Brits share HORRIFIC TV ads that haunt them to this day

The most catchy, witty and clever advertisements will stick with you for ages. 

But while sometimes a jaunty tune or a celebrity cameo will catch your eye, other times the reasons why a catchy advert will stay with you can be a touch more sinister.

And now Britons have revealed the most horrifying television adverts they’ve seen in a Reddit thread.

Many highlighted the chilling TV ads across Northern Ireland from the 80s into the 2000s.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look at the most inexplicably haunting  picks discussed…

1. ‘Live With It’ (2009)

The jarring ad follows a man haunted by the dead body of a young boy, who he is understood to have killed in a road accident

One horrified viewer revealed the scariest advert they’d seen was a Department for Transport ad from 14 years ago. 

It follows a man haunted by the dead body of a young boy, who he is understood to have killed in a road accident.  

The broadcast shows him going about everyday tasks – brushing his teeth, getting the bus, etc. – with jarring flashes of the small lifeless corpse.

‘Mine is is definitely the one with the man who sees the dead boy he killed everywhere,’ the scarred TV-watcher admitted in the thread. 

‘Only saw it properly once because I used to run and cry every time I even saw the first couple of seconds of the man brushing his teeth and I still can’t watch it or look on the floor at night.’ 

2. ‘In the Summertime’ (1992)

Elsewhere, one user asked Redditers to cast their minds back to 1992, where a deceptively jolly tune made for a terrifying ad

Mungo Jerry’s 70s classic can be heard as idyllic scenes show friends gathering together at a pub, as pints are brought over to the table

Elsewhere, one user asked Redditers to cast their minds back to 1992, where a deceptively jolly tune made for a terrifying ad, for the UK’s ‘Drinking and Driving Wrecks Lives’ campaign. 

Mungo Jerry’s 70s classic can be heard as idyllic scenes show friends gathering together at a pub, as pints are brought over to the table.

However, the joy is short-lived. 

As the viewer is lulled to a sense of security, the mood rapidly shifts and a bloody car crash scene is shown outside the bar. 

3. ‘Lucky’ (2006)

The ad, created by the government’s road safety campaign THINK! starts with a morbidly lifeless body of a young girl, who has been killed by a motorist going at 40mph

Needless to say, it still horrifies impressionable viewers 17 years later, as social media users recalled the ad

Continuing the theme of dangerous driving, others also remembered a shuddering 2006 advert which encouraged drivers to stick to the 30mph speed limit. 

The ad, created by the government’s road safety campaign THINK! starts with a morbidly lifeless body of a young girl, who has been killed by a motorist going at 40mph.

To add to the horror, her body starts to come back to life, with jarring bone snapping sounds, showing what could have happened if the driver was traveling at just 30mph less. 

‘Two versions of this striking advert are created for either side of the TV watershed,’ THINK!’s website says.

‘It’s 30 For A Reason highlights that going just 10 mph over the speed limit can be the difference between life and death.’

Needless to say, it still frightens impressionable viewers 17 years later. 

‘I still remember her broken wrist cracking back into place and it must be 15 years since that advert was on,’ a traumatised TV fan penned. 

4. Metz’s ‘Judderman’ (2000)

In 2000, the – now discontinued – brand launched a particularly unsettling commercial which describes the lore of ‘the Judderman’

In the ad, Judderman lures a traveller with a bottle of Metz, and turns them into a puppet, with the production enhanced by eerie aesthetic and creepy narration.

While some may feel nervous around the full moon thanks to vampires or werewolves, a more haunting entity is alcohol company Metz’s mascot – ‘the Judderman’.

In 2000, the – now discontinued – brand launched a particularly unsettling commercial which describes the lore of this deeply jarring creature, which emerges ‘when the moon is fat’.

In the ad, Judderman lures a traveller with a bottle of Metz, and turns them into a puppet, with the production enhanced by eerie aesthetics and creepy narration. 

‘The Judderman became a running joke between my siblings and me,’ one poster revealed. 

‘Well, after they got over me scaring them by them he actually existed.’

5. ‘Frisbee’ (1978)

This infamous clip stars a hesitant ‘Jimmy’ being pressured to retrieve a rogue frisbee from a sub-station, even though he knows he is not supposed to

The bizarre broadcast ends with the boy being electrocuted to death by a 66,000 volt current as his playmate screeches his name in distress

If you don’t have an irrational fear of pylons, then prepare to develop one after this horrifying advert which truly brings a new meaning to ‘shocking’.

Part of the Play Safe campaign, it was made with the intent of discouraging children from playing near overhead power lines and electrical substations. 

This infamous clip stars a hesitant ‘Jimmy’ being pressured to retrieve a rogue frisbee from a sub-station, even though he knows he is not supposed to. 

The bizarre broadcast ends with the boy being electrocuted to death by a 66,000 volt current as his playmate screeches his name in distress. 

‘I have never forgotten that one,’ a traumatised Redditer admitted.  

6. ‘NO! (1989)

This ‘terrifying’ British Gas advert from the 80s shows a couple come home to encounter a gas leak – and stars EastEnders actor Gavin Richards

Perhaps the most tense moment of the viewing comes when Gavin’s co-star goes to turn on a light switch, and he bellows out a pained ‘no!’

This ‘terrifying’ British Gas advert from the 80s shows a couple come home to encounter a gas leak – and stars EastEnders actor Gavin Richards.

Eerie music plays as the pair survey the house, with the man go to light a cigarette – but then thinks better of it.

Perhaps the most tense moment of the viewing comes when Gavin’s co-star goes to turn on a light switch. He bellows out a pained ‘no!’.

‘This used to freak me out so much when I was a kid that I would be terrified to torn on the light witches in my house in case there’d been a gas leak and I would inadvertently blow up my whole family,’ one distressed user recalled on social media.

‘Just something about the way he shouts ‘NO!’ and the freeze-frame, still sticks with me.’

7. Munchters (2002)

The broadcast features a truly terrifying amalgamation of characters, including a burrito-esque-shaped humanoid and a dog that resembles a bread loaf

At one point, the aforementioned animal attempts to swallow a television whole. It’s marked not only by its unclear plot, but eerie 3D character design

This bizarre ad – since branded as a ‘cursed commercial’ – came from snack company Munchters, which was popular in the early noughties.

The broadcast features a truly terrifying amalgamation of characters, including a burrito-esque-shaped humanoid and a dog that resembles a bread loaf.

At one point, the aforementioned animal attempts to swallow a television whole. 

It’s marked not only by its unclear plot, but eerie 3D character design.  

‘This advert freaks me out,’ one Redditer wrote. ‘I don’t want to give it away because it comes as a surprise but it’s so uniquely weird.’ 

8. ‘I Wanna Be Like You’ (1993)

The viewing was commissioned by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and was aimed at showing the generational horrors of extremism

Sharing a link to the emotive broadcast on Reddit, one poster who grew up during the politically turbulent time admitted: ‘It scared the sh** out of the as a kid’

This advert – which is perhaps more accurately described as a short film – makes disturbingly haunting use of Harry Chapin’s hit Cat’s In The Cradle. 

The viewing was commissioned by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and was aimed at showing the generational horrors of extremism. 

In it, a man who turns to paramilitarism can be seen over the years influencing his young son, who barely sees his father and must visit him in prison.

Years later – the young boy now a man – follows the cycle of violence just like his dad had, and becomes a terrorist.

The harrowing broadcast ends with the son killed and lowered into a grave, as his grief-stricken father watches. 

Writing in the Belfast Telegraph in 2016, journalist Adrian Rutherford remarked: ‘It was the most powerful advert ever to hit our TV screens, and two decades on it still stirs memories of a troubled time in Northern Ireland history.’

He added: ‘People of a certain age still talk about that ad and what an impact it had on them. It has an enormous emotional resonance.’

Sharing a link to the emotive broadcast on Reddit, one poster who grew up during the politically turbulent time admitted: ‘It scared the sh** out of the as a kid.’ 

9. ‘Searching’ (1974)

This PSA against letting children play with matches is notorious for its eerie and shiver-inducing cinematography

The video was branded ‘creepy’ in the Reddit thread as many recalled its horror and eerie production 

This PSA against letting children play with matches is notorious for its eerie and shiver-inducing cinematography. 

It takes on the disoriented point of view of a house-fire victim walking through the charred remains of a property as distorted voices can be heard calling out in the background.

At one point, a blood curdling yell for ‘mummy!’ shocks viewers. 

Director John Krish has been praised for the cinematic ad, which has even gone on to win awards. 

The video was branded ‘creepy’ in the Reddit thread, with one comment saying: ‘This is the worst of all the clips I’ve watched in this thread.’ 

10. ‘Lonely Water’ (1973)

Bond villain actor Donald Pleasence offers his voice for the Grim Reaper character, which wades by in the fog as unassuming children play around

Redditers shivered at the ‘nightmare fuel’ that was ‘Lonely Water’ – an informational ad aimed at children 

‘Lonely Water’ – from the Central Office of Information – warned against the dangers of playing by risky bodies of water in a deeply theatrical way. 

Bond villain actor Donald Pleasence offers his voice for the Grim Reaper character, who wades by in the fog as unassuming children play around.

The shadowy figure in the film adds a truly terrifying dimension to the broadcast. 

The ad shows scenes in which kids can get themselves into dangerous situations and fall into the water, before switching to show their more risk-averse counterparts.  

‘Sensible children…I have no power over them,’ the antagonist’s narration laments.