I have spoken before about my desire to see more horror animation. While there are plenty of anime (and some western animation) that feature horror elements, they are more often than not driven by some other aspects such as action or sci-fi. While thinking about this, I rewatched a web series (whether it counts as animation or not is debatable) called Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared and was reminded how much of what I was looking for could be found in this show.
I discovered the first episode of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared when (like many people I assume) a friend showed it to me. I can remember not thinking much of it at the time, admiring the production value but finding the shock value ending a little tasteless. In 2015 while watching an episode of the Game Grumps playthrough of Bloodborne, Danny compared one of the monsters to a character from Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared. Interested, I decided to watch the four episodes that were uploaded at that point and realized that I had seen the first episode years before.
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared primarily uses puppets in the style of the Muppets or Sesame Street but also features traditional animation, CGI, stop-motion and live-action in costumes. The show follows three characters who learn a lesson about life such as time or healthy foods through sing-a-long by a guest character. However, these lessons become warped and disturbing with many episodes ending with gore or the characters becoming traumatized.
I mentioned earlier that I wasn’t too taken with the first episode but from the second episode on, I was hooked. The shock value switched from the sight of gore to creepier themes such as decay, manipulation, reality etc. The creepy atmosphere, the vulnerable main characters, the surreal nature, these are all things I look for in horror and I found these and more in Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.
It is also important to mention that, while I’m emphasizing the horror elements of this series, it is also a comedy series with many uses of surrealist humour, parody and black comedy. This style is expertly handled with the comedy and horror working to accentuate each other.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the high production quality which as I mentioned was already strong in the first episode but continued to grow throughout the episodes. The bright, pleasant colours, elaborate sets and sharp editing all make you feel like you are watching some children’s show at the beginning of each episode which makes the ensuing horror all the more shocking.
As of this article, Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared’s most recent episode aired on 19th of June, 2016. It ended in a manner that suggested that the series might have concluded. However, it has since been announced that a TV series of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared has been commissioned with the pilot premiering in Sundance.
As you might expect from reading this article, I fully encourage you to subscribe to the Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared channel and to watch the series. I think that this series represents amongst the very best of web series and I can only hope that the upcoming series can match the high quality that has come before.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!