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Ovie's for this list we're looking at
horror films that are based on or
inspired by fairy tales and folklore to
be considered the movies do not need to
be a direct adaptation of the source
material or even stick to a single story
they just need to be at their core
inspired by classic fairy tales and
folklore also we're being somewhat more
liberal than usual with our definition
of horror films by including thrillers
with a horror element your scares are
something wrong here I'd hate for you to
start something you can't stop number 10
hard candy this is the sort of film you
could easily watch without ever thinking
of fairy tales but don't you think that
fourteen-year-old Hayley the character
played by Ellen Page has made some
rather distinct fashion choices in her
red hoodie and matching leggings
she's a modern-day Little Red Riding
Hood and in the role of the big bad wolf
we have Patrick Wilson as 32 year old
photographer and predator Jeff it's a
dark and twisted game of cat and mouse
that although at times hard to watch is
absolutely riveting the filmmaker claims
to have not seen it as an adaptation of
the classic fairy tale during production
but the obvious allusions did wind up
influencing the film's marketing your
work as a photographer you find out real
quick people's faces lie it's my face my
number 9 good manners
by the time the supernatural elements
come into play in this 2017 Brazilian
horror movie you'll have completely
forgotten you were expecting them and
that's not a bad thing it's actually a
testament to the strength of the
performances and the filmmakers
genre-bending ways good manners follows
a young woman Clara who estranged from
her family becomes a housekeeper for Ana
a woman going through an especially
difficult pregnancy out of strange
cravings make a lot more sense when it's
revealed in spectacularly bloody fashion
that her baby is a werewolf
it's a wildly original film one that for
all its modern touches feels deeply
rooted in the fairytale tradition it's a
monster movie about motherhood and
unconventional love but also so much
more so thick the shadow passage but is
into me number eight the hallow before
being tapped to join the conjuring
universe as the director of 2018 s the
nun Corrin Hardy first garnered
attention with this excellent debut
feature film released in 2015
the hallow is a British Irish
co-production and is deeply rooted in
the folk tales of the latter culture
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the story takes place in a darkened
decidedly spooky forest in rural Ireland
where something ancient and sinister
lurks the locals know to keep their
distance but when an English
conservationist moves in with his family
his presence draws these evil forces out
resulting in a terrifying battle of life
and death Hardy blends various subgenres
of horror to create something at once
familiar yet undeniably his own number 7
Snow White a tale of terror
no vague allusions no tangential
connections
this one says fairytale loud and clear
you're getting an adaptation of Snow
White and it's being recast as a tale of
terror what's the matter dear don't let
the overly explicit and rather generic
title fool you though this film is a gem
that despite somewhat mixed reviews upon
its release in 1997 is now held up as
something of a classic fairy tale horror
film it's a very dark take on the tale
that feels miles away from the Disney
adaptation but actually rang
surprisingly true with how the Brothers
Grimm told it Plus how often do you get
a horror movie this niche that boasts
acting talents like Sigourney Weaver and
Sam Neill
I'll take care of you
number six Sleepy Hollow poison 90s were
great years to be a fan of fairy tale
horror just two years after seeing
Sigourney and Snow White we got Johnny
Depp in this supernatural gothic tale
their heads found severed from their
bodies hmm their heads were not found
seven American folklore might not have
quite as long of a history to it as
other cultures but the Legend of Sleepy
Hollow written by Washington Irving is
just about as classic as they come
taking place in the sort of rich spooky
and Atmospheric world that only Tim
Burton can deliver and boasting solid
performances all around Sleepy Hollow
makes for a viewing experience that is
both evocative and terrifying and to
think this adaptation was first
developed as a low-budget slasher
we are glad paramount took it back to
the drawing board fit enough to face a
mortal adversary number five the lore
Little Mermaid fans you may want to look
away after seeing the lore you may never
look at Ariel the same way again this
film at once Hughes far closer to the
original tale by Hans Christian Andersen
in terms of theme and tone while also
pushing the narrative in bold modern
directions
the lure transposes the action to 1980s
Poland where after meeting a band on the
beach two mermaids gold and silver wind
up following them ashore to discover a
life of human desire and debauchery what
follows is a rollercoaster ride of
sexuality murder and a whole lot of
music equal parts rock opera fairytale
and genuine horror film the lore is one
of a kind
number four the company of wolves didn't
get your fill of Little Red Riding Hood
with hard candy we got you covered
this 1984 gothic or fantasy blends
elements of the Red Riding Hood story
with various werewolf tales for a
narrative that feels ripped right from
the works of Andersen Grimm or Perrault
albeit with a framing narrative set in
the modern day the plot is somewhat
meandering but in addition to delivering
plenty of scary moments it also
functions as an analogy for the
transition from childhood to womanhood
relative unknown cult actress Sarah
Patterson shines bright as young heroine
Rosaleen while Angela Lansbury is
reliable as ever as her granny for fans
of practical effects in horror the film
is worth watching even if only for the
creative transformations
[Applause]
number three Black Swan we knew that the
world of professional ballet was
competitive and physically demanding to
an extreme but we never thought it could
lend itself to a psychological horror
thriller this effective the film stars
Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers a young
dancer with the New York City Ballet
Company whose shoulders the immense
pressure of playing the dual role of
both the black and white Swan in a
production of Swan Lake director Darren
Aronofsky is a master of uncomfortable
cinema and this sees him operating in
top form as the stress of her position
begins to chip away at Nina's mental
health she becomes a danger to herself
and others it makes for an exhausting
viewing experience but it is riveting
and an approach to Swan Lake like you've
never seen it before
[Music]
number two Suspiria Dario Argento's 1977
Italian supernatural horror film is
unlike any released before or since
including it's interesting 2018 remake
from the use of vibrant colors to the
unconventional score provided by Italian
prog rock group Goblin it is a real
lesson in redefining horror cinema
though it's by no means a direct
adaptation of any single fairy tale the
director did take many cues from fairy
tales not only in terms of the dreamlike
atmosphere but more specifically the
visual manner in which Disney Animation
has historically told them of course our
gentle then takes this tale of dance and
supernatural conspiracy and absolutely
douses it in blood the film is an
exercise in excess in every sense but
it's also an absolute classic of world
horror you know if you go back to the
original versions of most fairy tales
they could be made into horror movies
easily however our number one pick is an
original tale but a terrifying one at
that
so let's look through some horrifying
honorable mentions and then we'll find
out our pick for top fairytale horror
movie
I remember this house the house of
Adriana the great white witch this ain't
no fairy tale
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notifications number one Pan's Labyrinth
long before the shape of water director
Guillermo del Toro already had a strong
history of finding beauty in the
monstrous he blends horror and fairy
tale elements in ways few can even
imagine in 2006's Pan's Labyrinth is
easily among his best work India Orlando
totally hidden Fiona brings a second
ball set in 1944 Francoist Spain after
the Civil War the film follows a young
girl named al fethiye who becomes drawn
into a world of magic strange creatures
and enchantment so an original story
Pan's Labyrinth pulls from a wide
variety of classic fairy tales and
common folklore figures including the
faun it's a stunning and truly moving
film that while perhaps less horrific
than others on our list delivers plenty
of scares in the classic fairy tale
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