El - Over the Garden Wall
This is my favourite series to re-watch every Autumn in the approach to Halloween. Over the Garden Wall is a stand-alone series produced for Cartoon Network and created by Patrick McHale (Pinocchio, Adventure Time) and Katie Krentz (Steven Universe, Close Enough). It follows the tale of two brothers who are lost in the woods and just trying to get home. It is an incredibly heartwarming journey filled with great characters and a narrative that really tugs at your heartstrings. And that's a rock fact!
Fin - Batman and Mr Freeze: Subzero (1998)
I probably remember more about the VHS cover than the actual film but it was certainly a very spooky movie to me when I was a kid. I’ve always found that extra pointy, macho-chin character design for Batman very scary.
Liam - 9 (2009)
A CG film by Shane Acker, 9 is an inspirational story first and foremost, with his original short (also worth a watch) being spotted at a festival by Tim Burton himself. Promptly turned into a feature film, the 'stitchpunk' film is a rare 12-rated CG film with death, violence and a post-apocalyptic world rarely seen in a big-budget feature. It's not all doom and gloom, with strong themes of survival and hope pushing throughout. With a unique concept and great voice cast, it's also a go-to Halloween film for me.
Amy - Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (1988)
Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (1988) is a horror comedy, I had it on VHS when I was younger and I loved it. I watched it pretty often and it went from a film that spooked me as a kid, to one that I’d watch for comfort. It only stars Shaggy and Scooby from the mystery gang but has many other characters that make up for their loss. I remember watching it and loving the five main younger girls and their pet dragon, Matches! A great watch for a cosy evening.
El - The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror V (1994)
I had to include a Simpsons Treehouse of Horror somewhere in here and number V has to be one of my favourites because of The Shinning minisode. There are so many great references and gags to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, which for me puts it in the top 5 of greatest-ever Simpson episodes. I can't even think of the original movie without thinking about this episode. If you haven't seen it yet I would recommend it.
Fin - Peter and the Wolf (2006)
I think my dad showed me this again when I was a kid. I thought Peter was like edgy Hogarth from The Iron Giant and I found the style of it all quite grotesque, uncanny and alarming but I think it’s beautiful now! The eyes are still haunting though.
Liam - Monster House (2006)
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum for me is a classic from my childhood - Monster House. Set in an awesome, Amblin-esque 1980s, the film commits to its central bit with all its chest. What might have slid under the radar in the 2000s CG boom manages to stick out, mostly due to its humour and its motion-capture animation style, which gives the whole thing just enough uncanny valley to be both hilarious and kind of scary.
Amy - The Summit of the Gods (2021)
This movie technically isn’t a horror, however, the suspense and terror I felt while watching this movie were very real. The animation is beautiful and the storytelling is great. However, this movie made me so anxious that I had to stop and move around before continuing with it. It manages to create a truly disgusting level of tension throughout the movie. It’s great!
And that's our list! A somewhat unconventional selection, but you wouldn't expect anything else from the Mustard team. Got any Halloween animations on your favourites list? We'd love to know.