20 Terrifying Animated Films: Chilling Tales, Gothic Themes, and Steampunk Adventures

Discover a diverse collection of animated films ranging from Soviet psychedelic masterpieces to contemporary Western shorts and full-length features crafted by renowned artists.

1. Vincent

Vincent

• USA, 1982
• Fantasy
• Duration: 6 minutes
• IMDb: 8.3

This early work by Tim Burton tells the story of a boy named Vincent who escapes his mundane life by immersing himself in a dark, imaginative world. Inspired by actor Vincent Price, he imagines having a zombie dog and running a wax museum.

2. 9

9

• USA, 2005
• Science Fiction, Thriller
• Duration: 11 minutes
• IMDb: 7.8

Shane Acker's short film pioneered the steampunk genre focusing on living rag dolls. The story follows nine ragdoll protagonists battling machines that steal their souls, with Doll Number 9 striving to free her companions.

3. The Maker

• Australia, 2011
• Fantasy, Musical
• Duration: 6 minutes
• IMDb: 7.8

This musical animation explores the emergence of life, its cyclical nature, and the limited time allotted to all living beings.

4. The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello

• Australia, 2005
• Adventure, Science Fiction
• Duration: 26 minutes
• IMDb: 7.8

Jasper Morello embarks on a perilous airship journey to find a cure for a deadly disease, haunted by guilt over a past accident that claimed a life.

5. The Caliph Stork

• USSR, 1981
• Fairy Tale
• Duration: 20 minutes
• IMDb: 7.7

A bored caliph acquires a magical powder that allows him to transform into any animal, but he must never laugh or he will forget the spell to return to human form.

6. Coraline

Coraline

• USA, 2008
• Fantasy, Horror
• Duration: 100 minutes
• IMDb: 7.7

Based on Neil Gaiman’s novel, this film follows young Coraline who discovers a parallel world where her 'other' family has button eyes and dark secrets lurk beneath the surface.

7. The Golden Antelope

• USSR, 1954
• Fairy Tale
• Duration: 31 minutes
• IMDb: 7.6

An impoverished Indian orphan rescues a magical antelope whose hoof strikes produce golden coins. Greedy rulers soon seek to claim this treasure for themselves.

8. There Will Come Soft Rains

• USSR, 1984
• Science Fiction
• Duration: 10 minutes
• IMDb: 7.6

Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s story, this haunting animation depicts a futuristic autonomous house and robots continuing their routines after humanity has been wiped out.

9. Alice

Neco z Alenky

• Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, UK, Germany, 1988
• Fantasy, Thriller
• Duration: 86 minutes
• IMDb: 7.5

Jan Švankmajer’s dark and surreal adaptation of 'Alice in Wonderland' blends live-action and puppet animation to portray a girl trapped in a cupboard, exploring a sinister fantasy world.

10. The Cat with Hands

The Cat with Hands

• UK, 2001
• Horror
• Duration: 4 minutes
• IMDb: 7.4

Two men converse by a well as one recounts a chilling legend about a cat with human hands that gruesomely dismembers its victims.

11. Zero

Zero

• Australia, 2010
• Drama
• Duration: 13 minutes
• IMDb: 7.4

In a world inhabited by numbers, Zero has always felt insignificant—until an unexpected encounter changes his perspective.

12. The Pass

• USSR, 1988
• Science Fiction
• Duration: 30 minutes
• IMDb: 7.3

Survivors of a crashed Earth spaceship on a distant planet struggle to reach their craft and await rescue, isolated from civilization.

13. Corpse Bride

Corpse Bride

• USA, UK, 2005
• Fantasy, Drama
• Duration: 77 minutes
• IMDb: 7.3

Mysterious forces drag Victor underground where he is wed to a corpse bride. Initially desperate to escape, he gradually adapts to life in the afterworld.

Available on iTunes →
Available on Google Play →

14. Sebastian’s Voodoo

Sebastian’s Voodoo

• USA, 2008
• Horror
• Duration: 4 minutes
• IMDb: 7.2

A unique take on voodoo magic reveals that rag dolls can feel and empathize. To save his beloved, the protagonist must make a desperate sacrifice.

15. Potets

• Russia, 1992
• Symbolism
• Duration: 17 minutes
• IMDb: 7.1

This psychedelic animation interprets Alexander Vvedensky’s poem, where children seek the meaning of the word “father” from their dying dad.

16. The Return

• USSR, 1980
• Science Fiction, Parable
• Duration: 10 minutes
• IMDb: 7.1

After a spaceflight, a cosmonaut falls asleep and cannot be awakened despite the pleas of all humanity—except one special method.

17. 9 (Feature Film)

9

• USA, Germany, 2009
• Science Fiction, Thriller
• Duration: 80 minutes
• IMDb: 7.1

The full-length adaptation expands on the origins of the characters from the short film, depicting their ongoing struggle for survival in a post-apocalyptic world.

Available on iTunes →
Available on Google Play →

18. Frankenweenie

Frankenweenie

• USA, 2012
• Science Fiction, Horror
• Duration: 87 minutes
• IMDb: 6.9

After the death of his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor uses science to bring him back to life, only to discover that Sparky has changed in unexpected ways.

Available on iTunes →
Available on Google Play →

19. The Wise Gudgeon

• USSR, 1979
• Fairy Tale, Satire
• Duration: 9 minutes
• IMDb: 6.8

Based on Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin’s tale, this animation tells of a gudgeon fish who spent his life hiding in his burrow, ultimately living a lonely existence.

20. AMBA

• Russia, 1994–1995
• Science Fiction
• Duration: 18 minutes
• IMDb: 6.5

This two-part animated film narrates the construction of an Automorphic Bioarchitectural Ensemble (AMBA) in the Martian desert and the mutations that afflict the colony’s founder.

Which animated films scared you as a child or even as an adult? Share your fears in the comments below.

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