Fantasy is a genre of fiction that uses aspects such as mythical creatures, magic, or alternate physics to deliver a story in which the rules of reality do not apply, allowing for more creative freedom and more versatile stories. It tends to go hand-in-hand with other genres, too, with many different films twisting the typical conventions of fantasy and incorporating them into whatever story they want to tell. Star Wars, for example, is a near-perfect blend of fantasy and sci-fi, while The Lord of the Rings is the embodiment of epic fantasy.
As such, there is no shortage of movies that feature fantasy mixed with horror, which often makes for some pretty haunting yet very imaginative tales. As with any effort to mix two genres, it can either do well or fall flat on its face. Luckily, those looking for horror movies that are a little bit different from the norm and allow for a nice liaison between two beloved yet distinct genres are in for a ride. Indeed, there are plenty of brilliant entries to choose from, all of which bring considerable imagination to the table.
15
‘Gaia’ (2021)
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Image via XYZ Films</figure>
Gaia is a film that critics loved, but some audiences didn’t quite enjoy, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie — in fact, it’s quite good and is rather unique and interesting. The movie comes straight from South Africa and follows two researchers who enter a thick forest hoping to recover a downed drone. However, what they find is a series of dangerous monsters, along with a rapidly spreading fungus that seems to be responsible for them.
This remarkable hidden gem is an eco-horror movie — the enemy is Mother Nature herself — and comes with some really eerie visuals, though it sometimes fails in the narrative department. Still, Gaia makes effective use of a small cast and its one-of-a-kind setting, balancing the horror and fantasy elements while keeping things close to the chest. The result is something really special and eerie that viewers won’t forget any time soon, whether they love it or not.
14
‘The Ritual’ (2017)
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Image via Netflix</figure>
The Ritual follows a group of British friends who, following the death of one of their group members, embark on a hiking trip in the mountainous Swedish wilderness. As they traverse through the forest, something begins hunting them, made worse by the lingering presence of a cult harassing them as they become lost and disoriented.
The Ritual dives deep into Norse mythology, introducing a monstrous being inspired by Viking legend, with the cult members being fully aware of its existence. But that’s not all, as there are also cult members who are far from home, also taking the form of some sort of creature in Norse mythos. Overall, while it isn’t the best fantasy horror movie out there, The Ritual is quite frightening and weaves a lot of fantasy elements into its admittedly simplistic storyline.
13
‘Lamb’ (2021)
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Image via A24</figure>
Lamb has a deceptively simplistic title. “What could be so frightening about a baby sheep?” some might say. One viewing of the movie, however, will put it all into perspective. Utilizing the mounting sense of dread that comes standard with every great slow-burn horror, Lamb is an Icelandic film about a couple living on a farm who awakes one morning to find that one of their sheep has given birth to a half-sheep/half-human hybrid, which they decide to raise as their own.
To be frank, it’s a weird movie, but one that grapples with a lot of interesting concepts. For example, the couple ends up in a tug-of-war with the biological mother, who begins to pester the family in the hopes of being reunited with her child named Ada (Lara Björk Hall). Odd but highly underrated, Lamb pursues a unique path while breaking several horror conventions, and it is made all the better for it.
12
‘Moloch’ (2022)
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Image via XYZ Films</figure>
Moloch comes from the Netherlands and follows a young woman who lives in a peat bog with her family. A stranger attacks the family one fateful night, leading to a series of strange and unexplained events while a larger, more sinister force lurks beneath the surface of the swamp, quietly waiting for its moment to strike.
This film was another major hit with critics, who found it to be a brilliant, if underrated, diamond in the rough. The ideas in the film feel fresh and original, with the vile swamp that serves as the backdrop only adding to the overall atmosphere and sinister setting. Sure, there are some clichés, but Moloch owns them rather than make them feel cheesy and outdated. Anyone who is a fan of sinister folk horror has to check out Moloch. It’s a remarkable fantasy horror movie that has never received the attention it deserves, and that needs to change.
11
‘In My Mother’s Skin’ (2023)
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Image via Amazon Studios</figure>
In My Mother’s Skin is a Philippine historical fantasy movie that takes place near the end of World War II. A wealthy family becomes trapped in their country estate while Japanese soldiers desperately try to maintain control of the island. Needing a way out, the father takes off on some foolish treasure hunt, and the mother’s health begins to deteriorate. As a last resort, their young daughter, Tala (Felicity Kyle Napuli), turns to a mystical forest spirit known simply as the Fairy (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), who offers to help the beleaguered family… or so it seems. In truth, the Fairy plans to devour the family and begins gradually luring Tala into a trap.
The film is very dark and macabre, using the grim situation and the desperation of civilians during wartime to add fuel to the fires of terror. Though the Fairy looks innocent and welcoming, she is still a super creepy antagonist due to her nature and how she is willing to prey on the young and innocent. Underrated yet surprisingly adept at tackling its heavy content, In My Mother’s Skin is a perfect film for fans of Pan’s Labyrinth. Like del Toro’s masterpiece, it captures the whimsical nature of fantasy and blends it with the sinister tones of horror, producing a one-of-a-kind triumph.
10
‘The Head Hunter’ (2019)
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Image via Vertical Entertainment</figure>
The Head Hunter is a historical horror film that takes place during Medieval Times and follows an unnamed Viking (Christopher Rygh) who earns his crust by hunting monsters. He prefers to decapitate these beasts of legend and keep the heads as trophies, but there is one head in particular that he really, really wants: that of the creature who killed his daughter.
While it was a smash hit with critics, audiences didn’t seem to enjoy it quite as much. The Head Hunter is an ideal pick for fans of The Witcher, as it features a lot of the same themes and has the same dark, oppressive atmosphere as the show. There is a lot of brutal violence as the Viking hunts his prey, making The Head Hunter visceral but ultimately action-packed as well. The creatures are definitely creepy but also present a unique premise not commonly explored in horror, which helps the film stand out amongst other horror movies.
9
‘Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic’ (2010)
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Image via Anchor Bay Entertainment & Manga Entertainment</figure>
Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic is an adult animated movie based on the criminally underrated hack and slash video game of the same name. The game is, in itself, based on the first part of Dante Alighieri‘s epic poem Divine Comedy. The story describes a knight who travels through the Nine Circles of Hell, in search of his lover, who has been kidnapped by Satan himself. Along the way, he meets many historical figures, who have been damned for all eternity.
Normally, video game adaptations are seen as pretty terrible, but this one really gets the job done. What’s super interesting is that each circle of hell is handled by a different animation studio, meaning every so often, the art style switches. It makes for a fascinating viewing experience, that’s for sure. The horror, of course, comes from its disturbing and disgusting visuals, while the fantasy comes from the demons and the supernatural narrative itself. This is such a great movie to watch, even if you’ve never played the game before.
Four franchises, four completely different ways of getting underneath
your skin. This is the one built out of your particular fear, why it works so well on you, and what
it would leave behind.
Your nightmare does not wait outside the door. It waits for you
to close your eyes, which you are going to have to do eventually, because nobody has ever
won that particular argument.
- Freddy is horror’s cruellest idea: a threat that lives in the one place you cannot
guard, cannot lock, and cannot avoid forever. - You are the one who is fine during the film and wide awake at two in the morning. Your
own head is where this does its damage. - These films understood exhaustion as a horror engine. The kids on Elm Street do not lose
because they are weak. They lose because they are tired. - You can lock every door in the house. You still have to sleep.
Your nightmare is not really the doll. It is the face of the
person you tell, and the way they decide, very kindly, that you have imagined all of it.
- Chucky works precisely because he is absurd. That is the trap: the more accurately you
describe him, the less anybody is going to believe you. - You are the one shouting at the screen because the characters are not listening. You
know that feeling from real life too. - The franchise is at its best when the adults in the room are the real obstacle, and you
have met those adults. - By the time somebody finally believes you, you will have handled most of it on your own.
Your nightmare has your number, knows your name, and has almost
certainly been inside your house before. The worst part is that you already know them.
- Scream is the only one of these where the killer takes the mask off and turns out to be
somebody who was at the party. - You are the person who calls the twist out loud before it lands. You watch people the
same way you watch films. - The franchise made the rules of horror part of the plot, which means the survivors are
the ones paying attention. You would be paying attention. - Everybody is a suspect, including the person who just offered to walk you home.
Your nightmare is not really about you. It is about the people
asleep down the hall, and the feeling that whatever is here is not interested in leaving.
- The Conjuring films are domestic horror. The house, the family, the perfectly ordinary
room that quietly stops feeling ordinary. - Your instinct is to get everybody into one room. Your fear is protective rather than
personal, which is rarer than it sounds. - This is the one franchise where belief is the weapon. The people who come through it are
the ones who are not alone and refuse to be. - Whatever is here did not come for you. It came for the household, and you are the one
standing in the hallway.
8
‘Mad God’ (2021)
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Image via Shudder</figure>
Mad God is a stop-motion animation film that is really something else. The movie opens up with a nameless, faceless character known only as “The Assassin” as he descends deep into the Underworld. He is armed with a bomb, and is assigned to set it in a very specific spot, for reasons unknown. Don’t expect to learn why, either, as the film is intentionally vague and ambiguous. Heck, there isn’t even a single spoken line of intelligible dialogue in it.
The fantasy comes in the form of the monstrous creatures and demons the Assassin encounters, while the horror comes from… well, pretty much the same thing. Even though stop-motion is often regarded as a juvenile method of storytelling that is typically reserved for children’s movies, this movie showed how versatile it can be; that it can easily be used to creep and gross audiences out. The movie is pretty confusing due to its lack of context, but it’s so incredible to watch for its visuals alone.
7
‘Gremlins’ (1984)
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Image via Warner Bros.</figure>
Gremlins is among the best comedy-horror movies with a huge fantastical presence, namely in the existence of the adorable little creatures named mogwai. One Christmas, a young man named Billy (Zach Galligan) receives a mogwai as a Christmas present, with three important rules: one, do not expose it to sunlight; two, do not expose it to water; and three, do not feed it after midnight. Before long however, these rules are broken one by one, causing the mogwai to multiply and transform into the malicious little creatures known as gremlins. The gremlins begin to terrorize the town, killing people in odd, yet admittedly hilarious, ways.
Though loaded with ’80s cheese and unconvincing practical effects, Gremlins remains a shining example of satire, ripping many plot points and themes straight from a multitude of other genres that were popular throughout the decade. In short, Gremlins is cheesy because it’s supposed to be, and that’s why people love it. With a near-perfect mix of fantasy and horror, this beloved movie is a standout of the ’80s.
6
‘The Innocents’ (2021)
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Image via IFC Midnight </figure>
The Innocents is a Norwegian horror film about children who possess magical powers, which they only reveal when adults aren’t around, making their usual playtime much more dangerous and haunting. As these children discover their natural abilities, they begin to turn on each other, threatening their families and keeping secrets after the death of one of their closest friends tears them apart.
The Innocents features a main cast of child actors who deliver their performances with all the finesse and experience of a seasoned veteran. They are convincing in their roles, especially the more difficult ones, like Anna (Alva Brynsmo Ramstad), who has non-verbal autism. Ultimately, The Innocents is a shining example of the “less is more” philosophy, delivering one heck of a punch without needing to resort to high production values or complex plotlines.
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