Animated Horror

Could an animated series with a sub TV-MA rating be effective as a horror title? I'm putting this as the OP image because I want to get ahead of people talking about analog horror. It's oversaturated. I'm asking because I'd like to get ahead of October and see if there's anything that could be made or suggested that would actually scare people.

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  1. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    It can be done. Not as often, but when it's done, it's done well

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      I didn't know Blutch did animation

  2. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    You mean you want something that's made for kids that can still scare people? I guess you can go the Courage route and push uncanny CGI monsters and non-explicit deaths.

  3. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Of course it's possible
    It's just not particularly likely that
    1: a network would put in the resources for that niche audience
    2: the available established writers and animators being competent enough to make it happen

    My middle ground would be something like those blocks of pilots a network used to air, but they're just horror shorts submitted for showing rather than creators aiming for a pilot
    Even then there's the problem of convincing a network to give up the real estate over more profitable material and not just treat the shorts as pilots for potential shows

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      >niche audience
      homie kids are obsessed with horror stuff nowadays. There's definitely a potential audience for a horror cartoon in this day and age, however you're right that you'd still have to find a network that is willing to give you the creative liberties you need.

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        Kids are obsessed with the idea of horror through the filter of their favorite youtuber screaming and pulling faces

        • 10 months ago
          Anonymous

          Analog horror/backrooms are also popular with children and those don't involve streamers as far as I can tell.

          • 10 months ago
            Anonymous

            post backrooms kino

            • 10 months ago
              Anonymous

              >Not Kane
              Automatically shit

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        But why does it have to be sub-TV-MA? Why restrict yourself like that? If there was a good adult horror cartoon kids would watch it anyway because

  4. 10 months ago
    Anonymous
    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      over the gardenwall isnt horror its just autumny eerie at times.

  5. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Not totally unrelated but I found this short:

    ?si=SVKen1h-k5SNEMZK

    I dont get the moral. Dont eat weird shit even if you're starving?

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      >don't eat weird shit even if you're starving
      That's entirely reasonable, yes. You might end up starving and in additional pain or sickness from toxins and parasites

      But in this particular case I think the issue was the desecration of and cannibalism of the body, which arose vengefully

  6. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    >Could an animated series with a sub TV-MA rating be effective as a horror title?
    Can't see why not.

  7. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Yeah, just make a fnaf cartoon

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      Would prefer some originality

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        a cartoon that takes inspiration from fnaf then

  8. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Nope

  9. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    not horror but close enough. yeah https://youtu.be/BXTLsQBJSVc?si=3NG6kCPKw7N2ZJSl

  10. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Just hit me with some dino horror
    The trend chasers on youtube blending lazy analog horror with Jurassic Park have been embarrassing
    There's a few people with skill making excellent original animations but they are few and far between

  11. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Most creepypasta sucked but Candle Cove has aged pretty well.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      This is easily one of the good ones. I am happy it for adapted in season 1 of Channel Zero.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      What did the Candle Cove guy move on to make? I know he's working on something now, but I forgot what it is.

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        He created Local 58

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      was candlecove inspired by flapjack or otherway round?

  12. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Courage the Cowardly Dog?

  13. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    It's doable. We have had some dark web cartoons like I Can't Sleep take off or some of David Firth's work.

  14. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Sure. Anything the japs can do the yanks can too, they just have to want it.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      >they just have to want it

  15. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Do people just not remember Courage the Cowardly Dog?

  16. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Well, there's Digimon Ghost Game, but I'm not sure how effective it is.
    [---]
    Anyway, existential horror is quite common theme in shows for little kids, mainly because it does not need gore to work.

  17. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    I watched The House recently. Is that considered horror? The last short probably wasn't but the first two were creepy.

  18. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    I’ve been thinking of making an animated anthology show/movie in the style of Creepshow, Black Mirror, Tales from the Crypt, etc. with each episode done in a different style and with a different director.

  19. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    A former Cinemaphilemrade summed up why getting horror animation out on a big scale is an uphill battle.
    YouTube/Indie animation is the one place where it can stretch its legs.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      >because they think there's no market for it
      Not even Adult Swim? They're the ones who make all those spooky infomercials after all.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      >Shudder won't greenlight anything "kiddie" because they think it'll hurt their reputation
      I don't know how much I believe that, considering how desperate they are to cross-pollinate their drag horror reality shows with Joe Bob at the expense of the reputations of every party involved. They seem blind to the concept of keeping things on-brand.

      >because they think there's no market for it
      Not even Adult Swim? They're the ones who make all those spooky infomercials after all.

      [as] actively does it, but has been outsourcing it to Japan. They threw money into making that eldritch housing complex show and Uzumaki (coming never).

  20. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    It's worked before. Horror in cartoons still exist, it's just not the sole focus. Plenty of cartoons nowadays have scary moments or creepy one off episodes. I'm surprised none of these hundreds of indie animators have tried doing a full blown horror show.

    I know you said sub MA, but Shivering Truth is also pretty good.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      >I'm surprised none of these hundreds of indie animators have tried doing a full blown horror show.
      Off the top of my head I can think of Salad Fingers and Don't Hug Me I'm Scared becoming full series.

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        I can't believe I forgot about DHMIS. I really hope we get a season two.

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