Every so often, when the planets align, and a black cat is born under a blood moon, Halloween falls on a Saturday. Today is one such day. To celebrate this momentous merging of two of human culture’s most wonderful inventions, the macabre and weekends, we’re having a special Saturday Morning Cartoon!
I’ve selected three animated shorts to get your Halloween started off right. Some of them are creepier than others, some of them rely on animation style over situation, but all of them will put you in the right mood to fight a monster, contact the dead, or just eat a lot of candy.
First up is…
“The Backwater Gospel” Directed by Bo Mathorne; Starring Zebulon Whatley, Lucien Dodge, Phillip Sacramento, Robert Bennett, and Laura Post; Run time 10 minutes.
“The Backwater Gospel” tells the story of a sleepy small town visited by Death. The faithful inhabitants of the town blame a lonely tramp and his musical musings for the visiting reaper. He may be the cause, or just an early warning system. The contents of this short film are enough to put it on this list, but the animation style lifts it above its peers.
Next up…
“The Maker” Written and Directed by Christopher Kezelos; Run time 5 minutes.
“The Maker” tells the story of a strange looking anthropomorphic bunny man in a race against time to create another of his kind. There is no dialogue but the short film makes use of music and visual storytelling to stunning effect. The final reveal gives a sort of symmetry that will make you want to watch it again and again.
Finally…
“Children” By Takuya Okada; Run time 4 minutes
“Children,” like “The Maker,” has no dialogue but instead uses implication to tell the story. The short opens on a series of factories cranking out carbon copied children. While the underlying message is ambiguous it gives the feeling that happiness is about free will, even if your choices leave you hurt.
For more creepy animated shorts, check out last year’s list.