The 1990s were an incredible time for spooky horror cartoonsfor children and adults. Cartoons andanimated TV shows serve as the perfect medium for horror, as animation has unlimited potential for creating terrifying creatures.1990s horror cartoons left a mark on young audiencesdue to their paranormal and bone-chilling nature. Cartoons with a horror feel diversified the content available for children and teenagers, and slapstick comedy and superhero cartoons were no longer the go-to favorite cartoons.
From horror shows dealing with paranormal life-threatening situations to zany ghouls, ghosts, and fun antics,the 1990s had a variety of horror shows that audiences could sink their teeth into. With cartoons likeScooby Doo, Where Are You!popularizing mysteries with ghouls and ghosts, the 1990s saw a rise in spooky cartoons for children.Saturday morning cartoons in the 1990sterrified and captivated young audiences and still send shivers down spines to this day.
10The Addams Family: The Animated Series
Creepy, Kooky, Mysterious, and Spooky!
The Addams Family: The Animated Seriesrevolves around the spooky Addams Family who are blissfully unaware and indifferent to the fact that their gothic interests frighten other people. While the closely-knit Addams family terrify their neighbors due to their behavior and appearance,it was obvious that the strange and unconventional family cared for each other. The matriarch and patriarch of the Addams family,Morticia and Gomez Addams' passionate and sweet relationshipwas a highlight ofThe Addams Family: The Animated Series.
The Addams Family: Every TV Show And Movie (In Chronological Order)
With fans of The Addams Family excited for Tim Burton’s announced TV series, why not take a look back at every version of Gomez, Morticia, and co.?
The Addams family has a penchant for getting intobizarre situations that had surprisingly heartwarming conclusions. One notably heartwarming episode ofThe Addams Family: The Animated Seriesfeatured Wednesday Addams getting fed up by her brother Pugsley and creating “improved” versions of him, before realizing that her brother was perfect and eliminating the different versions of him. WhileThe Addams Family: The Animated Serieswasn’t a terrifying cartoon and didn’t have a scary premise, the nature of the Addams family ensured that each episode was a spooky, creepy, and hilarious journey.
9Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Three Young Monsters Learning To Terrify Humans
In a premise that is similar to the moviesMonsters, Inc.andMonsters University, the cartoonAaahh!!! Real Monsterstells the story of three monsters attending a school for monsters and learning how to scare humans. The three non-frightening but creepy young monsters, Ickis (Charlie Adler), Oblina (Christine Cavanaugh), and Krumm (David Eccles) take part incomical and wacky adventures as they venture into the world of humans.
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Cast
Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm are young monsters studying at a school located beneath a city dump, where they learn how to scare humans. Their headmaster provides strict guidance as they navigate through various humorous and spooky adventures.
Theforgotten 1990s showAaahh!!! Real Monstersis filled with humorous hijinks as the three monsters attempt to scare away their problems when they reach the world of humans. Scary monsters are at the core ofAaahh!!! Real Monsters’premise, however, the children’s show is more focused on family-friendly humor and shenanigans.The viscerally disturbing character design of the monstersis the scariest aspect of the comedy horror cartoonAaahh!!! Real Monsters.However, despite the three monsters' odd appearance, their attempts at scaring humans were more endearing than frigthening.
8Freaky Stories
Anthology Series About Urban Legends
This aptly named anthology seriesFreaky Storiestells the tales of mythological creatures, myths, and urban legends in the form of frightening campfires or bedtime stories.Freaky Storiesstood out from other cartoons as it incorporatedunique animation styles for each short story, making each episode a visual treat. The horror cartoon series featured original stories along with stories based on popular classic legends like the Hookman, the killer in the backseat, the babysitter, the sewer alligator, and the doggy lick.
15 Spooky Cartoons For Halloween On Disney+
From full-length animated features to creepy cartoons and spooky short films, Disney has all the trimmings and trappings for one’s Halloween binging.
Freaky Storiesstarted off each episode with the phrase,“This is a true story, and it happened to a friend of a friend of mine,“which helped instill a sense of fear and paranoia in the audience. The combination of various animation styles, a mix of original stories and well-known urban legends, and telling stories in the form of campfire or bedtime stories madeFreaky Storiesone of thescariest kid’s shows of all time.
7Toxic Crusaders
Superheros Battle Pollution
The superhero animated seriesToxic Crusadersisn’t a horror TV show, but the premise fits the horror genre.Toxic Crusaderswas based onThe Toxic Avengermoviesand was a tamer and more child-friendly version of the source material.Toxic Crusadersstarred Toxie (Rodger Bumpass),a mutant who becomes deformed and gets superpowers after being exposed to toxic waste. The characters inToxic Crusaderswere often being exposed to toxic waste which could transform them into grotesque creatures.
Toxic Crusaders
Toxic Crusaders is an animated television series that follows Toxie, a mutant janitor, and his friends as they fight pollution and evil forces in their hometown of Tromaville. The show combines environmental themes with superhero action, featuring a colorful cast of characters who band together to combat villains and clean up the planet.
The most horrific aspect ofToxic CrusadersisToxie’s tragic and relatable backstory. Originally known as Melvin Junko, Toxie was a lonely janitor who was constantly being bullied and ridiculed. After a mean-spirited prank resulted in Toxie falling into a drum of toxic waste he transforms into the deformed mutant. While the bullying was played for laughs in the spooky cartoonToxic Crusaders,the way Toxie was treated was truly horrific and frightening, and the consequences of pollution and toxic waste was chilling.
6Gargoyles
Gargoyles Become Protectors Of New York City
In the gothic horror and fantasy seriesGargoyles,petrified gargoyles transported from Scotland to New York City awake in a new world and become the city’s protectors against supernatural threats.Gargoyleshad a dark tone and was a surprisingly violent andfrightening kids TV showthat covered topics like gun violence. While the premise of nocturnal gargoyles fighting crime and protecting people isn’t terrifying,Gargoyles’willingness to lean into dark themesmakes it a memorable horror TV show for children.
Gargoyles
Gargoyles is an animated series that begins in medieval Scotland with Goliath and his clan protecting a castle. In the present day, a wealthy businessman named David Xanatos relocates the castle to New York City, where the gargoyles awaken from a thousand-year curse following an attack.
Gargoyles,which is getting a reboot,utilized impressive animations to createfearsome action sequences that are bone chilling. The spooky cartoon had paranormal elements like hauntings, possessions, and witchcraft.Gargoyleswas a uniquely dark children’s show that focused more on complex plot, drama, and action rather than comedy to keep its young audiences entertained. TheupcomingGargoylesreboot has a tough act to followas the original cartoon solidified itself as an iconic dark children’s show.
5Beetlejuice
Ghostly Prankster Explores The Afterlife And The Mortal World
Tim Burton’s horror comedyBeetlejuicefollows the titular character Beetlejuice (Stephen Ouimette), a ghostly con-man and his friend Lydia (Alyson Court). The TV duo of Beetlejuice and Lydia journey between the Neitherworld and the mortal world and leave chaos in their wake. The character ofBeetlejuicehas abilitieslike shapeshifting and teleportation which he uses to blend in with living people and cause mischief across the realms.
Beetlejuice 3 Possibility Addressed By Tim Burton
Ahead of the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, producer Tommy Harper and director Tim Burton comment on the chances of Beetlejuice 3.
Beetlejuicefeatures everything a good supernatural horror comedy show needs, an abundance of ghosts, mischief, pranks, and powerful abilities. The strange, spooky, and gothic duo ofBeetlejuice and Lydia were an amusing, entertaining, and surprisingly heartwarming dynamicto witness on television. In addition,Beetlejuice’ssetting of the Neitherworld and the afterlifeadded to the atmosphere of the show. While the 1990s animated show was more of a comedy than a horror,Beetlejuiceremains a strong contender for spookiest children’s TV show due to the atmosphere of the show and Beetlejuice’s abilities.
4The Real Ghostbusters
The Adventures Of Paranormal Investigators
The supernatural sci-fi comedyThe Real Ghostbustersfollows the adventures of four paranormal investigators. The Ghostbusters travel around New York City and other parts of the world as theyhunt down and capture spirits, ghosts, and specters as a team. The animated seriesThe Real Ghostbustersadapted the original characters from the source material and made the show acartoon the whole family can enjoybut was primarily geared towards younger audiences.
The Real Ghostbusters
The Real Ghostbusters is an animated series based on the 1984 film Ghostbusters. It features the original team of paranormal investigators and eliminators as they tackle supernatural threats in New York City. The show delves into various ghostly encounters, highlighting the group’s teamwork and use of scientific gadgets to capture and contain spirits. The series includes Egon, Ray, Peter, and Winston as they navigate their ghostbusting business.
The long-running seriesThe Real Ghostbusterskept audiences coming back each week with its intriguing and exciting supernatural plot. With seven seasons of the supernatural comedy,The Real Ghostbustershad many incredible episodesfilled with sci-fi comedy goodness. The weeklyThe Real Ghostbustersepisodes expanded upon the world created in the source material and the drama-filled science fiction TV show served as aworthy sequel to the originalGhostbustersmovieand franchise.The Real Ghostbustersis an easily digestible and entertaining sci-fi comedy filled with paranormal occurrences and ghost hunting that had a horror feel to it but wasn’t terrifying.
3Tales From The Cryptkeeper
Anthology Horror Series Hosted By The Cryptkeeper
Tales from the Cryptkeeperis an anthology horror series that utilizes kid-friendly scary stories that teach a lesson to the audience. The Cryptkeeper (John Kassir) serves as the host for the anthology series andintroduces the horror stories and adds an element of comedic relief to the show. The thrillingdark animated showTales from the Cryptkeeperalso subverted expectations and had retellings of classic fairytales, like making Sleeping Beauty a terrifying vampire.
Tales from the Cryptkeeper managed to perfectly balance dark and enjoyable horror stories while also teaching valuable life lessons.
Tales from the Cryptkeeperis a family and kid-friendly version of the showTales from the Cryptand the series reworked the plot lines and gore in the original series to make it less dark.Tales from the Cryptkeeperwas one of thebest Saturday morning cartoonsdue to its blend of comedy and horror. In addition,theTales from the Cryptkeeperdid not shy away from serious topicsand several episodes revolved around bullying and its impact.Tales from the Cryptkeepermanaged to perfectly balance dark and enjoyable horror stories while also teaching valuable life lessons.
2Spawn: The Animated Series
Assassin Returns To Earth After Making A Deal With The Devil
Spawn: The Animated Series,also known asTodd McFarlane’s SpawnorSpawn,is a dark superhero horror TV show based on a comic series. The story revolves around former Marine and assassin Al Simmon (Keith David) who is betrayed and killed and then makes a deal with the devil to return to Earth as a Hellspawn.Spawn: The Animated Serieshas a dark premise filled withdevil deals, vengeance, moral quandry, and trickery.
Spawn
Spawn is an animated television series that follows the story of Al Simmons, a former Marine who is resurrected as a Hellspawn and battles demonic forces while searching for redemption and justice against those who wronged him.
Spawnfollows Al’s journey back on Earth as he resists the forces of evil and struggles to maintain his sense of right and wrong while both Hell and Heaven attempt to hunt him down.Spawn: The Animated Serieswas a gritty, violent, and complex superhero horror show that did not shy away from dark themes and topics. Unlike other cartoon horror shows,Spawnis not a comedy show that uses humor to lighten up the dark tone.A much-neededSpawnreboot movie starring Jamie FoxxandSpawnvideo game is anticipated to revive the franchise.
1Courage The Cowardly Dog
A Cowardly Dog Protects His Owners From Supernatural Creatures
Courage the Cowardly Dog is a terrifying horror kid’s showfollowing the eponymous dog’s struggles to keep his elderly owners safe from otherworldly monsters. Courage (Marty Grabstein) is an easily frightened dog residing in an isolated farmhouse with his elderly owners.Courage the Cowardly Dog’ssetting in a remote farmhouse where the closest town is called Nowherebuilds a sense of uneasiness and dread.
The 10 Creepiest Villains In Courage The Cowardly Dog
Cartoon Network’s Courage the Cowardly Dog was known for its disturbing horror undertones, but these 10 villains took things way too far.
Courage faces a variety of terrifying creatures including monsters, aliens, and supernatural creatures. Courage’s owners obliviousness to the danger they’re in and the brave feats their dog is performing adds to theunsettling and uncanny atmosphere of the setting and the cartoon. The owner’s blissful unawareness regarding the paranormal creatures results in a sense of foreboding, because it won’t be long before another creature tries to attack.Courage the Cowardly Dog’sscariest episodescan send shivers down the spines with its creepy visuals and unpleasant characters created by the animation.
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Courage the Cowardly Dog is a cartoon that follows the titular pet Courage, who faces his uncontrollable fear and anxiety while fighting off countless supernatural creatures that threaten his owners, the elderly Muriel and Eustace. The Cartoon Network series aired from 1999 to 2002 with four seasons and 52 episodes.
