A Few Spook-tacular Halloween Animations
What better way to get into the Halloween spirit than by watching some spooky animations? For this week’s entry, I’ve decided to show you a few of my favorites (in no particular order.)
1.) Ghosts are Jerks, by Felix Colgrave (2012) (viewer discretion advised: sexual content) - Felix Colgrave is, in my opinion, a master at hand-drawn animation, and although I admittedly don’t talk about him much, I find his animation work to be very creative and colorful, and overall very well done!
This is no different. Although it does start off so-so, the real kicker is when the ghost’s arms come out of the sides. The rest is a well-drawn and unpredictable, (though a bit crude,) punchline.
2.) Pumpkin Song, by Jack Stauber (2018) - I have been a big fan of Stauber’s since discovering him during the lockdown in 2020, as I find his work to be full of surprises. Here is one such work, in which he (effectively, as far as I can see,) emulates the “rubber hose” style of animation that was popular in the 1920s and ‘30s.
But what’s great about this animation is, while it starts out with a happy, swingy, sweet old-fashioned vibe, it takes a dark turn really fast! The pumpkin, as it turns out, is a sadistic, evil maniac that can make you lose all your teeth and go blind for its own sick, twisted pleasure. You can’t get much creepier than this!
3.) RIP, by Cyriak (2018) - Wait! Skeletons shower in the morning and go to work like the rest of us?? Who knew!
Cyriak’s animations are always a real roller coaster ride, no matter what, and this one is no different. The way the skeletons move, change shape, etc., are typical of his work, as is the use of repetition and rhythm. The climactic reveal of the skeletons’ secret subterranean town makes for a perfect ending, and, as a side note, I can’t help but think he’s making a subtle statement about what the life of a nine-to-fiver can sometimes be like. Always going through the motions, while being dead inside.
Which of these animations did you like the best? Were there any you wish I had included? Sound off in the comments!