Scarlett Johansson is starring in the new movie "Hitchcock." and confessed on TODAY that she watched the great director's "Psycho" at a far-too-early age -- 7.
"I was raised on Hitchcock films," she said on the show. "My mother is a huge film buff and I saw 'Psycho' probably when I was too young, I mean I was like 7 or 8 and it was incredibly traumatizing. ... It petrified me."
Turns out Johansson is far from alone. Members of our staff were quick to share their own experiences with too-early scares. Seems that you never forget the title of your first cinematic chill.
Not every movie was meant to scare the youngster in question. "I remember my dad showing me 'Swamp Thing,'" confessed TODAY Moms editor Rebecca Dube. "He thought it was funny but my 8-year-old self did not appreciate the camp hilarity and found it to be PURE HORROR. Nightmares for months...."
"Mine was 'The Deep' when I was 9 and OMG HE IS DRAWING ON HER STOMACH IN BLOOD WITH A CHICKEN FOOT but I’m sure it didn’t affect me at all," said Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, movies editor.
"My best friend saw the scary movie ‘It's Alive’ when we were around 10 and wouldn’t sleep in her room alone for 6 months," shared senior multimedia editor Mish Whalen.
Some inappropriate films weren't horror, but were still too adult for the child in question. "I saw 'Raging Bull' pretty young," said entertainment editor Kurt Schlosser. "Take that for what it’s (expletive) worth."
Did you see a scary or otherwise too-adult movie when you were way too young for it? Share the title, and the circumstances (Nightmares? Did Dad get in trouble with Mom for taking you?). Tell us on Facebook.
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