Public Service Announcements, or PSAs, aim to teach us and change our behavior on important issues. But sometimes, the best way to get a message across is to scare us a little… or a lot. Get ready, because some PSAs go all out with unsettling tactics.
The PSAs on this list cover different topics, lengths, and styles. Some have scary twists, others use disturbing images. Some feel like nightmares, while others are disturbingly real. One thing’s for sure: these films are likely to leave you feeling a bit more uneasy than before you watched them.
Mistake (2014)
New Zealand seems to specialize in PSAs about dangerous driving that truly get under your skin. You might wonder if everyone there drives perfectly or is just too scared to drive at all! Their 2014 PSA, “Mistake,” is a standout example, and it’s designed to make drivers think twice about speeding.
Imagine this: two cars are about to crash at an intersection. Suddenly, time stops. The drivers get out and talk. One admits he pulled out too soon. The other was going too fast. The first driver, panicking, says his son is in the backseat. But it’s too late. Time restarts, and we see a heartbreaking final glance between father and son before the impact. The message? “Other people make mistakes. Slow down.” It’s a chilling reminder of how quickly things can go wrong.
Clean Up (1991)
David Lynch, the director famous for surreal works like Twin Peaks and Eraserhead, once made a PSA. Yes, you read that right! He tackled the issue of littering, and the result, “Clean Up,” is as strange and unsettling as you might expect from him.
True to Lynch’s style, “Clean Up” doesn’t show much directly but creates a powerful sense of dread. It cuts between scenes of people carelessly tossing trash and close-ups of rats, all in stark black and white. What really makes it unnerving is the music. With its high-pitched sounds and growing intensity, it makes you feel like something awful is happening just off-screen.
Kevin (2011)
The Montana Meth Project (MMP) is known for its hard-hitting PSAs designed to shock young people away from trying meth. They’ve made a lot of them, and they are all pretty intense. So, maybe don’t watch them all in one go!
Many MMP PSAs show the devastating impact of meth on users’ lives rather than the drug itself. If one had to be picked as the most disturbing, “Kevin” would be a strong contender. It features a young man talking about his friend who became violent and delusional, ending up in a psychiatric hospital. It seems like a familiar story for MMP ads until the friend says, “This is what he used to dig imaginary bugs out of his skin.” The PSA then shows a rusty tool and some insects, letting your imagination do the rest. It’s truly unsettling.
Lonely Water (1973)
Back in the 1970s, British public information films sometimes took a dark turn, especially when aimed at kids. “Lonely Water” is a classic example of this, seemingly designed to give children nightmares about playing near water.
The film introduces a creepy, cloaked figure called the “spirit of dark and lonely water.” This spirit watches kids playing near rivers and lakes, and soon, accidents start happening. We see children meeting tragic ends in the water. While some smart kids with great accents do manage to prevent a disaster near the end, the overall tone is incredibly grim for young viewers. It’s a haunting warning that many who saw it as children have never forgotten.
Evan (2018)
Any PSA dealing with school shootings is bound to be difficult to watch. “Evan,” from Sandy Hook Promise, is particularly impactful due to its clever misdirection. Initially, it unfolds like a sweet high school romance. You find yourself engrossed in the main story, charmed by the budding connection and pleasant background music.
However, the real story is happening in the periphery, unnoticed by most viewers at first. After a horrifying twist where a shooter appears, the PSA replays scenes, highlighting all the warning signs about another student that were missed. This student was shown being bullied, researching guns, and posting disturbing images online. “Evan” is a chilling reminder of how easy it is to miss the signs, making it compelling and ultimately terrifying.
No Brainer (2003)
Remember the famous PSA with the egg frying and the line, “This is your brain on drugs”? Well, the New Zealand Society on Alcohol and Drug Dependence tried a far more graphic approach. Their PSA isn’t so much “this is your brain on drugs” as it is “this is your brain as drugs.”
Titled “No Brainer,” this short takes you into a nightclub bathroom. There, a man starts pulling out pieces of his own brain and snorting them. It’s incredibly graphic and not for the faint of heart. If you’re squeamish, you might want to skip this one. It’s designed to shock, and it definitely succeeds.
Monsters (2012)
If clowns or giant, bloodshot-eyed Easter bunnies give you the creeps, you might want to brace yourself. This PSA from Fragile Childhood offers a haunting look at parental drinking through a child’s eyes. It does this by transforming parents into terrifying monsters.
Viewers see an evil Santa, the grim reaper, a zombie mother, and that nightmarish Easter bunny. This Finnish PSA powerfully shows how a child might perceive a parent struggling with alcohol. It highlights the fear and isolation children can experience when their parents’ drinking makes their world a scary place. The message is clear and delivered with chilling effectiveness.
The Finishing Line (1977)
Here’s another British PSA from the 1970s that was supposedly made for children but ended up being so shocking it was banned. After seeing “The Finishing Line,” you’ll understand why. It plays out less like a safety film and more like a horror movie.
The PSA shows children taking part in a strange sports day event right next to a railway line. As you can probably guess, things go horribly wrong. It turns into a gruesome spectacle, almost like scenes from Battle Royale or The Hunger Games, with kids being hit by trains. The full version is reportedly 20 minutes long and ends with images of many injured children. It’s astounding that this was intended for classrooms. It did get shown to some kids, undoubtedly causing nightmares, before public outcry led to its ban. It really makes you wonder what they were thinking.
Top Chef (2007)
The PSA “Top Chef” starts with a young woman happily sharing her ambitions. “I’m a sous-chef here,” she says with a smile. “With any luck, I should be head chef by next year.” She also mentions she’s getting married next week. Her future looks bright.
But then, disaster strikes. She picks up a large pot of boiling water, slips, and the PSA cuts to graphic images of severe burns, accompanied by her panicked screams. It’s a visceral and shocking depiction of a workplace accident. This PSA about kitchen safety is so effective it might make you think twice before even boiling water again!
Protect and Survive (1975)
“Protect and Survive” wasn’t just one film, but a series of PSAs from the 1970s and 80s in Britain. They were made to go with booklets telling people what to do if a nuclear war happened. These films don’t have any jump scares, blood, or even people. They just use very basic, old-fashioned animations and sound effects.
Despite their simplicity, or perhaps because of it, these PSAs are incredibly disturbing. The plain animations, the eerie computer-like sounds, and the complete absence of any human presence create a deeply unsettling atmosphere. It might be the chilling sense of hopelessness against such a disaster, or the Cold War fear they represent. Whatever the reason, “Protect and Survive” has a way of getting under your skin and staying there, a stark reminder of a terrifying possibility.
From stark animations about unthinkable futures to graphic depictions of everyday dangers, these PSAs certainly don’t pull any punches. They remind us that sometimes the most effective messages are the ones that linger in our minds long after the screen goes dark, forcing us to confront uncomfortable truths. While often unsettling, their goal is to provoke thought and inspire change, and in that, they are undeniably powerful.
Which of these PSAs did you find the most unsettling? Do you remember any others that left a chill down your spine? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
