Sci-Fi Kids shows Aussies are emotionally scarred

What it was about: In the rural town of Werrinup, Western Australia, Ben Johnson discovers a portal to several parallel universes and begins to explore them with his friends. Oh, and in these alternate universes, different versions of his family and friends exist.

Creepy childhood memory: To be completely honest, the entirety of Parallax felt like a big fever dream. What scared me the most were those demon-like creatures called Kremlins (I prefer the term “nightmarish fuel”), which had slits for their eyes and snuck across the forest floor in the “world green”. Imagine one of them grabbing your foot that you left dangling from your bed in the middle of the night. NO THANKS!

What it was about: Set in the year 2050 aboard the Star Runner, an interstellar spaceship, a crew of mostly teenagers are tasked with protecting cryogenically suspended colonists on their way to their new home called Silversun.

Creepy childhood memory: The very concept of a group of teenagers leading an entire colony is terrifying in itself – I mean, can you imagine the pressure if something went wrong?! And things went wrong silver sun! The series ended on a huge cliffhanger with the team running out of food and supplies, and the Star Runner’s sister ship going through a wormhole. Guess we’ll never know if they made it to Silversun.

What it was about: An underwater research facility is built near an island, which leads Jason and Brett Bates to meet Neri, a mysterious young girl who lives alone on the island and has the power to communicate with whales.

Creepy childhood memory: The whole plot of ocean girl revolved around finding out who Neri is, where her family has gone, and why she lives alone on an island. Then, spoiler alert, it turns out she’s an ALIEN. Dossier which, under the twists and turns of the plot, Australian children never saw coming.

What it was about: Plasmo, a two-and-a-half-year-old space orphan, lives on the world of Pynco alongside his friends Parsty and Niknik. A few red flags: Plasmo has no idea who or where his parents are, and there are no adults on this planet. So when space adventurers Brucho and Coredor land on Pynco, an opportunity to explore the universe presents itself.

Creepy childhood memory: Plasma? Cute as a button. Coredor, on the other hand, tainted the wholesome appeal of this children’s show. The animators knew exactly what they were doing by creating a character whose face so clearly resembles genitalia – or, as my colleague describes it, “a vulva-faced maniac.” We may not have seen it as kids, but we could definitely feel the cursed vibes – especially when the old mate’s face flaps opened when he felt angry.

What it was about: Noah Daniels, his family, and other survivors live in an underground settlement called North Col in 2020. The Earth’s surface is uninhabitable due to extreme cold, constant snowstorms, and lack of animal life, all of which are after the effects of a comet. hit the earth. After inadvertently creating a time travel device, Noah attempts to bring the animals back into his timeline and repopulate the world.

Creepy childhood memory: Everyone post apocalyptic vibes and this was in the near future, it was COOLING. Plus, looking back as an adult and realizing the show was set in 2020 – and now we’re in 2022.

What it was about: To take off was one of those ~educational~ shows, featuring a live story about a group of young children, along with segments of short animations and cursed puppets (more on that in a nutshell).

Creepy childhood memory: Ask any Aussie and they’ll tell you that one of the most terrifying characters from their childhood was this soulless creature who seemed to have made his way through the depths of hell. Named EC in the show, the mummified corpse was meant to represent “all the children” of Australia through its faceless and genderless appearance. Instead, it continues to haunt Australian children’s nightmares. To the team of To take off – how did any of you think this character design would appeal to children? !

What it was about: A group of eight Scottish high school students and their teacher travel to the Australian bush to search for UFOs and document their findings on camcorders.

Creepy childhood memory: LITERALLY THE WHOLE SHOW. From shaky camcorder footage to batshit stories (scary twins, alternate universes, aliens, government conspiracies and that red-eye disease), Jeopardy has left an emotional mark on an entire generation of Australians. I can also confirm that it’s still just as scary when you watch it again as an adult.

What it was about: After a prank goes wrong, Paul Reynolds is stranded in a parallel world where the Industrial Revolution never happened. Only a small number of people have access to the technology – the Spellbinders – and they pretend it’s magic and use it to rule over everyone.

Creepy childhood memory: Ashka was one of the most ruthless and calculating Spellbinders – and the way she was portrayed as a villain gave everyone chills.

What it was about: After being sucked inside a wormhole, a modern-day astronaut finds himself among an alien crew on the run who elude corrupt authorities called the Peacekeepers.

Creepy childhood memory: Watch, Farscape was definitely not a children’s show, but a lot of Australian teenagers ended up watching it. The sci-fi hijinks were cool, but some of these characters were pure nightmare fuel (I’m looking at you, Scorpius) and the storyline was dark AF.

What it was about: Alana, a girl from the year 3000, is kidnapped by Silverthorn, a criminal from the year 2500, and transported back in time to 1990. While there, Alana befriends Jenny, who helps Alana to adjusting to life in the 90s and finding a way to get back to his time.

Creepy childhood memory: Silverthorn was sinister AF and gave you nightmares of being suddenly kidnapped. Stranger Danger!!!

What it was about: Technically a New Zealand production (but I’m including it because it was a staple for Australian kids in the 2000s), every episode of Weird featured three chilling talents spanning a fast-paced array of sci-fi and horror subgenres.

Creepy childhood memory: You can laugh at the comedic special effects now, but back then it was enough to rob you of sleep for weeks. Freaky was basically like The twilight zone, but for children. You were drawn to watch it, even though you knew you would pay for it later.

What it was about: A mining colony on Jupiter’s moon, Io, is forced to flee when a volcanic eruption destroys their world. The surviving colonists, mostly children, seek refuge in an abandoned space station and attempt to return to Earth.

Creepy childhood memory: The sci-fi of this show was epic (the ship they were using was so cool!), but the idea of ​​being stuck in space, with no contact with friends, family, and anyone to help you, always made your stomach sink a little.

What it was about: Another New Zealand production highly regarded in Australia was The tribe, which focused on a group of young adults struggling to survive in a world where all adults have been killed by a mysterious virus. Also, recognize that The tribe was a great show that hooked a lot of us, but it’s definitely a product of its time (cultural appropriation in the show wouldn’t slip today – and for good reason!).

Creepy childhood memory: The whole decor of The tribe set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where food is scarce and violence is a constant threat was enough to get on your nerves. Mixed in with incredibly weird stories and heavy subject matter (teen pregnancy, eating disorders, and sexual assault), this show made you feel truly grateful to have adults in your life.

What it was about: After moving into a new house with her family, Jools realizes that the house is haunted by the ghost of Elly, a young girl who was murdered. He helps her solve the mystery of her death.

Creepy childhood memory: When it was revealed that Elly was never murdered but died in a tragic accident. Oh, and there’s more because Elly became a ghost to clear the name of the man suspected of her murder. I’M SORRY, HOW IS IT ANOTHER KIDS SHOW?!?! Feeling real adult themes here, which is most likely why Australian kids are traumatized by this show.

What it was about: around the twist doesn’t need an explanation. In fact, even if I tried to give one, I don’t think I could do this show and its goofy plots justice. But basically one family – The Twists – lives in a lighthouse and does a lot of odd (the focus is on odd) adventures.

Traumatic childhood memory: There are far too many WTF-inducing moments from around the twist to remember, but this terrifying scarecrow dressed in circus clothes will always give me nightmares.