftermath of a nuclear conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, following ordinary Midwestern families as they struggled to understand what came next. As kids learned about the Cold War in school, this seemed especially real, and honestly, most had a hard time trying to process it.

With current headlines once again making us ask “What if…?” as global tensions rise, kids from the ’70s and ’80s are probably seeing memories of this event rise up out of nowhere.

What Else Scared the Heck Out of '80s Kids?

Of course, The Day After was the only thing that unsettled kids back then, and many were not as "grim." From furry guest stars on The Six Million Dollar Man, to stranger danger and iconic face-melting scenes in adventure movies (you know the one), the ’70s and ’80s had their share of moments that stuck with kids long after the lights were supposed to be off.