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The prevalence of live-action reboots of popular animated media has led to a misguided belief that animation is somehow a testing ground for ideas that can later receive a “definitive” non-animated version of the story. Not only is this belief offensive to animators, but it also ignores the fact that some stories work even better when distanced from the physical limitations of live-action cinema – especially when it comes to over-the-top genre stories.
And if there’s one series of movies that has a lot to gain from embracing a more stylized approach to filmmaking, it has to be the Predator franchise. I’m clearly not the only one who thinks so, as the latest entry in the series already seems to be a bona fide hit, with Predator: Killer of Killers benefiting from the aesthetic freedom of its animated visuals.
And in honor of this horror-adjacent spin-off reminding audiences that gnarly cartoon violence can be just as thrilling as the real thing, we’ve decided to come up with a list recommending six other brutal animated films to watch after Killer of Killers!
In order to make this a more interesting article, we’ll be avoiding the usual suspects when it comes to adult animation (such as Heavy Metal and Akira) and instead focusing on less popular recommendations. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own hardcore animated favorites if you think we missed a particularly bloody one.
With that out of the way, onto the list…
6. Resident Evil: Damnation (2012)
In general, I’m not a big fan of the narrative elements of the Resident Evil franchise, as I’ve always thought that the series’ overarching mythology was one of its weakest features. That’s why this is such a difficult IP to adapt to the big screen, as once you remove clever resource management and heart-pounding combat from the equation, all you’re left with is the memorable atmosphere and a collection of larger-than-life characters. In the case of RE: Damnation, however, these two elements were all that Makoto Kamiya needed in order to craft a surprisingly thrilling addition to a franchise that has long struggled with story-based mediums.
Following the fan favorite Leon S. Kennedy as he investigates the possible use of Bio-Organic Weapons in the civil war plaguing the fictional “Eastern Slav Republic,” Damnation is a refreshingly accessible thriller that miraculously outshines the game it was originally meant to promote. It also features a collection of original monsters that really should have shown up in the games by now!
5. The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009)
Rob Zombie’s cinematic career may not cater to every kind of horror fan, but you can’t deny that he always shoots precisely the film that he wants to make. And if you can jive with cheesy love-letters to classic B-movies combined with the occasional dose of crude humor, I think you’ll find that one of the rocker-turned-filmmaker’s most interesting projects has to be 2009’s animated curiosity, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto.
Based on Zombie’s eponymous comic-book, the film is basically a rapid-fire stream of niche genre references and crude humor, but it’s hard to complain when the animation is so gorgeous and the script is obviously the result of a deep-rooted passion for both horror and animation. In fact, I think this concept might have worked even better as a TV series, as I would have loved to spend more time in this titular haunted world.
4. The Animatrix (2003)
I love every single entry in the Matrix franchise, but even a hardcore fan like myself has to admit that the first film is the only real masterpiece in the series. At least, it would be, were it not for the existence of the 2003 animated anthology, The Animatrix. Meant to bridge the gap between the original movie and its first sequel, this experimental blend of Eastern and Western influences is so impressive that it ultimately overshadows the movie that it’s meant to be promoting.
After all, the segment connecting the film to the then-upcoming Matrix: Reloaded (as well as the Enter the Matrix videogame) is by far the weakest story of the bunch, with the rest of the anthology focusing on diverse yarns ranging from sci-fi parables exploring ethical boundaries during war to haunted house stories deconstructing childhood nostalgia – all told by masters of the craft including the likes of Shinichirō Watanabe, Yoshiaki Kawajiri and even Aeon Flux creator, Peter Chung!
If you only watch one Matrix movie after the original, make sure it’s this one.
3. Vampire Hunter D (1985)
One of the first anime productions to really make a splash in the western market, Toyoo Ashida’s post-apocalyptic thriller about a half-vampire battling monsters in a world ravaged by nuclear war still remains one of the best gateways into eastern animation over 40 years later.
After all, even if the flick’s gorgeous hand-drawn isn’t enough to reel you in, the Hammer Horror-inspired tone will almost certainly convince you that this vampire yarn deserves to be taken seriously.
And if you like this one, I’d also recommend checking out its 2000 follow-up, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.
2. Unicorn Wars (2022)
By far the strangest film on this list, Alberto Vázquez’s Unicorn Wars is a deeply absurd war film about a military unit of bears who are sent into a battle-scarred forest in order to rescue a squadron of fellow soldiers in the ongoing war against magical unicorns. This may sound like the setup to a brief sketch on a comedy show, but what follows is an exceedingly dark examination of violence, brotherhood and fascism.
And while watching anthropomorphic creatures get violently butchered onscreen might seem like an off-putting experience for some viewers, I’d recommend this Spanish gem to any genre fan who’s ever wondered what might happen if someone took the cutesy fiends from Happy Tree Friends and placed them into a grounded war story inspired by the likes of Apocalypse Now.
1. The Spine of Night (2021)
I have a huge soft spot for the rotoscoped fantasy flicks of the ’70s and ’80s, but I had pretty much abandoned all hope that we’d ever see this kind of animation again due to how impractical it is to produce – not to mention the fact that some people find this aesthetic kind of off-putting. That’s why I was so excited when I first saw the trailer for Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King’s R-rated animated oddity The Spine of Night.
A dark fantasy adventure weaving together a series of interconnected yarns about a mystical flower and the people it influences, this retro feature is one of the most visually unique movies on this list, as well as one of the most visceral. And while the script can’t quite keep up with the gorgeous dreamlike imagery, I find myself revisiting this flick just as often as its inspirations.
