While it’s a combination that is rarely seen due to them seemingly being such opposites, the strange and beautiful combination of animation and horror lends itself to film in unexpectedly effective ways. Animation has always been a genre defined by limitless potential and endless creativity, and combining it with the experimental and nightmarish concepts of the horror genre has resulted in a multitude of iconic feature films.
Especially for a medium that is often considered for children, seeing animated films that are more often than not aimed towards a more adult audience with its shocking visuals and horrific themes makes for an exhilarating experience.The genes of horror and animation both lend themselves to some wildly exciting and masterful experimental filmmaking, with their combination only furthering and amplifying the greatest aspects of each other.
10’Monster House' (2006)
Directed by Gil Kenan
One of the handful of motion capture animated films that was released fromRobert Zemeckis’s ImageMovers,Monster Housefollows a trio of teens as they go face to face with a mysterious and terrifying house across the street. However, their investigations have them slowly realize that this spooky house is far from ordinary — in fact, it’s alive and has been viciously eating the residents of the town. With Halloween around the corner, it’s up to the trio to take the house down once and for all.
While still distinctly aimed towards children and younger audiences,Monster Housedoesn’t shy away from darker themes and concepts and uses horror elementsand concepts to the fullest extent. The jarring and sometimes offputting motion capture animation style that hindered a number of other ImageMovers films actually fits the amateur horror aesthetic ofMonster Houseperfectly. Even today,Monster Housestill sports impressive attention to detailthat goes a long way in bringing to life the world and making its scares that much more impactful.
Monster House
9’Kill It and Leave This Town' (2020)
Directed by Mariusc Wilczyński
Kill It and Leave This Townis a Polish psychological horror film that uses papercraft animation to create stunning visuals and massively amplify its tension and scare factor. The film follows its mysterious protagonist on a constant run from despair and dread following the loss of those near and dear to him. The protagonist ends up hiding away in his safe land of memories where time stands still and his loved ones are still alive, although this world soon finds itself taking a mental toll on him.
It’s difficult to denythe animation mastery on displayinKill It and Leave This Town, as it’s a bonafide labor of love that took 14 years to create, and nearly every frame and sequence is filled with unadulterated passion and mastery. On top of these exceptional visuals, the film tells a deeply personal story of grief and loss and the barriers people set up in the wake of said painful losses.Its terrifying visuals and concepts are a sight to behold, weaving together a nightmare world in a way only animation can accomplish.
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8’The House' (2022)
Directed by Paloma Baeza, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Emma De Swaef, Marc James Roels
The Houseis a collection of short, stop-motion animation horror stories that revolve around the strange and unorthodox occurrences that take place in a mysterious house with the many residents over the years. Each chapter has individual characters and storylines whose only ties are the same mysterious location. As different people with intricate lives inhabit the house, it always manages to find a way to disturb and haunt the new owners in terrifying and painful ways.
Stop-motion animation and horror have always gone hand in hand, withThe Housespecifically leaning into a style of haunted diorama and porcelain aestheticto make it stand out from its contemporaries. The film also follows the anthology style of filmmaking that has found major success in other horror films likeV/H/SandThe ABCs of Death, allowing an array of horror filmmakers to tell their own stories with the same theme and concept as a starting point.
7’Coraline' (2009)
Directed by Henry Selick
One of the most defining films from what is widely considered to bethe best year in animation history, 2009’sCoralineis a masterpiece of stop-motion animation from a master of the medium,Henry Selick. The film follows Coraline, a young girl who just moved with her family to a boring old house. Soon, she finds unexpected refuge in a mysterious door in her room that transports her to a seemingly perfect alternate world. However, as Coraline spends more time in this blissful world, its darker, more sinister intentions begin to rear their head.
Even without going full horror, it’s difficult to deny thatthe horror aesthetic and thematic elements present withinCoralinehave helped it secure a place among the best and most eerie entries into the animation canon. The way that the film slowly dives deeper and deeper into its disturbing world, climaxing in a beautiful and nightmarish concept of life being stolen away by force, makes for a particularly defining horror experience for the era.Coralineis still touted nowadays as one of the best entry points to horror for younger and more squeamish audiences, thanks in part to its undeniable high quality.
6’Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust' (2000)
Directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri
The quintessential example ofa vampire anime done right,Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlustcontinues the story of the legendary titular vampire hunter, D, as he tracks down the powerful vampire Meier Link. After Link abducts the innocent Charlotte Elbourne, D is tasked with rescuing her at any cost; for the first time in his career and life, he faces serious and dangerous competition. The Markus Brothers, a family of vampire hunters, are also hunting for the same bounty, putting D in a deadly race against time.
Even with its relatively simple plot,Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlustsoars off of the back of its beautiful visual style, world design, and masterful character animation, the signature of directorYoshiaki Kawajiri. The film only further amplifies and delivers the strengths of the previous film with its intricate and gothic portrayal of vampire hunters and their eternal struggle and battle against the monsters of the night. Even without seeing the previous film in the series or having read the original manga,Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlustis a horror-aesthetic visual spectaclethat is a must-watch for any and all horror fans.
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5’The Wolf House' (2018)
Directed by Cristóbal León, Joaquín Cociña
A terrifying one-of-a-kindexperimental horror filmfrom Chile,The Wolf Housefinds inspiration from a real-life 70s torture camp in its terrifying and disturbing take on a fairy tale. The film combines 2D and 3D animation elements to create a deeply unseeling and terrifying experience further amplified by its nightmarish themes and implications. Its story and presence as a fairy tale is a trick used by a vicious sect leader in order to indoctrinate its followers for their despicable cause.
The Wolf Houseis a must-watch experience that will never fail to leave an impact on the viewer.
The Wolf Houseis as much of a deeply unsettling and painful viewing experience as it is visually striking and impossible to look away from. The animated mastery on display is a sight to behold, which, combined with its highly disturbing content, has easily made forone of the most infamous and memorable psychological horror experiencesin the realm of animation. Especially for those who are looking to the outer limits of what is possible in animation and horror,The Wolf Houseis a must-watch experience that will never fail to leave an impact on the viewer.
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4’Wicked City' (1987)
Another beautifully stylistic animated masterwork from Yoshiaki Kawajiri,Wicked Citytakes place in a mysterious future world where humanity has grown to coexist with the sinister underbelly of the demon world. Following a top-secret police force known as the Black Guard, tasked with protecting the boundaries between the two groups, the police duo of Taki, a human male, and Maki, a female demon, must protect a diplomat who is key in securing peace. However, a dangerous group of radical demons from the Black World are enacting a plan to assassinate the diplomat, putting Taki and Maki into action.
Wicked City’s concepts and worldbuilding are some of the most singular and interesting animated movies of the era.
Wicked Cityblends horror elements, action, and deeply philosophical themesin a staggering hand-drawn style that jumps off the screen and leaves a lingering impact. Its concepts and worldbuilding are some of the most singular and interesting animated movies of the era, further compounded by its seemingly endless creativity and captivating animation.Wicked Citydoesn’t shy away from featuring an array of deeply disturbing content and heavily leaning into the true horrors of its concept and characters.
3’Seoul Station' (2016)
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho
Acting as a companion film and prequel to the legendary South Korean zombie filmTrain to Busan,Seoul Stationfollows the beginnings of the zombie epidemic in the lead-up to the iconic live-action film. The film follows a trio of characters — lonesome father Suk-gyu, runaway prostitute’s daughter Hye-sun, and boyfriend Ki-woong — who are going through their own drama and are about to reunite when the outbreak begins.
Whilezombie movies have been huge in the 21st century, rarely did the iconic horror concept find its way into animated films outside of the occasional family film likeCorpse BrideandParaNorman.Seoul Stationmakes perfect use of the medium of animation to tell its action-horror story, using a heavily stylized approach to expand and bring to life the same terrifying and ruthless nature of the zombies inTrain to Busan. The film acts as a perfect companion piece to the iconic zombie film, as well as a much better installment and piece of worldbuilding than the actual sequel,Peninsula.
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2’Perfect Blue' (1997)
Directed by Satoshi Kon
An infamously terrifying horror thriller that remains a major influence on modern psychological horror films,Perfect Blueis a masterpiece of tension-building and adult themes. The film follows retired pop star turned actress Mima Kirigoe, who finds her life and sense of reality shaken up and shattered when an obsessed stalker enters her life. In combination with a nightmarish reflection of her past, Mima slowly finds herself unable to separate her view of her current self from her view of her past self.
Nearly all the films bylegendary anime directorSatoshi Koncan be considered masterpieces in their own right, yetfew horror thrillers, animated or otherwise, can claim to have the impact and legacy ofPerfect Blue. The way it portrays the slow but eventually fracturing psyche of a larger-than-life figure, on top of its deeply disturbing content and masterful visual style, has made it a posterchild and blueprint for psychological horror for decades. FromRequiem for a DreamandBlack SwantoBirdmanandEverything Everywhere All at Once,Perfect Blue’s influence can be seen everywhere in modern film.
Perfect Blue
Directed by Phil Tippett
Few films can be considered as undeniably works of art and cinematic mastery asPhil Tippett’sMad God, a film that took over 30 painstaking years to create. The film follows the story of a lone assassin as he travels deeper and deeper into a nightmare world filled with souls of the damned, technological monstrosities and disgusting and depraved creatures at every corner. As he delves into the depths, danger also increases, as the chances of escaping unharmed become impossible.
The plot ofMad Godacts more as a background and spice for what is the real meat and appeal of the movie:the outstanding jaw-dropping visuals that are as deeply disturbing as they are masterfully crafted. Tippett’s creative ingenuity and determination in creating a work of art adds as much to the experience as the actual film itself, as it is a testament to his status as a master of practical effects.Mad Godis a film that will continuously be studied, examined, and praised in the years to come as one of the few unadulterated and undeniable masterpieces of the modern era.
The Assassin travels through a nightmare underworld of tortured souls, ruined cities and wretched monstrosities forged from the primordial horrors of the unconscious mind of Phil Tippett, the world’s preeminent stop-motion animator.
