Most artists know that the best way to get
their message across is to use shock value. While others just love making creepy and questionable
works. These 15 scary animated videos come from a
diverse set of artists who use their creativity to put the audience in a state of pure fear
and confusion. 15. Metachaos
This unsettling music video has actually made it’s way onto our lists before, but we couldn’t
leave it out this time. Not only is the visual nightmare a truly creepy
work of art, it’s actually a highly revered work of art. This video, directed by Alessandro Bavari,
is an experimental art piece using a mix of digital art, photography and multimedia paintings. In the original upload of the video Bavari
stated, in the description: “Metachaos indicates a primordial shape of ameba, which lacks in
precise morphology, and it is characterized by mutation and mitosis. The bodies represented in METACHAOS, though
they are characterized by an apparently anthropomorphous appearance, in reality they are without identity
and conscience. They exist confined in a space less and timeless
state.” Though these beings are meant to exist outside
reality, the video seems to feature some of the most human based downfalls such as warfare
and love. The art piece itself features fast moving
clips of faceless metallic bodies floating, spinning and falling through industry reminiscent
scenery. Long vines of what appear to be cable or dark
matter fall from the top of the scenes and cover the set below. Crackling, digital and high pitched sounds
accompany the unrealistic and horrifying imagery. At about 2 minutes and 30 seconds into the
video, as the imagery seems to become darker, a music soundtrack is added to the mix. The deep industrial rock or synthpop music
makes the imagery all the more effective as you see these humanoid beings transcend through
what looks like a post war zone. While the story here is a bit hard to follow,
as there isn’t really a set message being relayed, the visuals are enough to at least
keep you interested, if not immediately scare you off and question your own existence on
this plane. It's a proven fact that generosity makes you
a happier person, so if you're generous enough to like this video then thank you because
it really helps us out. 14. Bad Egg
This short animation starts out innocently, and the style used would lead you to believe
it’s a short film intended for children. As the video goes on, however, it becomes
clear that not only is this video not a great thing for kids to see, it’s also disturbing
for adults. Though the message is strong and important
it really just leaves you wondering who could create something so twisted. A dark storm is stirring in the clouds above
a momma bird, who sits beside her first baby in the nest. She offers the baby half of her worm. Suddenly another egg hatches and out pops
a grumpy, smaller bird. The smaller bird steals the bigger birds worm,
as well as the mother’s half. The taller baby bird is left with nothing
to eat, and a third baby will be hatching soon. The mother flies away to catch another worm
for her hungry babies. While she is gone, the newborn smaller bird
realizes that once the new egg hatches – he will have to share his food with two other
babies. He clearly wants all the food to himself so
in a sick, yet swift decision he rolls the egg over the edge of the nest. The egg falls several feet to a jagged rock
below and a slightly bloody image is revealed. At this point it become clear that the animation
is not intended for children, and that this little black bird is evil. Without any second thought, he goes on to
push the bigger baby bird over the edge as well. He sits in satisfaction, and soon sees his
mother a few rocks away, holding a new worm. He chirps in excitement, but the mother is
horrified to find her other two babies missing from the nest. Seemingly out of nowhere two loud gunshots
can be heard from the ground below. The momma bird takes off toward her baby but
is taken down by a bullet mid-air. The baby bird is left with no food, below
a flock of hungry vultures, or hawks. As the animation ends a message appears that
reads “Earth provides enough to satisfy every mans need, but not every mans greed.” It’s clear that the message was meant to
show that greed brings bad karma and you will be left with even less than you need for survival. Choosing a demonic baby bird for this message
is still pretty creepy, though. Especially considering how cutesy the art
style is. This short was created by BIG Animation, a
team based in India. To prove that they did have a more creative
side. Despite the films morbid message, it has won
several awards. 13. Hell
David Firth is not a new name in the game of creepy videos. He created the well-known and severely unsettling
animated series Salad Fingers, and gained his share of fame from his short “Crooked
Rot” featured on Adult Swim. In this video titled “Hell”, Firth does
not fail to deliver the confusing and creepy feeling he always creates. It’s hard to explain the storyline with
this short, because there doesn’t seem to be one. Overall it’s just distorted Claymation creatures,
a lot of blood and murder, altered photos, screams, and other distressing audio. One of the more unpleasant scenes features
a baby doll twisting it’s head in a full circle at increasing speeds until her eye
is taken out and covered in blood, and one side of her hair is in flames. Much like Crooked Rot it seems to be made
from home. With no background for this video or who created
it, you’d probably assume it came from the mind of an insane psychopath who had taken
countless victims. While there’s no proof David Firth is a
psychopath, he definitely has a different way of thinking and he always distributes
perfectly horrific content. His YouTube channel is still active, so if
you’re interested in more of his grotesque and marvelous work go check him out. In a recent promo he described his own work
as “a seamless stream of nightmare consciousness” which is really the only way to phrase it. 12. Molten Light
Chad VanGaalen, a solo musician and animator. Has created several musical albums and animated
art pieces all by himself. In 2008 he created the album titled Soft Airplane. For the song “Molten Light” he also animated
his own music video. Not only is the story poetic, uncertain, sad
and slightly horrifying – but the video is a perfect match for this unique creation. The imagery presented in the short music video
resembles that of a childrens folklore book, if that book took a turn for the disturbing. There’s cartoon nudity, gore, murder, and
a brilliant formula for revenge. Two men cut the heart out of a young woman,
dump her body and eat her heart. She returns from her grave as a distorted
and sinister spirit, seeking revenge. She now has four eyes, a large head, wrinkled
skin, and looks more like a monster than a ghost or human. She rides on the back of a cliff that is drawn
out like a dinosaur or horse like creature and eventually finds the two brothers that
killed her, locked away in their home. She has grown 10 times her own size now and
is a demonic creature of mass proportions. She tears down their home and kills this with
a flame from her chest, where her heart used to be. After she kills the brothers she seems to
be presented as some sort of higher being. In addition to this rollercoaster of amazingly
scary visuals, the music is a beautiful melody which narrates the story. It’s perplexing to think that Chad VanGaalen
created this entire project by himself. 11. The Sad Tale Of Bad Breath Joe
This 1 minute short animation was created by Dimitri Kozma in 2010, and shares the short
and tragic tale of a man with horrible breath. The comic like animation shows us a man with
stench fumes radiating from his mouth. Everyone around him is disgusted, and they
flee from him. He is instantly saddened and finds the only
solution is to down a bottle of sulfuric acid. In the next image, everyone is surrounded
by pleasant flowers, meant to signify a charming aroma. As the image pans to the left we see Joe smiling
as he is finally accepted. However, his mouth and cheeks have been eroded
off to expose his skeleton as blood drips from his face. In the description of this short and bloodstained
comic, Dimitri explained: A funny way to show how much we would do for acceptance from society. So clearly the message here was that many
people will go to great lengths to be accepted and desired by others. 10. Smile! In 2004 Alexander Wasilewski created this
worrisome animated short that really makes you think about society. The short features what seems to be a council
of popular kids, or just generally happy people. One guy is wearing a basketball jersey, while
one sports a letterman jacket and a woman wears a tank top that says “Sexy bitch”. The jury sits in front of our main character,
with huge smiles across their face. The protagonist here has no smile on his face,
he seems distressed or sad. One of the jury members presses a button which
shoots a large metal stake into our protagonists back. A screen flashes with the word “Smile!”
and it becomes clear that he must smile to stay alive. He tries his best but as blood flows from
him, it’s hard to keep a grin and he is eventually killed off by the council. After he is filled with about 5 sharp stakes,
he is thrown off a cliff like beam into a dark abyss. Strangely, a disco ball ascends from the ceiling
and the council either engages in an innocent dance party, or an orgy. It’s a bit hard to tell. This animation gives the feeling of someone
suffering from depression trying to fit in, but being crucified for emotions they can’t
control. Though creator Alexander Wasilewski only stated
“A troublesome individual is put against a jury. Is he capable of life in a joyous community,
where a smile never leaves faces?” Which gives the viewer room to speculate the
different possible messages being portrayed in the film. Not only is the imagery here discomforting,
but it makes you rethink the way you treat others. 9. It’s Such a Beautiful Day
This entry is a little different because it is a full-length film, comprised of 3 shorter
films. Created in 2006, It’s Such a Beautiful Day
is follows the story of Bill, a seemingly mundane man who is struggling with more than
the surface tells. The majority of chapter one follows Bill’s
daily routines. While they seem normal at first, it quickly
becomes clear that something isn’t quite right. Bill suffers from delusions, nightmares and
memory loss. The small issues are almost comedic, but as
the story goes on – especially through chapters 2 and 3 published in 2011 and 2012 respectively
– the film becomes darker and more upsetting. Stressful scenes, gory imagery, and terrifying
audio clips come together to create a beautiful mess that the audience can’t look away from. Sometime during chapter 2 we find out that
Bill suffered a head injury which has likely led to a severe mental disorder. As certain scenes pick up and become more
stressful, the split-screen viewing style and combating audio becomes just as overwhelming
for the viewer as for Bills’ life becomes for him. While the style can be cutesy at times, the
story presented only grows more harrowing. The short series has gained praise for the
way it presents mental illness, bringing the audience into the battle instead of just being
an unaffected crowd. If you’d like to watch the entire film,
it’s available on YouTube and Netflix. Not only does this short series have a perfect
touch of horror, it really makes you think about those that may be suffering from mental
illness and their everyday struggles. We highly suggest that if you view any entry
in full, it should be this one! Just as a warning, the ending is a compete
tear jerker. 8. The Pier
This short animated film was produced in 2004 as part of a student thesis for the Ringling
College of Art and Design Computer Animation, by student Jason Bennett. In his personal blog, Bennett explains that
he was responsible for creating all aspect of the short and that it was seen on MTV2
and was featured in Siggraph 2004 Animation Theater. The short follows a humanoid creature that
goes out onto a lonely pier near sunset, to fish. What the fisherman doesn’t seem to know
is that there’s a large creature perched beneath the pier, watching his every move
and waiting to attack. The creature beneath the pier releases a smaller
creature from its mouth to bite the line of the fisherman. He catches the small creatures and eats it
fresh off the fishing pole, then turns to walk away, but he suddenly hears splashing
and returns to try for another catch. The small creature he devoured before begins
eating away at the lining of his stomach and he drops to his knees in pain. At that moment the monster from beneath the
pier grabs him, pries his mouth open to release several similar creatures – likely offspring
of the monster – into the fishermen’s stomach where they begin eating him from inside. The film ends abruptly and you are left with
more questions than answers. The message is quite unclear although it seems
to be a twisted play on the food chain. Either way the suspense of the scene and the
artwork are sure to give you chills. 7. Doll Face
Artist filmmaker Andrew Thomas Huang created this short-animated film in 2007. In an empty room, a mounted tv and an empty
metal box sit in place. A few seconds into the video some robotic
humanoid pops out of the box. The machine has a human face on an otherwise
mechanical body. The robot faces the television just as it
turns on and swiftly surfs through the channels. The TV eventually lands on a channel where
a face can be seen, the face looks very similar to the face on the robot, only it’s wearing
makeup. The machine immediately takes an interest
and moves closer toward the TV, with a concerned expression she uses her mechanical arms to
reach into a compartment that holds makeup. First the applies lipstick, then eyebrow makeup,
and blush. She stops and smirks, pleased with her new
appearance. But then the station changes to an even more
detailed and made up version of the face, with colored eyes, darker skin and a thinner
nose. She looks up in approval as the TV turns off
and begins to move away. She follows it upward but cannot reach, so
she lunges forward several times. Now the TV has come back to life and continues
to display more and more beautiful women. In one last desperate attempt, she lunges
forward with even more strength, but she snaps the base of her figure and falls to the floor,
shattering her face. It’s undoubtfully clear that this animation
was based on beauty standards the media puts forth that are unattainable by men and women
alike. Andrew Huangs’ description reads “A machine
with a doll face mimics images on a television screen in search of a satisfactory visage. Doll Face presents a visual account of desires
misplaced and identities fractured.” 6. Sebastian’s Voodoo
This short directed by Joaquin Baldwin was created in 2009 and follows the quick and
emotional story of a small voodoo doll. The story begins when the small voodoo doll
awakens in a dark, dirty room. He’s mounted upon a hook alongside several
other voodoo dolls. He courageously saves the other dolls by pinning
himself to affect the voodoo animist. He successfully pins himself in the heart,
which causes the animist to have heart failure, and the other dolls are saved. The general idea here is what makes the clip
so disturbing. Not only is voodoo a commonly creepy idea,
but adding living little tortured dolls to the mix somehow worsens the practice. The detail in the animation is both marvelous
and even more horrifying. 5. Smile
Yet another entry titled Smile, yet with a totally different story and animation style. This short film isn’t actually entire animated. Most of the characters and the scenery are
life action, only the heads of the characters are animated and blown out of proportion. This disturbing presentation was created by
two film students, Yuval Markovich and Noam Abta, in 2005. The film begins with our main character Yuval
going over to his friends home for some coffee. He is greeted by a woman named Hagit and walks
in to find his friend Oshik fixing the TV, while an apparently attractive woman lays
back in a reclining chair with her broken leg propped up. A few awkward interactions lead to Yuval being
nervous and paranoid. Hagit seems obsessed with the order of things,
forcing Yuval out of one seat because it’s “her spot”. Yuval then sits next Nekomes, the girl with
the broken leg. He asks her what happened and she hesitates
before saying “it was an accident”. Hagit brings in coffee for Yuval and Oshik. After one drink Yuval feels tense and nervous
and pours the coffee out in the kitchen, where he finds an empty bottle of valium on the
floor. All throughout this Yuval has been seeing
the women and his friend as terrifying smiling faces. The valium begins to knock him out and that
horrifying face is all he can see before he sees the girl with the broken leg hit him
with a long object. It’s unclear if this is all some delusion,
perhaps the increasing visions of a panic attack, or if there really is some foul play
occurring. Either way these blown out heads and creepily
smiling faces make us all almost as uncomfortable as Yuval. 4. Bingo the Clowno
This short-animated horror act was created in 1998 by animator Chris Landreth. Aside from the creepy psychological thriller
aspect of this film, it is considered an amazing work in animation for it’s time. The use of more 3D styles, with several moving
parts at once, and unique background designs were unseen for computer animation in the
90’s. Chris Landreth created the short based on
the play “Disregard this Play” which was written and performed by a theater group known
as the Neo Futurists. The short features an everyday man, stuck
in a circus act. Several different characters such as a rough
clown with a cigarette, a slob that produces money, and a slightly demonic little girl
– all come by him and insist, usually by screaming that he is Bingo the Clowno. For several scenes, he argues that he is not
Bingo the Clowno and he doesn’t understand what’s going on. However, through fear and what appears to
be media brainwashing, the young man eventually admits that he IS Bingo. The ending after that is quite a twist. The background, the music, the characters
and the concept are all reminiscent of an LSD trip or a magical nightmare. The circus aspect, and the angry clowns really
wind up the nightmare fuel in plenty of people. And the sudden screaming that resembles jump
scares are enough to make anyone flinch. 3. Rabbit
Do you remember the childrens books with colorful scenes, where every item in the photo was
labeled to help kids learn to read? This short film created in 2005 is basically
the exact same thing, except with murder. Two children run through the woods and a farm
killing and torturing small animals. The two kids, likely brother and sister, bring
home a live rabbit and cut it open. Out of the rabbit pops a small golden goblin-like
figure, which kills a fly that turns into jewels. The children realize that when the small man,
titled “idol” kills things they turn to riches. They quickly realize that by using this power
they can become rich, so they devise a plan. They take Idol out into the yard and kill
a sheep near him, flies swarm around the carcass which causes Idol to kill them. As a result countless jewels are produced. The ordeal continues in a montage of murdered
animals, zapped insects and literal boxes of riches. After the children lock Idol away to purchase
more food, he turns back into a rabbit, all of the riches turn to insects and devour the
children. The message here is likely about greed but
the imagery and storyline used is deeply unsettling. Especially considering there’s no dialogue
aside from the growls of Idol. 2. Pikadon
On August 6th, 1945 the United States dropped a fatal atomic bomb on the Japanese cities
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The result was over 200,000 deaths and irreparable
damage. Pikadon is a Japanese phrase that refers to
the bombing. Pikadon is the title of this 1978 animation
created by Renzo Kinoshita. The short film begins by showing the lighthearted
daily lives of random Japanese citizen. A family, workers, and people in the street
are all portrayed. Of course, we all know this is going down
a dark and depression path. About 3 minutes into the cheerful scenes,
a loud roaring can be heard and several jets are seen in the sky above. Everyone carries on with their day but tragedy
is not far. The bomb is dropped and in flashes of gore
we see peoples skin literally melt off of their bodies. A mother attempts to protect her infant but
is too weak for the powerful waves of the atomic bomb. Buildings are turned to dust and cars fly
through the air as well. Burnt bodies of all sorts of people are shown,
mothers children and more. Finally we are me with the remains of the
small child we had seen in the opening of the film. Perhaps the most disturbing part of this short
film is that it isn’t fiction. 1. Backwater Gospel
In the small old town of Backwater, when the undertaker arrives it means he’s waiting
for someone to die so that he may carry them off. A religiously charged preacher in the town
suggests that the homeless man who never comes to service, should be taken out. The undertaker arrives and everyone waits
nervously to see who will be the one to die. After seven days of no deaths, and rising
tensions – the preacher against suggests that the unholy man is the cause of this torment. He claims that killing the man will give the
undertaker what he wants, serve God and protect the rest of the town from death. When the angry mob kills the homeless man
the undertaker still doesn’t leave everyone goes on a murderous rampage until the whole
down is dead, at which time the undertaker finally begins measuring for coffins: suggesting
that he was there for the entire town. Aside from a great story line, and a satisfying
dose of gore the art used in this story is magnificent. You get the feeling that you’re reading
a fast paced graphic novel with great animation alongside it. More importantly this video is a great starting
point for discussions about organized religion and the agendas of religious leaders. The short was directed by Bo Mathorne and
released in 2011. It won the Animated Encounters UWE European
New Talent Award. If you’re going to do anything with 9 minutes
of your life, watch this piece of high art.
