movies perfectly blend the horror and fantasy genres by introducing scary in-world rules and plotlines that incorporate horror movie elements into a fantasy film.

The horror movies often border on being fantasy films because horror, especially supernatural horror, requires fantasy movie elements to create haunting atmospheres and incorporate scary creatures into the mix. While fantasy films almost always cross over with adventure and action, the less frequent blending of fantasy and horror gives us fantasy movies that are actually terrifying.

10 Coraline (2009)

Directed by Henry Selick

Animation is often unjustly sidelined as a kids' genre, even though it is a medium of storytelling and not a genre. They are rare, but terrifying animated movies exist because animation doesn't inherently undercut any tension, and the freedom afforded by animation, which can render life and movement fluid, can turn any visual nightmarish. One of the best examples of this phenomenon is Henry Selick's Coraline.

A visually stunning stop-motion animation film from Laika Studios, the studio's first feature film, Coraline follows the titular character, voiced by Dakota Fanning, through her dream-like journey of discovering another version of her life. Its psychedelic visuals and vibrant creature designs can be extremely terrifying. For an animated horror movie that's perfect for a family watch, Coraline doesn't shy away from exploring trauma, neglect, and emotionally heavy themes, through the unforgettable dream-like visuals.

9 The Green Knight (2021)

Directed by David Lowery

Dev Patel's next movie, The Peasant, will be his second A24 film in four years, after 2021's The Green Knight. Much like The Green Knight, the film will be set in medieval times, but unlike The Green Knight, the events will occur in feudal India. The Green Knight, on the other hand, is set in a fantasy version of medieval England, based on the timeless Arthurian Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Patel plays King Arthur's nephew, Sir Gawain, who sets out on a journey to confront the titular Green Knight through perilous lands. He is met with creatures and magical beings of various kinds, some benevolent, some maleficent, and others indifferent. The sprawling locations, the large scale of the story, the gorgeous cinematography, and the brilliant CGI effects all contribute to making the film a haunting experience. Not only does the Green Knight himself look terrifying, but the use of shadows and the adaptation of the scariest creatures from Arthurian legends also make The Green Knight scary.

8 Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Directed by Tim Burton

It's more than likely for an adaptation of Ichabod Crane's story to border on horror, but in the hands of Tim Burton, it's inevitable. With a haunting atmosphere fitting the source material, Sleepy Hollow brings one of the most classic Gothic American folktales to life. Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane, giving one of his career-best performances, is a jaded fish out of water, visibly uncomfortable in Sleepy Hollow, as the legends and the shadows slowly creep up on him.

The film can be messy at times because the whodunnit isn't particularly interesting, and the climax is chock-full of clunky expository dialogue. However, the characters are somewhat memorable, and the film is still a classic worth revisiting simply because of its atmosphere. The most memorable attribute of the hamlet of Sleepy Hollow is that atmosphere, which seems to suggest there is a creature lurking in the shadows all the time. It is difficult to tell when the fantasy in Sleepy Hollow ends and when the horror begins.

7 Army Of Darkness (1992)

Directed by Sam Raimi

Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead is a horror movie that will always be a classic, but things get more interesting in the sequels. Raimi traded in the dark and gritty narrative tone for a more comedic tone by ramping up the ridiculous aspects of his zombie apocalypse movie. While Evil Dead II achieved this tonal shift, it's the third part in the trilogy, Army of Darkness, that completely leans into the over-the-top hilarity of circumstances.

Gory gags galore in Army of Darkness.

The protagonist of Army of Darkness is taken back in time from his current-day life as a department store clerk to England's Dark Ages, where, as always, a zombie apocalypse inevitably breaks out. While the film is part of a horror franchise, due to its setting and the fantastical period costumes, the film feels more like a fantasy movie with horror elements. Gory gags galore in Army of Darkness, which gallivants through the fantasy version of the 1300s while ramping up the terrifying horror stakes on its way to its explosive climax.

6 Draug (2018)

Directed by Karin Engman and Klas Persson

Folk tales are the best subject for making horror fantasy movies, as bringing a myth to life involves creating a fantasy setting and then letting monsters, spirits, omens, and witches loose on the human inhabitants of the world. Among the recent folk horror films, one that stands out is the Swedish fantasy film Draug, set in 11th-century Sweden, where a young woman returns to her birthplace as part of a rescue mission for a missing missionary.

Among other fantasy elements, Draug leans heavily into the battle-stricken history of Scandinavia, focusing on the hardships of life in the early second millennium AD. The texture of the film highlights the tactile part of life, from unhealed wounds and chilling Arctic waters, to buzzing mosquitoes and sweaty skin. While pulling the viewer into the world, it gradually ramps up the terrifying atmosphere before launching an attack on the senses with an onslaught of horror that never lets up until the credits start rolling.

5 Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

To anyone who has seen the film, the words "terrifying fantasy movie" automatically bring to mind an image of the Pale Man from Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. A gorgeous film with expansive lore, Pan's Labyrinth follows 10-year-old Ofelia as she journeys through a terrifying fantasy world in search of answers about her destiny. Her forays into the imaginary fantasy world are juxtaposed with the visuals of the war that is tearing her home country apart, forcing her to seek solace in the world of fantasy where her family's cold-heartedness cannot reach her.

Ofelia's world isn't simply terrifying. It is breathtaking, comforting, vibrant, scary, dark, fantastic, and ever-growing. Threatened by the lack of sympathy she finds from the adults who are supposed to be her guardians, Ofelia is constantly pulled back into the fantasy realm that lies within reach of others, but cannot be accessed due to their lack of imagination. In that world, though, she encounters metaphorical representations of her biggest fears about herself specifically and adulthood in general. With creatures that would feel at home in a horror film, Pan's Labyrinth is the quintessential terrifying fantasy movie.

4 Crimson Peak (2015)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo del Toro's response to the bad box-office performance of Crimson Peak is the perfect evidence needed to establish why it's a fantasy movie with horror elements and not the other way around. He says he knew the film would underperform when he saw the marketing campaign focusing on the horror aspect of the film. In his mind, the romance and the fantasy are the real highlights of Crimson Peak.

Crimson Peak is primarily a period soap opera, with a dramatic tension hanging over every atmospheric frame that threatens to unveil a hidden phantom and terrorize viewers. However, the terrifying elements are also in clear view from the opening shot itself, and they make an unforgettable impression as del Toro uses his recognizable digitally rendered horror elements, but to pay homage to the era of analog horror.

3 Bulbbul (2020)

Directed by Anvita Dutt

One of the biggest horror movie hits in recent years, Companion, perfects the "Good For Her" subgenre of filmmaking. The subgenre is characterized by the celebration of a subjugated woman's triumph over the patriarchal societal constructs that attempt to keep her subservient. While the usual Good For Her movie also involves taking pleasure in watching her use means of questionable morality to reach her goal, Anvita Dutt's Bulbbul might actually have circumvented that aspect, just like Companion.

Bulbbul is set in feudal India, specifically the zamindari era of West Bengal. It follows the titular Bulbbul, who is married off as a child to a rich landlord. She grows up as a woman and a wife in a land that's supposedly the home of a witch. The moody visuals make every appearance of the witch a scene out of a horror movie, but since the story reclaims her as a protector of vulnerable children, the film is essentially a fantasy movie with a terrifying atmosphere.

2 The Company Of Wolves (1984)

Directed by Neil Jordan

Neil Jordan's Interview with the Vampire, a horror movie with an incredible ensemble cast, is his most famous fantasy movie with horror elements, but the more imaginative film he made in that specific subgenre is the 1984 movie The Company of Wolves. An anthology-of-sorts of Angela Carter's children's fairy tales, The Company of Wolves brings all kinds of imaginary creatures to life in a fantastical setting that will make you want to live in it.

The heavy-handed metaphor of puberty is intriguing and well-developed.

The contrast of the bright color palette of the film, adorned by shadows, screams, and epic scenes of transformation, with the gradually developing grim tone of the story is delightful to experience. The heavy-handed metaphor of puberty is intriguing and well-developed, but the highlight is the balance of wonder and terror in The Company of Wolves. The practical effects aren't just brilliantly executed, but also perfectly pay homage to the source material, the famously gnarly and gritty stories written by Angela Carter.

1 The Dark Crystal (1982)

Directed by Frank Oz and Jim Henson

Frank Oz and Jim Henson's seminal work, The Dark Crystal, is the very definition of a fantasy movie that is terrifying. It might use puppets and be set in a gorgeous fantasy world, but there is nothing remotely comforting about The Dark Crystal's exploration of genocide. From torture to mutilation, there are gory visuals that could leave viewers scarred for life, especially the younger of the audience.

The Dark Crystal is the epitome of fantasy storytelling because it blends the three genres of adventure, horror, and fantasy to unfold its epic story. The filmmakers and the crew spare no expense in bringing their vision to life, as every minute detail adds to the rich tapestry woven by the imaginative storytelling. The protagonist's arc is akin to the hero's journey, as he adventures through perilous lands on his search for the shard that will restore balance to the world, but his challenges all come in the form of horror movie shenanigans.