Animated Horror
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Most people like to say that animated productions aren’t as scary as live-action films, and I have to say that this is just false.
It is important to note that everyone has their own fears, tastes and preferences when it comes to film and television, but to say that a whole genre is essentially invalid is just single-minded and rude.
The first example of scary animated films I’d like to talk about is the film, Coraline. This film honestly terrified me as a child and continues to scare many people I know well into their adult lives.
The story follows a young girl who finds a door in her family’s new apartment that leads to another world. She explores the newly discovered world and finds what looks like a magical version of her own world. She goes on to find that there are self-titled “Other Parents,” and more interesting versions of the people who live in the same apartment building as her.
Not long after she explores the new world, it quickly falls apart, with her “Other Mother” turning out to be a creature known as a Beldam, a shapeshifting entity known to eat children’s souls.
The movie ends with Coraline besting the Beldam in a scavenger hunt and setting free the souls of children the Other Mother had captured in the past.
Keep in mind that this was marketed as a children’s movie, and was made in stop motion animation. This film is just one example of an animated film that actually has some scary moments as well as a terrifying theme.
Another western animated film that was geared towards children was the film Monster House, I won’t get too much into the entire plot, but there were a few definite moments that scared the heck out of me as a child, and still creep me out to this day.
Animated horror, while present in North America, is far more popular in other countries, such as Japan who have it featured in some popular anime series. The most well known anime series would be ones like Death Note, Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul, Full Metal Alchemist, Hellsing, Fate Zero, Berserk and many more. I believe the reason for this is that anime is a much more varied medium with space for creators to tell their stories. Many of the previously mentioned anime series are known more for their action and character progression. However they are still considered to be horror thanks to the haunting events that unravel in their stories.
The example I will use is the anime Berserk, originally an animated tv series produced in 1997, but more recently three films were made followed by a continuing series.
The series follows a loner named Guts who ends up joining a group of mercenaries. It’s here that I should mention that the Berserk series would definitely be considered rated R. I don’t want to spoil the ending for those who are genuinely interested in watching it themselves, but just know that both the films and tv series go from 0 to 100 incredibly quick and it is haunting.
These anime are generally liked in both the east and the west, and they appeal to a wide audience, most of which are older due to the mature content.
I hope people can accept the fact that just because something isn’t live-action, that doesn’t mean it’s not scary or mature. I’d like to believe that in the future people can accept that liking these properties or styles of storytelling doesn’t mean you’re a child, and understand that nine times out of ten the shows that they’re judging aren’t just for children.
Andy Tworek
Andy Tworek is a second-year professional writing student with a passion for all things scary, abnormal and strange. Despite being a skeptic of most conspiracies and paranormal phenomena, his curiosity of the unexplained always outweighs his disbelief. Andy is an avid fan of fictional horror content. While he may not be the most investigative when it comes to real-life conspiracies, you can always be sure he’ll find the truth behind your favourite fictional monsters.
