Sadly, the kinds of monsters we fear as kids are usually not the ones we actually end up encountering as kids. The latest ad from Fragile Childhood focuses on some of those real-life monsters: drunken parents.

Created by Euro RSCG Helsinki, the “Monsters” ad takes a cinematic approach that would do John Carpenter proud. A series of haunted-eyed young children appear to struggle getting through their day, as each one is visited by a figure that looks like something coughed up from the bowels of slasher movie hell. As the music crescendos, though, each of these monsters–a sinister clown, be-cloaked Death–reveals itself as some sort of parent figure. And just like in those movies, the victims’ suffering is inflamed by the fact that nobody else can see the monster.

Fragile Childhood was established in 1986 as a resource for the children of alcoholic parents. This deeply disturbing ad makes a strong case for the organization, which encourages kids to seek help against the monsters they can’t (and wouldn’t dare) fight themselves.