Is this Why I Have Crippling Existential Angst?
AKA Why did my Mom Let Me Watch These, but also I Loved Them?
The Neverending Story (1984) d: Wolfgang Petersen
The Dark Crystal (1982) d: Jim Henson, Frank Oz
The Last Unicorn (1982) d: Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
The Black Cauldron (1985) d: Richard Rich, Ted Berman
I think late 80s/early 90s kids will be very familiar with this list. Obviously, these aren’t horror movies per se, but they scarred an entire generation, so I feel like I can count them.
The antagonist of The Neverending Story is literally nothingness. A cute horse straight up dies of sadness. This movie is pure existential dread – for kids!
Everything about The Dark Crystal is completely magical and very dark (GET IT?). The plot is literally about horrifying, skeletal vultures who suck the souls out of cute lil creatures until they are zombie husks. But, you know, with puppets! The world building is incredible, but even some of the good guys are pretty freaky (cough cough Aughra). P.S. If, like me, you loved this movie, the Netflix prequel is surprisingly great.
I was obsessed with The Last Unicorn growing up (the book is worth a read too). I might be kidding myself using past tense there – it’s partial inspiration for one of my tattoos after all. This is the melancholy story of an immortal being who learns how to regret while trying to save her species from forced imprisonment. For a cartoon musical, it’s creepy AF. The red bull, the harpy, that alcoholic skeleton? So freaky.
The Black Cauldron is the princess movie Disney hopes you forgot. Mostly because it’s horrifying and WAY too dark to fit their aesthetic. The big bad is The Horned King (who’s basically Satan), who somehow made it into a Disneyland ride that eventually was shut down because it was too traumatic.
(If you’re enjoying this nostalgic nightmare collection, feel free to add Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland)