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There are some adaptions of dark fairy tales, many of them developed into a sanitized version by Disney. However, there have also been some horror movies, such as Red Riding Hood and Gretel & Hansel, that were closer to the original themes of the original tale.
There are many fascinating fairy tales that have yet to be discovered and adapted for the big screen. While not all dark fairy tales would make good horror movies, the themes from the old tales have the potential to be great films. Some of them have plots that could be appropriately adapted into thrillers, dark fantasy, or even bittersweet love stories.
10 The Three Little Pigs Is Far More Disturbing Than Modern Depictions
While there are many popular Disney movies based on classic literature, there has yet to be a popular adaptation of The Three Little Pigs. The pigs and the Big Bad Wolf have been featured in other films, but rarely as central characters.
In the fable, two of the little pigs don’t just have their house blown down but are consumed by the wolf. While pigs and wolves make odd characters for a good film, adapting the story with humans to represent the iconic characters would make for an interesting allegory for the original fairy tale.
9 The Pied Piper Would Be A Disturbing Mystery
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is based on a historical legend. In this story, the Pied Piper was hired to lead diseased rats out of a town. However, when the mayor doesn’t pay the amount promised, he came back to lure all the children away as well.
While there have been movie adaptations of the Pied Piper, many of which have been horror films, the story easily lends itself to an ominous mystery. A modern depiction of this story could pay homage to the original story while portraying this disturbing storyline in a modern-day thriller.
8 The Frog King Is Much Darker Than The Princess & The Frog
The Frog King, also known as The Frog Prince, has been adapted in modern-day as The Princess and the Frog, well-known now for its Disney adaptation. However, the original tale is far different from this newer version. In this original, the princess is a young, wealthy girl with a spoiled side.
Forced to care for the frog by her father after making a deal, she eventually becomes so enraged that she throws it against a wall. Only then does the frog turn into a king (or prince) and tell her they are to be married. Though there are obviously some problematic aspects of the original, this story lends itself more to dark fantasy than a children’s love story.
7 The Goose Girl Is A Dark Switching Places Story
The Goose Girl is a German fairy tale about a maid that tricks a princess into tricking places with her so that she can marry a prince. This darker tale has a somewhat happier ending for the princess, but the maid gets a terrifyingly bloody justice.
There are many body-swapping movies that take a more literal approach to switching places with another person. While The Goose Girl would work well for another sanitized adaptation in a Disney movie, it would also be a thrilling dark fantasy in which the maid switches places with the princess in a more magical and literal way.
6 Bluebeard Would Make An Eerie Period Horror
Bluebeard is one of the darkest fairy tales ever and is certainly not one parents tell their children before bed. Written by Charles Perrault, the story follows a young woman that married Bluebeard, a man who has had several wives that have mysteriously disappeared.
When the new wife goes into the one room she isn’t allowed in, she finds the bodies of his ex-wives. This chilling story sounds comparable to many ghastly serial killer movies. Set in the 17th century, an adaptation has the potential to be one of the most disturbing period horrors.
5 Tatterhood Is A Story Of Sisterhood & Magic
Tatterhood is a Norwegian fairy tale about a young woman that has dirty hair and raggedy clothing. Her beautiful sister is proposed to by a king, but she only agrees if his son marries her sister. When the prince accepts Tatterhood for who she truly is, she turns into a beautiful woman with a crown and a magical wand.
While this story sounds like it would also make a great Disney movie, the beginning also features a greedy mother and a conniving witch. With the dark aspects of this story relatively light, it has the potential to be a great teen fantasy flick with commentary on the importance of physical appearance.
4 Faithful Johannes Has The Potential To Be A Great LGBTQ Love Story
Faithful Johannes is a Brothers Grimm tale about a loyal servant to a king that goes to great lengths to prevent a dark omen that will lead to his king’s death. However, when he takes blood from the king’s wife’s breast, he’s sentenced to death for the violation. When he reveals the reasoning for his actions, he’s turned to stone.
While there is no LGBTQ+ romance in the original, the story easily lends itself to a potential modern adaptation featuring a romance between the king and Johannes. A classic being adapted in this could add to the limited list of important LGBTQ+ romantic storylines.
3 The Shadow Would Be A Disturbing Psychological Thriller
Hans Christian Andersen is well-known for his story The Little Mermaid, but The Shadow is one of his most disturbing ones. In this tale, a man meets his shadow, who has developed into a better version of the man. When the shadow flourishes, the man grows weak and ill. Eventually, the shadow becomes royalty and demands his former master become the shadow.
Andersen’s story could easily be adapted into a horror movie about a villainous shadow. However, this creepy tale could also be a psychological thriller that literally makes viewers scared of their own shadows.
2 The Wonderful Birch Is A Darker Cinderella
Andrew Lang’s The Wonderful Birch begins with a witch turning a woman into a sheep and taking her place in the family, slaughtering the sheep and eating it for supper. Years later, the witch tries tricking a prince into marrying her own daughter when the prince recognizes her step-daughter’s voice as the woman he fell in love with.
There are many similarities between Cinderella and Lang’s The Wonderful Birch. While Cinderella has one of the worst in-laws in movies, the evil stepmother in this film rivals Cinderella’s. This story has the groundwork for a dark fantasy that mixes the modern and the magical.
1 Death’s Messenger Personifies Death
In Death’s Messenger, a badly beaten Death is helped by a young man. For this, Death promises that he will send a messenger to the boy ahead of time to warn him of his impending demise. However, when Death comes for him as an old man without warning, Death points out that illness and aging were the messengers.
There are many depictions of the Grim Reaper in mythology, stories, and films. However, this fairy tale is both literal and metaphorical, making Death a character while also conveying the message that no one is prepared for death. This dark but meaningful tale would make a fascinating horror with a moral conclusion.
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