10 Horror Movies Based On Your Childhood Fairy Tales
The scariest stories, such as those found in fairy tales, may often serve as the basis for the finest horror films. Early versions of popular fairy tales, like the Grimms' Fairy Tales, were frequently less enticing than their Disney adaptations. If one were to examine previous versions of well-known fairy tales, one would discover horrifying themes that are present in modern horror films, such as torture, murder, terrifying monsters, and terrible curses.
Given that the original purpose of fairy tales was to both entertain and impart moral lessons to those listening, their inherent darkness makes sense. Moreover, some horror films carry the same emotion as old-fashioned fairy tales. There are many horror films that have absorbed the dark fantasy concepts of the past and made them just as horrific, but modern fairy tales have grown less frightful.
Gretel and Hansel has a similar plot to the classic fairy tale, with the twins getting lost in the woods and coming into a lonely cottage with a kind owner who makes them nervous.
Gretel & Hansel, however, focuses more on Gretel's viewpoint than the original fairy tale it is based on. Gretel is portrayed by Sophie Lillis of IT, who is different from her traditional counterpart in that she possesses supernatural abilities. Holda helps Gretel to embrace her magical skills in addition to helping Gretel and the witch form some type of relationship.
Hunted is a survival horror film about a lady called Eve who winds up being hunted by two guys through the woods after her night out at the bar. It is billed by Shudder as a "contemporary and radical spin" on the tale of Little Red Riding Hood.
Eve battles for her life throughout the movie, first as prey and then as a hunter. From Eve's red hoodie, which is a homage to Little Red Riding Hood's cloak, to the forested backdrop where the majority of the movie is situated, it is clear how the movie drew influence from the original fairy tale it was based on.
The folklore and fairy tales that served as the basis for Good Manners' story allowed the authors to create a modern fairy tale that is both horrifying and addresses racial and class-related societal concerns.
The film, which is set in So Paulo, centers on Clara, a lady who takes on the live-in nanny and housekeeping duties for rich Ana, a pregnant woman. When Clara discovers Ana sleepwalking at night, everything seems to be OK. Clara gradually comes to the conclusion that Ana's pregnancy is more complicated than it first appears.
Based on the Pentamerone collection of fairy tales by Italian poet and storyteller Giambattista Basile. As is to be anticipated with historical fairy tales, the collection is horrifyingly grim and horrible, and the movie version lacks the same level of fright.
Three tales are adapted in Garrone's Tale of Tales: The Flayed Old Lady, The Enchanted Doe, and The Flea. The Flayed Old Lady tells the story of a King who falls in love with a maiden only to be shocked by who he wakes up to the next day. The Flea tells the tale of a King's daughter who is doomed to a terrible fate because her father is obsessed with an abnormally giant flea.
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen served as the basis for the Polish horror movie The Lure. The Lure is a musical, comedy, and horror film that amplifies the dark tone and supernatural elements of the original fairy tale. Two mermaid sisters named Golden and Silver find themselves on land in 1980s Poland.
Shortly after, they are hired as strippers at a nightclub. The fear that one of the sisters would turn into seafoam, like in the fairy tale, if her lover doesn't feel the same way about her adds to the movie's atmosphere of approaching yet familiar doom.
A Korean horror movie by the same name, The Red Shoes, is based on another story by Hans Christian Anderson. In the Hans Christian Anderson adaptation, a girl falls in love with her red shoes to the point where she wears them everywhere, even when it isn't acceptable, and she ends up being cursed to dance till she amputates her own feet.
The mythology of the Joseon Dynasty, Janghwa Hongryeon jeon, is the source of the terror elements of A Tale of Two Sisters. The two girls, Janghwa and Hongryeon, died by drowning and suicide as a result of their cruel stepmother's deception in the original narrative, which is already grim.
The Tooth Fairy is a generally pleasant magical being, but in the film Darkness Falls, the beloved fairy is changed into a malevolent ghost out for blood.
Kindhearted Matilda, often known as the Tooth Fairy, was adored by young children. But, the community quickly turned on her, and she was killed for allegedly stealing two missing children. The Tooth Fairy makes a comeback 150 years later, eager to get retribution on the citizens of the town.
Little Otik, also known as Greedy Guts, is a well-regarded horror movie that weaves a plot based on the 19th-century Czech fairy tale Otesánek by Karel Jaromr Erben using a combination of live-action and bizarre stop-motion animation. When a couple finds they are unable to conceive children, the husband decides to create a living baby out of a tree stump. Unfortunately, the newborn child of the parents quickly develops into an insatiable monster.
The traditional fairy tale of a young woman who falls in love with a horrific monster is adapted by Juraj Herz into the Czech film Panna a Netvor, also known as Beauty in the Beast in English. The film's images and lighting closely resemble those of a horror movie, particularly a gothic horror movie, with a dark, gloomy color scheme that manages to be both beautiful and dreamy while still being spooky.
Given that the original purpose of fairy tales was to both entertain and impart moral lessons to those listening, their inherent darkness makes sense. Moreover, some horror films carry the same emotion as old-fashioned fairy tales. There are many horror films that have absorbed the dark fantasy concepts of the past and made them just as horrific, but modern fairy tales have grown less frightful.
Gretel & Hansel (2020)
Gretel and Hansel has a similar plot to the classic fairy tale, with the twins getting lost in the woods and coming into a lonely cottage with a kind owner who makes them nervous.
Gretel & Hansel, however, focuses more on Gretel's viewpoint than the original fairy tale it is based on. Gretel is portrayed by Sophie Lillis of IT, who is different from her traditional counterpart in that she possesses supernatural abilities. Holda helps Gretel to embrace her magical skills in addition to helping Gretel and the witch form some type of relationship.
Hunted (2020)
Hunted is a survival horror film about a lady called Eve who winds up being hunted by two guys through the woods after her night out at the bar. It is billed by Shudder as a "contemporary and radical spin" on the tale of Little Red Riding Hood.
Eve battles for her life throughout the movie, first as prey and then as a hunter. From Eve's red hoodie, which is a homage to Little Red Riding Hood's cloak, to the forested backdrop where the majority of the movie is situated, it is clear how the movie drew influence from the original fairy tale it was based on.
Good Manners (2017)
The folklore and fairy tales that served as the basis for Good Manners' story allowed the authors to create a modern fairy tale that is both horrifying and addresses racial and class-related societal concerns.
The film, which is set in So Paulo, centers on Clara, a lady who takes on the live-in nanny and housekeeping duties for rich Ana, a pregnant woman. When Clara discovers Ana sleepwalking at night, everything seems to be OK. Clara gradually comes to the conclusion that Ana's pregnancy is more complicated than it first appears.
Tale of Tales (2015)
Based on the Pentamerone collection of fairy tales by Italian poet and storyteller Giambattista Basile. As is to be anticipated with historical fairy tales, the collection is horrifyingly grim and horrible, and the movie version lacks the same level of fright.
Three tales are adapted in Garrone's Tale of Tales: The Flayed Old Lady, The Enchanted Doe, and The Flea. The Flayed Old Lady tells the story of a King who falls in love with a maiden only to be shocked by who he wakes up to the next day. The Flea tells the tale of a King's daughter who is doomed to a terrible fate because her father is obsessed with an abnormally giant flea.
The Lure (2015)
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen served as the basis for the Polish horror movie The Lure. The Lure is a musical, comedy, and horror film that amplifies the dark tone and supernatural elements of the original fairy tale. Two mermaid sisters named Golden and Silver find themselves on land in 1980s Poland.
Shortly after, they are hired as strippers at a nightclub. The fear that one of the sisters would turn into seafoam, like in the fairy tale, if her lover doesn't feel the same way about her adds to the movie's atmosphere of approaching yet familiar doom.
The Red Shoes (2005)
A Korean horror movie by the same name, The Red Shoes, is based on another story by Hans Christian Anderson. In the Hans Christian Anderson adaptation, a girl falls in love with her red shoes to the point where she wears them everywhere, even when it isn't acceptable, and she ends up being cursed to dance till she amputates her own feet.
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
The mythology of the Joseon Dynasty, Janghwa Hongryeon jeon, is the source of the terror elements of A Tale of Two Sisters. The two girls, Janghwa and Hongryeon, died by drowning and suicide as a result of their cruel stepmother's deception in the original narrative, which is already grim.
Darkness Falls (2003)
The Tooth Fairy is a generally pleasant magical being, but in the film Darkness Falls, the beloved fairy is changed into a malevolent ghost out for blood.
Kindhearted Matilda, often known as the Tooth Fairy, was adored by young children. But, the community quickly turned on her, and she was killed for allegedly stealing two missing children. The Tooth Fairy makes a comeback 150 years later, eager to get retribution on the citizens of the town.
Little Otik/Greedy Guts (2000)
Little Otik, also known as Greedy Guts, is a well-regarded horror movie that weaves a plot based on the 19th-century Czech fairy tale Otesánek by Karel Jaromr Erben using a combination of live-action and bizarre stop-motion animation. When a couple finds they are unable to conceive children, the husband decides to create a living baby out of a tree stump. Unfortunately, the newborn child of the parents quickly develops into an insatiable monster.
Panna a Netvor (1978)
The traditional fairy tale of a young woman who falls in love with a horrific monster is adapted by Juraj Herz into the Czech film Panna a Netvor, also known as Beauty in the Beast in English. The film's images and lighting closely resemble those of a horror movie, particularly a gothic horror movie, with a dark, gloomy color scheme that manages to be both beautiful and dreamy while still being spooky.
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