It is widely known that Watership Down gives both children and adults nightmares but apparently, not all parents remember just how brutal the bunny-themed movie really is.

Channel 5 decided to air the 1978 animated film on Easter Sunday afternoon, when lots of chocolate-filled kids were watching at home with their families.

The scheduling choice was soon branded a huge “inappropriate” no-no, however, when the “upsetting, traumatising, hideous and horrifying” scenes of bloody, slaughtered rabbits made their way into many an unsuspecting living room.

“Who the hell thought it a good idea to put Watership Down on Easter Sunday? ‘Hey kids let’s watch dead Easter bunnies!’” wrote one distressed Twitter user, with others confirming that it is “still terrifying” for adults too.

Based on Richard Adams’ novel, Watership Down follows a group of rabbits as they escape the brutal destruction of their warren and attempt to begin a new life. The story has been described as an allegory of the struggle between the individual and society, tyranny and liberation and reason and emotion.

Unintentionally terrifying children's movies Show all 7 1 /7 Unintentionally terrifying children's movies Unintentionally terrifying children's movies Most people know to steer well clear of this one by now. If not, you obviously escaped one of the most scarring childhood memories, that of cute baby Bambi’s mother being shot dead by hunters, leaving him sad and alone in the woods. Rex Features Unintentionally terrifying children's movies Ursula makes a pact with mermaid Ariel that she will make her human in return for her voice. Her voice! She must then get a man to fall in love with her, without being able to speak. Every feminist’s nightmare. Unintentionally terrifying children's movies This one is seriously trippy. It’s Disney’s third ever movie but instead of pretty dresses and Prince Charmings and happily ever afters, all we got was a visit to Satan’s lair in ‘Night on Bald Mountain’. Unintentionally terrifying children's movies That fairground is enough to put you off any old-fashioned fun for life. It’s called Pleasure Island but there is absolutely zero pleasure involved whatsoever. Naughty boys are turned into donkeys and the whole wooden puppet coming alive thing doesn’t really do it for us either. Unintentionally terrifying children's movies There are plenty of frankly horrifying moments in this supposed children’s film from 1941, but none so harrowing as the scene when Dumbo visits his imprisoned, supposedly mad mummy elephant and she sings him a lullaby while cradling him in her trunk. Unintentionally terrifying children's movies This ‘movie about bunnies’ may look cute enough but Watership Down is proof that animation does not equal adorable. It’s possibly the most traumatic film you’ll have seen in, well, forever. It’s really bloody in parts and should quite clearly never have been rated a U, even in 1978. Unintentionally terrifying children's movies Tiny Thumbelina is kidnapped by toads shortly after birth, nearly drowns in a waterfall, betrothed to a blind old mole who lives underground, forced to dress as a bug and dance at a freaky insect ball, spanked by Mr Beetle with a cane and her lover Prince Cornelius is frozen in an ice block. Oh and her best friend nearly dies. Lovely.

Not everyone had an angry reaction to its Easter broadcast, with many praising Channel 5 for showing the film and criticising parents for being too protective of their children.