70s TV used to get away with some crazy shit.

George Peppard also played Dr. Sam Sheppard in a TV mini-series around '75 or so. Gave me a sleepless night or two.

And while I didn't see movies, I'd like to mention that I read both Jaws and Helter Skelter around that time. Jaws gave me a moment or two, nothing major, but I've never gotten up the courage or whatever to see the movie. Helter Skelter gave me nightmares all winter.

My mom wouldn't let me see Helter Skelter when it was first broadcast on tv, but I did read the book about that time (5-6th grade, IIRC), and the photos in the book of the crime scenes really did stick with me. I think that was the first true-crime book I read.

I watched old horror films with my dad from about the age of 2 on and I loved them. I had a Dracula doll ("Jack Leeler!").

At about 6 or 7, I was watching TV (unsupervised) and started watching Sssssssss (I think that was what it was called - about a doctor who was injecting people with something that slowly turned them into snakes). Lifelong fear of snakes started right there. I had snake nightmares for years after and always worried about someone throwing a snake in when I was showering. :::shudder:::

Saw Poltergeist at around 11 or 12 and was all freaked out. I remember ET came out after and I was scared to see it as I thought it would be like Poltergeist.

Rediscovered love of horror in early teens with Nightmare on Elm Street. Had a huge love for that movie. Now, as an adult, I love a good suspenseful scare, but hate gore. So I don't see too many horror films.

The End

LOVE horror movies.

I think I was about twelve when I caught Carpenter's remake of The Thing on cable. It was gory, freaky and seriously effed up. But I could deal with all of that, because it's a movie, and the good guy wins at the end, right? Right?

What do you mean Kurt Russell and David Keith just sit in the flaming wreckage and freeze to death, and we don't know for sure if one of them has been infected, to be found and woken up by whoever comes to investigate?

Yeah, that movie messed me up for a while, and started a life-long love of scary, effed up movies.

"Jack Leeler!"

LOVE!

For freaky childhood trauma, nothing quite beats the trip on the S.S. Wonkatina in Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka movie.

I think I was about twelve when I caught Carpenter's remake of The Thing on cable. It was gory, freaky and seriously effed up. But I could deal with all of that, because it's a movie, and the good guy wins at the end, right? Right?

The freakiest thing on seeing this now is realizing the last incarnation of the thing is Wilfred Brimley.

For freaky childhood trauma, nothing quite beats the trip on the S.S. Wonkatina in Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka movie.

Someone was on acid while they were planning the visuals for that sequence...

DH and I are considering taking Dylan to see Ponyo. He's never seen a movie in a theatre before, so we'd go to an early weekend show where there would be lots of other kids.

Other Buffista parents - is 2-and-a-bit (26 months) too young to sit through a movie in a theatre? My Neighbor Totoro is his favorite DVD in the universe, so we're pretty sure he'd like this one (and both DH and I want to see it because it's Myazaki).

Will he sit through a whole movie at home? If so, I think you are good. You might consider going a bit late if your theater has really long previews. Casper would watch a whole film at home by 2 and we took her to Curse of the Were-Rabbit at about 26 months. She was fine. Sat in my lap, a little talkative ("Where's the BIG rabbit?") but it was a matinee full of kids.

Dillo was much slower to develop the attention span to sit through a whole movie. We saw Wall-E with him twice in the theater at just-two, but he fell asleep at about the 30 minute mark both times. I saw Up with him on my lap this summer (35 months) and it was kind of a mistake, even at that old - he was wiggly and broke the 3-D glasses and I wished we hadn't brought him.

So, as in all things, Your Kid May Vary.

evil jimi - in the trailer it looks like Edge is pretty much saying the same thing about his playing that Bill Bailey says.

I don't think he has any illusion that he's all that great. He just likes the sounds he gets from the effects. It's Bono that has the ego problem. And I'm a U2 fan!

Other Buffista parents - is 2-and-a-bit (26 months) too young to sit through a movie in a theatre?

Well, yes, but then I have a seven-and-a-half-year old who hasn't managed to sit an entire film out yet. We left after 30 minutes of "Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit" at age 3-and-a-half. Managed 20 minutes of "Ratatouille" at 5-and-a-half. Held on for about 30 of "Kung-Fu Panda" at 6. He's a sensitive wee soul.

Actually, I'd say go for it, but expect to leave early and be pleasantly surprised if you don't have to. Also, do some prep - warn him about the biiiig screen, and the lights dimming before the show, and not talking too loud. And then, if it's obviously getting too much, don't hesitate and just go.

Good luck!