Top 10 Scariest Fantasy Movies

Script Written by Sean Frankling

Top 10 Nightmare Fuel Fantasy Movies

Fantasy flicks are all about bringing our wildest dreams to life. Unfortunately, it turns out our wildest dreams can be pretty terrifying. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Nightmare Fuel Fantasy Movies.

For this list, we’ll be looking at live action films (nothing animated — sorry, “Coraline”!) that are primarily in the fantasy genre -- not just horror or monster movies.

#10: “Cats” (2019)

With a combination of janky facial compositing, menacingly creepy body language and fever-dream plot logic, 2019’s favorite joke movie “Cats” can actually be a really disturbing viewing experience. Characters appear for seemingly no reason and work their way through uncomfortably sensual choreography. Rebel Wilson trains cockroaches to dance only to devour them right out of their marching band. Idris Elba’s fur color is WAY too close to his skin tone, making him look as though he’s nude at all times. And that’s before considering the motion capture effects straight from the darkest depths of the Uncanny Valley. “Cats” may not be trying to be scary. But it is succeeding.

#9: “Legend” (1985)

“Legend” is a cult classic from the ‘80s, beloved for its dreamlike atmosphere, sense of mythic unreality and for having a devil with what may be the biggest dang horns in movie history. Look at those things. Ridiculous. And in part, it’s Tim Curry’s skin-crawling performance between those horns that earns this epic dark fantasy its spot on this list. Sure, Tom Cruise is a dreamboat. But when this movie stops looking gorgeous, it gets scary fast. The set design, creature effects and special effects are all perfectly calculated to transport you out of the world you know and into an often disturbing dreamland.

#8: “Dragonslayer” (1981)

As a piece of cinema, “Dragonslayer” is a little spottier than Legend -- it’s got weird pacing and in some scenes the special effects… could have been better. But those faults might just be because the filmmakers were spending all their effort on the pulse-pounding cave showdown. With darkness and flames dancing around the watery depths of the dragon’s cave, this movie pulls off what might be the perfect version of that classic fairy tale dragon battle. It’s so full of firestorm menace that it’ll have even the bravest knights (and moviegoers) shaking in their armor.

#7: “The NeverEnding Story” (1984)

What a delightful movie, right? Falkor the luckdragon flying around in the sky. Heroes and magic and… monsters. Wow, that’s a lot of monsters. Did that guy just get vaporized by a sphinx? Jeez. “The NeverEnding Story” traumatized a lot of kids with the Gmork scene alone, featuring a wolf-like creature, but the real villain is the crushing philosophical terror. From Artax sinking into the Swamps of Sadness, to this rock giant horrified by his failure to save his friends, and the Nothing gnawing away the fabric of reality, “The Neverending Story” was some surprisingly heavy stuff.

#6: “Harry Potter” franchise (2001-11)

Again, it’s for kids... how scary can it be? Especially in the early movies-- aaaand there’s a face in the back of that guy’s head. Hey, what is it with children’s movies and disintegrating people? Yeah. The “Harry Potter” movies started pouring on the spooks early and only got wilder as time went by. Giant spiders, snakes, hooded soul-suckers and whatever that gross bench baby was that Voldemort turned into: there’s something at this nightmare buffet for everyone! Are you starting to rethink that childhood dream of getting your Hogwarts acceptance letter yet?

#5: “The Lord of the Rings” franchise (2001-03)

Ahh, there’s nothing like a good blood-curdling shriek to get the blood pumping. While “The Lord of the Rings” was revolutionizing the way we see fantasy films, it was also filling our dreams with its outstanding, nightmarish monsters. Sure, the Orcs and Trolls are intimidating. But the real nightmare fuel is that piercing Nazgul shriek. Let’s hear it one more time. Chilling. Add that to the gross fellbeasts they ride around on and you’ve got fuel for a brand new phobia! And hey, if shrieking wraiths don’t freak you out… there’s always Shelob. In a list of nightmares, getting tied up and paralyzed by that disgusting, dripping spider is still a major highlight

#4: “The Dark Crystal” (1982)

When the Jim Henson company makes a monster, they don’t mess around. So what happens when they set out to make a whole movie of them without any human actors? Well, another classic of the fantasy genre, it turns out. But if you thought puppets were just for singing the alphabet on PBS, you’ll change your tune after one look at the Skeksis. In a world of vibrant, majestic creatures, the Skeksis are rotting, stagnant parodies of life. And if their good looks aren’t enough to freak you out, just wait until they start sucking the life out of cute woodland creatures to stay alive.

#3: “Return to Oz” (1985)

The flying monkeys and the Wicked Witch from the original Wizard of Oz were enough to give kids nightmares at the time. But for the unofficial sequel four decades later, the filmmakers seemed to have pulled out all the stops on the nightmare machine. This is a movie that starts with Dorothy being sent for electrotherapy because her family thinks she’s crazy for telling them about Oz. And that’s not even why it’s on this list. We’re talking halls of screaming heads, howling claymation rock monsters and worst of all… the Wheelers. Shrieking wheels. Two faces. Pure terror.

#2: “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971)

By now, you know that this being a kids’ movie doesn’t mean you’re safe, right? Yeah, sure, it’s all candy and gumdrops until you get stuck in industrial machinery. Or turned into a giant blueberry. Or nearly shredded by a ceiling exhaust fan that SHOULD NOT BE in the same room as the drink that lets you float into the air. But all those things could have just been simple negligence. The one scene that proves once and for all that Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka is seething with malicious intent is… his factory tour’s rhyming paddle boat ride. Wait, what? Just watch.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“A Monster Calls” (2016)
For Turning Teen Angst Into Dark Imagery

“The Company of Wolves” (1984)
For Brutal Werewolf Transformations

“The Witches” (1990)
For Scary Old Ladies

“Hook” (1991)
For That Terrifying Crocodile

“Labyrinth” (1986)
For Lending a Helping Hand

#1: “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006)

What else could we possibly pick for our number one movie? The previous films are rank amateurs when it comes to creepiness compared to Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece. It’s not just the creature design or the special effects. Or even Doug Jones’ creepy hand gestures as the Pale Man. It’s the darkness of fantasy compounded by the real-life evil following the Spanish Civil War. It’s the atmosphere of equal parts wonderment and dread. And it’s the nerve wracking terror of seeing a little girl crawling into a nightmare hole or facing a child-eating giant with none of the softness fantasy usually treats children with. Ew, don’t touch that, little girl. It was inside a massive toad.