Doctor Who is not for (easily scared) children

I’ve been watching Doctor Who in its various incarnations — from grainy black-and-white TV reruns and rented betamax tapes in the depths of my childhood, to the last few years of the current set of series — and time and time again it strikes me how absolutely terrifying this show can be.

I mean, take the Daleks; nowadays, not as scary as they used to be, but as a child, seeing a robotic, murderous pepper-shaker with a ray gun and a synthesized voice that could make your heartstrings vibrate with fright, they’re absolutely the most ghastly thing imaginable. And the series is filled with blank-faced policemen, monstrous daffodils, hideous crawling shadows, homicidal statuary, and now, well…. spoilers.

I’d still recommend this show to kids. My niece loves it, though I warn her it’s best to watch it in the daytime — mostly because I’d rather not field angry calls from my cousins about her inability to sleep. But hey, it’s character building, and it’s good preparation in case some mad man in a blue box comes and offers them the adventure of a lifetime.