Spooktastic Recommendations: Horror Anthology Films & Shows
As I do with 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 Horror Anthology Films & Shows which features a collection of stories in each show or movie. Enjoy these Spooktastic recommendations!
Synopsis: A series of spellbinding, enchanting and intriguing tales that will bring chills to the back of the neck. Different characters must navigate their way through the unexplained.
This anthology series is a good anthology show and reminds me of Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? which I used to watch all of the time. The stories are creepy, eerie, and just the right amount of spooky! It’s good for viewers of all ages and the tales give off that campfire fire story feel.
Synopsis: The mysterious, yellow-masked Storyteller is a man whose true name and origin are both unknown. He appears at dusk where children gather and recites sinister tales based on Japanese urban legends, to which his young audience eerily intakes. However, the Storyteller is no ordinary teller of tales. He incorporates a kamishibai, a traditional paper-scrolling device, to add visuals to his already demented narration.
Each episode is based on Japanese urban legends/folklore and only runs about four minutes long. Though the episodes are super short I still find the stories to be spine chilling. I usually don’t like horror shows that rely on jump-scares, but they felt genuine/well-placed along with the eerie music. I’ve watched seasons one and two and have enjoyed them thoroughly. The use of a paper style animation to reflect the kamishibai storytelling effect is really cool!
Synopsis: Just like the podcast of the same name,this TV series uncovers real-life events that spawned people’s darkest nightmares. Taking advantage of its ability to showcase visuals, the series blends animation in with the storytelling and narration.
Just like the podcast, the TV adaptation gives off the same creepy vibes. Based on historical events, the show goes into detail about the subject of each episode with very detailed visuals. I liked that it doesn’t stray too far from it’s source material and how it uses mixed media forms to tell each story. Some episodes are pretty creepy! If you enjoy the podcast, you may want to give this TV version a view.
Synopsis: Featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, is the host of this show shares stories on horrors of the supernatural.
I thought about adding Twilight Zone onto this list, but then I also remembered that Sterling was the host of Night Galley. This show is similar to Twilight but each episode starts out by showing an unsettling painting and launches into a horror story that relates to it. Gallery (in my opinion) is much darker than Twilight in it’s content and focuses more on horror. There are some episodes that really scared me!
Synopsis: Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning “ghost story,” this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior’s reflection in his teacup.
If you’re looking for some classic Japanese horror/ghost stories Kwaidan is a must watch. I love older movies and this anthology adapts four tales. I wouldn’t say this one is absolutely terrifying, but I liked that some of the horror aspects were very subtle. It sticks to its source material and introduces some classic folklore to a new audience. I loved the attention to detail and the cinematography. My favorite piece out of this film is The Woman of the Snow.
Synopsis: The show, adapted from Dan Simmons’s 2007 novel by the same name, proceeds from a simple, killer hook: two ships trapped out on the ice, a crew under increasing strain, and a murderous, largely unseen presence stalking them through the howling snows.
I’ve only watched the first season of this show, but I’m highly impressed with it. I definitely plan on watching season 2, and hope they continue to produce more episodes. The first season focuses on the story of the real life HMS Terror was a specialized warship and how it was trying to complete a trip through the Artic and was never heard from again. With a fantastic cast and lots of spooky supernatural elements this was a entertaining watch! The horror is a slow build up especially when the crew becomes stranded and they realize that something lurks outside the ship they reside in.
Synopsis: When night falls on the city, shadows and spirits come alive in this horror anthology series centered on urban legends.
Watching Goedam reminds me of another horror short story that I enjoyed (Tales of Terror From Tokyo) as it focuses on some urban legends.. The episodes are extremely short, which means sometimes (unfortunately) the story’s scares heavily rely on jump scares. In this collection of stories some were a hit or miss for me, but as a whole I enjoyed this shoe. It offers a type of “quick-bite” horror where you know that something bad will happen, it’s just a matter of when. One of the episodes that stuck out to me is Destination.
That concludes my list of recommendations. What spooky anthology shows do you recommend?
