While many Disney movies we grew up with have surprisingly dark undertones, horror is not the first genre you’d think of when recalling your favorites. Yes, the fairy tales many are based on are kind of disturbing, but the House of Mouse typically tones down the violence, injustice, and other concerning themes when adapting these stories.
But if put to the test, could you name all 22 of these Disney movies, described as if they were horror movies? Some are definitely easier than others. Test your knowledge with the quiz below:
So, how’d you do? The five-minute timer doesn’t take any of the pressure away to get all 22 correct! From enslavement, patricide, and stalking, to evil spirits, intoxication, and kidnapping, you might not realize how dark Disney gets until it’s spelled out like this. But, of course, at the end of the day, these are family films, and Disney knows how to present their stories that—mostly—don’t scare children.
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Disney Characters Go Dark
If you’re a Disney fan who also loves horror, you might be aware by now that there is a collection of Disney horror films—not made by Disney—called the Twisted Childhood Universe, produced by Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Chambers. In the 2020s, Disney-owned characters began to enter the public domain, meaning other studios could use them in film and TV without worrying about the rights.
This, as expected, opened up the floodgates for new adaptations and versions of classic Disney characters we know and love, starting with Winnie the Pooh in 2022. What was perhaps unexpected was that a British horror film series began at this time, seeing characters like Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, and Bambi transformed into bloodthirsty villains.
While the films—Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, and Bambi: The Reckoning—were panned critically, morbid curiosity caused the titles to go viral, and they all reportedly made a profit.
And this series is showing no signs of stopping. Among the next titles in development in the Twisted Childhood Universe include a Minnie Mouse horror movie, a Pinocchio horror movie, and others. In addition to this series, other filmmakers have tackled Disney horror, including 2024’s The Mouse Trap, a Canadian movie starring Mickey Mouse.
Children’s Disney movies may sound silly described as scary stories, but as we’ve seen with the virality around these recent horror movies, there’s a strange connection between the two genres that creates intrigue.
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