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posted by lovegypsy64
Even though Fantasia isn't on the list, I thought this image would be perfect. Night on Bald Mountain is such a dark sequence.
Even though Fantasia isn't on the list, I thought this image would be perfect. Night on Bald Mountain is such a dark sequence.
#10. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad
The reason I put this one so low on the list is because it's mainly dark because of Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I mean, sure Wind in the Willows may have it's moments but it's Legend of Sleepy Hollow that makes this film as dark as it is. Okay, they were both single shorts before even being squeezed together in one package film. So, I may be kinda cheating here. But I couldn't think of any other movie that could beat this one to the #10 spot. So, anyway, yes, Legend of Sleepy Hollow is quite a dark short. I mean, come on! The main character gets killed off for goodness sake! Another thing that kind of darkens it for me is that it leaves us with unanswerable questions. Did Ichabod really love Katrina or did he just want her money? Was it true that the Headless Horseman would lose his power once you'd cross that bridge or was Brom just playing a mean trick? And on top of all that, did Ichabod REALLY die or did he just mysteriously disappear? The suspense could kill you, couldn't it?

#9. The Hunchback of Notre Dame...or, as I like to call it, BEST DISNEY MOVIE EVER!!!!!
Yes, a number of you may already know that this is one of my favorite movies of all time. But as much as I love it, I'm gonna have to admit it is pretty dark. I mean, think about it. Quasimodo lives a solitary life in a bell tower for 20 years but when he does come out of the tower, people think he's a monster and torture him unfairly. Not only does the hero have a sad life to start with but the villain is one twisted sicko. Judge Claude Frollo persecutes innocent people, lies to Quasimodo about the world, lusts after the beautiful gypsy,Esmeralda, and even threatens her that if she doesn't agree to be his she will burn in Hell. And he still claims to be a "righteous man". "Righteous man" my butt! Frollo's freakin' messed up. Anyone with eyes can see that. But anyway, though this movie is dark, that's okay. In fact, I applaud Disney for taking the risks they took while making this film. What's wrong with having an animated Disney flick be more adult than the usual? It can really show the egg on the faces of those who say Disney's just for kids. Besides, kids gotta learn about the darker things in life sooner or later.

#8. Pinocchio
Why is this movie above the last two I mentioned in the darkness department? Well, for one thing, while Legend of Sleepy Hollow had the Headless Horseman and Hunchback had Frollo, this movie has MORE than just one villain. The main character has a lot to go through, being taken captive by a heartless puppet killer, almost being turned into a donkey, and having to go deep into the ocean depths the find his father who went looking for his son and was swallowed by a terrifying whale. *shudders* By the way, speaking of the whole donkey thing, that's another dark thing about the movie. Those boys are turned into donkeys and forced to work in salt mines and circuses for the rest of their lives and we don't even wanna know what happens to the talking ones. In fact, only two of the villains in this movie are truly defeated, Stromboli since Pinnochio escapes him leaving him with no talking, stringless puppet to show the world, and Monstro who runs smack into the huge, jagged rocks through which Pinnochio and Gepetto make their escape. So, yes, this movie is pretty dark as far as Disney movies go. My older brother even said that as a child he thought it was the most dramatic movie in the world. Can't say I blame him.

#7. The Watcher in the Woods
This movie is quite an eerie suspense flick. Where to start? Let's just say it's not something you'd wanna show your kids til they're older. It's a very good film though. For those who haven't seen it, I recommend it if you like getting a chill down your spine. It centers around two young girls who go with their family to stay at this old woman's house. But, there's someone watching the two sisters... you guessed it. In the woods. The younger sister eventually starts talking to someone nobody else can hear and the voice causes her to act possessed. Plus, the older sister resembles the old woman's long lost daughter, Karen, and at one point can see Karen blind-folded in a crack in the mirror whispering, "help me." Yeah, pretty scary, huh? Any way, the older sister soon finds out how Karen disappeared and find the kids...who are now adults...who witnessed the tragedy. Everyone seems to believe that Karen was killed in an old chapel where the kids performed a sayonce.(Did I spell it right?) A sayonce, people! (If you don't know what a sayonce is, you could look it up and then you'll understand how dark it is.) Well, anyway, Karen comes back in the end but she's still young. She's not a ghost. Somehow, she comes back all flesh and bone and yet, her mother is now an old woman. Wouldn't you be a little creeped out if you came back to your mom or dad 30 years later and they've grown old while you were still very young? I know I would.

#6. A Christmas Carol
Because let's face it. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a dark story. I know, Disney's presented more than one adaption of the story but, to me, this one has to be the darkest. You all know the tale. So, you probably know what I'm talking about. Not only is this movie dark but also kind of scary. If this movie had come out during my childhood and I saw it, I would have been scared so much that I couldn't watch it til I was older. But still, even as a brave young adult, parts of this movie gave me the willies. What I found especially scary was the part where Jacob Marley haunts Scrooge. OH MY GOSH!!! That part made me jump out of my skin it was so creepy! You could even see Marley's jaw coming apart. No other version I saw was that graphic. By the way, have any of you ever realized that the scene with the Ghost of Christmas Future has similarities to the Mickey Mouse and Muppet versions. The ghost looks just like the one in Muppet Christmas Carol only more ghostly and, like the one in Mickey's, he pushes Scrooge into his firey grave of doom. I've always hated that part. It's just so unforgiving... that is until Scrooge, being a new man, wakes up to find himself back in his room and still has a chance to set things right. Phew! So, this movie, being based on a well-known cultural classic, is known to be as dark as the book itself which may not be what Disney fans are quite used to but it's pretty good for what it's worth. Plus, I LOVE the song Andrea Bocelli sings during the ending credits. "God bless us, everyone."

#5. Return to Oz
I shan't deny it, this movie is awesome! But it is dark and pretty scary. While the original 1939 classic is all light and happy, this one is darker and scarier. Kids who first hear about it get excited to see a new Wizard of Oz movie but don't expect to get scared out of their pants by it. Believe me, I was one of those kids. Sure enough, I found the movie scary and kind of depressing compared to the movie I was used to. Not that I didn't enjoy it, but still. Dorothy is to be given shock therapy at the beginning of the movie by a suspicious doctor and assistant who later on seem to resemble the villains of the movie, Princess Mombie and the Knome King. Dorothy soon finds herself in Oz where the yellow brick road and the Emerald City are in ruins and the citizens of Oz including the tin man and cowardly lion are turned to statues. The scarecrow? He's taken captive by the Knome King. Now, let me tell you people, Princess Mombie and the Wheelers are freakin' nightmare fuel, especially to children. Those Wheelers are creepy as hell and Princess Mombie's voice sounds so demonic... When she's wearing her original head that is. That's right! She collects heads! And not just any heads. The heads of female Oz citizens and even wants to get Dorothy's head. How can you not find that scary? But even as dark as this movie is, it's certainly worth a watch. Just warning you, it might give you nightmares.

#4. The Black Cauldron
When I saw the previews for this as a child, I wanted to see it. But I never got to til I was 13 which is good because, if my poor little eight-year-old eyes couldn't take the Night on Bald Mountain sequence from Fantasia, they probably wouldn't stand the scary images in this movie either. This movie is probably the darkest animated feature Disney ever created and was even the first to get a PG rating. This is another movie I'd recommend that you don't show to your kids til they're an appropriate enough age. The main thing that makes this movie so dark is the villain, The Horned King. Dang, is he creepy! I find him to be the second most evil villain after Chernabog. Yes, this king's even more evil than Maleficent and yet people still overlook him. Probably because this movie was such a bomb at the box office. Which is understandable but also kind of a shame. Because, while it may not be the best Disney's ever made, it's still a pretty good film. You gotta love it's fantasy world setting. But anyway, back to the Horned King. He uses the Black Cauldron's evil magic to bring his undead army alive. Now there's a scene that could give you nightmares. And like that's not enough, the Horned King even has the most disgusting death to ever be shown in an animated Disney film. He ends up getting sucked up into the cauldron, his skin ripping off until he explodes and his bones scatter. Eww! That is not kid-friendly movie material. So, anyhoo, if you're ever in the mood for an animated movie that's scary but exciting, this movie is worth a shot. Just don't force any kids under the age of 10 to watch it with you.

#3. The Tower of Terror
Yes, there is a movie based on the ride, to those of you who didn't know. However, unlike the other films on this list, the movie didn't premiere in theaters. It premiered on Disney Channel. Just the same, it is mentionable. Like The Watcher in the Woods, this movie's plot involves a mystery of an event that happened long ago. One Halloween night at the Hollywood Tower Hotel, 5 people are in this elevator but once they reach the top floor, they end up mysteriously disappearing. As 60 years go by, the hotel becomes haunted. It so happens that one of those five was a famous child star, Sally Shine. But her sister, Abigail, is jealous of her for being so popular and loved by everyone. So, she secretly looks up an evil spell in her book of witchcraft, summons powers from the underworld, and places a curse on her innocent sister. But even after the tragedy occurs, Sally becomes more famous than ever which causes Abigail to hate her more than ever. Abigail is so messed up from the whole thing that she lies to people saying it was the nanny's fault. Heck, she even has a secret compartment in her suit case that holds photos of Sally with disturbing messages written on them plus a Sally Shine doll with its head ripped nearly clean off. So that's part of what makes this movie so dark. The main character, a news reporter named Buzzy, comes to the tower to find it's haunted by the ghosts of Sally, the nanny, the bellhop, and the couple. Eventually, Sally's ghost, still looking like the sweet little child she was 60 years ago, meets her sister who's now an old woman. That's twice the number of years Karen was gone in The Watcher in the Woods. So, yeah, that's what I find dark about this movie and why I put it in a pretty high spot on the list.

#2. The Haunted Mansion
Just like Tower of Terror, this movie is based on the ride. The main character, played by Eddie Murphy, comes to this creepy mansion with his family and decides to stay there for the night. However, his wife gets mistaken for someone's long lost love and is eventually forced to marry the man. Yeah, she's already married. So that's kinda wrong. But anyway, once the husband and kids come to stall everything, this makes the evil butler so angry that he summons evil spirits that turn the fireplace in the foyer into a fiery pit that leads to the depths of Hell. The main character nearly gets dragged in but is thankfully saved just in time while the villain is left falling to his doom. Not only does that part darken the movie but there's also this part where the father goes down to a creepy crypt with his daughter to find a certain key and they end up having to face zombies. How often do you see zombies in a Disney movie? There's also this part where the arachnophobic son is outside the tomb with the door locked and suddenly, a bunch of spiders appear crawling all over the door and the boy has to face his fear without a rolled up magazine to help him. So, yes, with the dark story and scary images, this movie is definitely worthy to be on the list.

And the #1 darkest Disney movie is...
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Even the title of this movie sounds dark. And at the beginning of the movie, the title even looks like it's written with blood which is probably the point. The movie itself is just one freaky thriller, perfect for Halloween. It's really scary but very well done. So, I highly recommend it. Just to warn you, though, it's nothing for kids. The story centers around two little boys who go out at night to see a train coming into town to set up a carnival. But this carnival is being run by an evil man named Mr Dark who's a pretty threatening villiain. Heck, I once had a dream I was running from him and trying to make sure he didn't see me. Yes, he's that bad. Watch the movie and you'll see what I mean. He wants the boys for something and even tries to tempt the librarian, the father of one of the boys, with the privelage of a longer life if he could just help him find the kids. Of course, the dad refuses to put his son's life in danger. Unfortunately, Mr Dark soon finds the boys hiding in the library and grabs them from behind. Dang, my heart was pounding like crazy at that part! Besides Mr Dark, anyway, this movie has some pretty heavy stuff. There's this one part where the boys walk into the room to see one of themselves getting their head chopped off, the part where they both have to fight off an ambush of tarantulas(Holy crap, is that part scary!), and if the Horned King had the yuckiest death to be seen in an animated Disney movie, Mr Dark has the nastiest one in a Disney movie period. He's stuck on the time turning carousel, aging and aging until he starts looking like Golem from The Lord of the Rings and eventually dies with his disgusting corpse left. As far as Disney films go, this is the darkest and scariest I've ever seen so far and I love it for that. I love when a movie gives me chills and gets me at the edge of my seat and that's that's just the result I got from watching this awesome film. So, if you're looking for a dark, scary movie under the label of Disney, this one is perfect for you.

Thanks for reading. :)

P.S. Has anyone noticed that a lot of Disney's darkest films came out in the 80s?
#10. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad
#10. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad
#9. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
#9. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
#8. Pinnochio
#8. Pinnochio
#7. The Watcher in the Woods
#7. The Watcher in the Woods
#6. A Christmas Carol
#6. A Christmas Carol
#5. Return to Oz
#5. Return to Oz
#4. The Black Cauldron
#4. The Black Cauldron
#3. The Tower of Terror
#3. The Tower of Terror
#2. The Haunted Mansion
#2. The Haunted Mansion
#1. Something Wicked This Way Comes
#1. Something Wicked This Way Comes
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