Spooktastic Recommendations: Animated Horror Shows
As I do every year during October/Halloween season, I like to share Spooktastic books or other forms of media in various posts throughout the month. Today I’ll be focusing on Animated Horror TV shows that I recommend. Enjoy these Spooktastic recommendations!
Fright Krewe
Soleil Le Claire, a girl who lives for horror, accidentally breaks a spell on the Tree of Life and unleashes an ancient evil. The spirit of Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen of New Orleans, puts her and four other kids in charge of saving the city from Belial, an ancient demon who feeds on fear. Luckily, they’re not alone, as each kid gets a special gift from the voodoo spirits called Loa. Eventually they learn their town’s biggest secret: Vampires, rougarous, ghosts, monsters and demons are real and have secretly lived among humans for decades. The Krewe will have to hone their powers, figure out what Belial’s up to and keep the peace between creatures as they go head-to-head with local legends from the underworld.
This show is the newest out of all the picks on my list, and the hype surrounding it is well warranted. With Dreamworks backing this project, it helps to give it that extra boost that animated shows need. I feel like it’s a solid semi-serious horror themed show that has the main characters facing off against creatures, demons, and dark magic. While the cast of characters seem type casted at first as the show progresses they show strong character development and world building is written well too. I’ve only watched Season One so far, but I love the concept and eerie atmosphere this story is going for, plus I love how diverse the cast of characters are. It excellently explores some of the history of New Orleans while throwing some scares into the mix.
Another
In class 3-3 of Yomiyama North Junior High, transfer student Kouichi Sakakibara makes his return after taking a sick leave for the first month of school. Among his new classmates, he is inexplicably drawn toward Mei Misaki—a reserved girl with an eyepatch whom he met in the hospital during his absence. But none of his classmates acknowledge her existence; they warn him not to acquaint himself with things that do not exist. Against their words of caution, Kouichi befriends Mei—soon learning of the sinister truth behind his friends’ apprehension.
The ominous rumors revolve around a former student of the class 3-3. However, no one will share the full details of the grim event with Kouichi. Engrossed in the curse that plagues his class, Kouichi sets out to discover its connection to his new friend. As a series of tragedies arise around them, it is now up to Kouichi, Mei, and their classmates to unravel the eerie mystery—but doing so will come at a hefty price.
This show is very gory, so if you are sensitive to that please avoid this series! Another is a anime adaptation of the manga of the same name and blends the school concept with a intense murder mystery. Each episode is full of twists and turns as the characters and viewers themselves are trying unravel the clues of the curse. I enjoyed the cliffhangers and the short episode run (12 episodes in total) makes the pacing feel concise without dragging the story out for longer than needed.
Archie’s Weird Mysteries
High-school newspaper reporter Archie Andrews finds himself in some weird situations after an experiment in Riverdale High’s physics lab goes wrong. Following the incident, strange creatures — including a swamp creature, werewolves and vampires — are found residing in the school and surrounding community. It’s up to Archie and pals Betty, Veronica, Reggie and Jughead to tackle the mysteries, figure out what’s going on, and rid Riverdale of the creatures and ghouls once and for all.
Everyone talks about Riverdale and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, but many overlook Archie’s Weird Mysteries. I loved the Archie comics since I was a kid and that this show while not horror leans heavy into a B-movie Sci-Fi vibe. I felt the animation was solid and the mysteries presented in each episode are fun to solve. Though sometimes the concept are literally out of this world and some of the voice acting is over the top, it fits the overall theme the series is going for. Highly recommend this Archie adaptation!
Junji Ito Collection
The works of one of the most famous Japanese horror manga artists, Junji Ito, finally gets animated! This will be an omnibus animation where each episode will star different protagonists such as the famous Tomie, Soichi, and Fuchi!
What is spooky season without Junji Ito horror stories?! Ito has a praise from his manga works (which i highly recommend) and this TV show collections brings his notable characters such as Tomie and many others into animated for. Like his manga, this collection captures art the supremely detailed, unsettling, and eeriness of Ito’s stories. Some of the stories deal with the supernatural and others find horror in the most mundane settings/people. I watched the English dub for this show and it included some of my favorite voice actors which I appreciated. Each episode sent chills down my spine, but left me eager to explore more of It’s stories.
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Courage is a timid pink dog with paranoia problems. His owners are an old couple living on a farm full of bizarre adversaries. Courage must overcome his fear and help save his owners, Eustace and Muriel, from ghosts and paranormal spirits living on the farm. Although Muriel loves Courage, Eustace loves to tease him and scare him.
Courage has been a staple in my life since my childhood! Even now as an adult I still find the horror elements to be unnerving as Courage has to face off against some of the creepiest monsters I’ve ever seen. I enjoy that the show not only takes elements from classic horror movies, but also old-school sci-fi flicks as well. It’s weird, scary, and sometimes heartwarming which I think why it has charmed so many viewers over the years. I still feel like there are no shows that can replicate what the world building and characters of Courage the Cowardly Dog gives to us in current TV for kids.
That concludes my list of recommendations. What animated spooky horror shows do you recommend?
