A classic children’s film that should absolutely be deemed a horror film is now streaming on BFI Player via Amazon Prime Video.
What sort of film could possibly make adorable, fluffy bunnies frolicking in the woodlands horrific? The answer to that is the 1978 animated film Watership Down.
Based on the 1972 novel by Richard Adams, Watership Down tells the story of a group of rabbits, led by brothers Hazel and Fiver (voiced by John Hurt and Richard Briers), who escape their doomed warren in search of a new home.
On their journey, however, they face predators, forces of nature, and other rabbit societies while they travel to establish a new warren on Watership Down Hill.
It became an instant hit, becoming the sixth most popular film of 1979 at the UK box office.
Watership Down has gone down in history thanks to some of its more traumatising scenes, from brutal suffocations to throats being ripped out by rabid rabbits.
In a retrospective review, The Independent described the film as a ‘classic’ but one that ‘arguably traumatised a generation.’
Channel 5 faced intense backlash in 2016 for choosing the screen the film in a pre-watershed slot on Easter Sunday, which certainly was a choice.
In 2022, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) raised Watership Down’s rating from a U to a PG for ‘mild violence, threat, brief bloody images, language.’
Six years later, Netflix adapted the film into a series with the likes of James McAvoy, Olivia Colman, Peter Capaldi, Rosamund Pike, Nicholas Hoult, John Boyega, Gemma Arterton, and many others.
The original film holds an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus reading: ‘ Aimed at adults perhaps more than children, this is a respectful, beautifully animated adaptation of Richard Adams’ beloved book.’
In a review, The Guardian said: ‘A band of rabbits must leave their warren to find safety in a film that, even in a digital age, still has the bloody force to scare young minds.’
The Dissolve wrote: ‘It’s a work deeply enamored with its source material, and determined to do right by it, even if it means frightening kids, baffling parents, and embracing whatever style works.’
Time Magazine echoed the same sentiments, saying: ‘A rare movie that keeps kids on the edge of their chairs without inducing in their parents an overwhelming desire to escape theirs for a smoke in the lobby.’
5 more disturbingly dark animated films – and where to stream them
When the Wind Blows
Elderly married couple Hilda (Peggy Ashcroft) and Jim Bloggs (John Mills) have their quiet, simple lives in the English countryside interrupted when they learn of an impending nuclear attack.
Not completely understanding the gravity of their situation, Hilda and Jim react archaically and insufficiently after the attack – and the film takes a dark turn as the radiation begins taking its toll on the unsuspecting couple.
Where to watch: Tubi
If Anything Happens I Love You
In the aftermath of tragedy, two grieving parents journey through an emotional void as they mourn the loss of a child.
Where to watch: Netflix
Grave of the Fireflies
A devastating meditation on the human cost of war, this animated tale follows Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi), a teenager charged with the care of his younger sister, Setsuko (Ayano Shiraishi), after an American firebombing during World War II separates the two children from their parents.
Their tale of survival is as heartbreaking as it is true to life. The siblings rely completely on each other and struggle against all odds to stay together and stay alive.
Where to watch: Tubi and Netflix
Where the Dead Go to Die
Troubled children from the same block are haunted by a talking dog who brings them on rides between dimensions.
Where to watch: YouTube
A Scanner Darkly
In the near future, as America virtually loses the war on drugs, Robert Arctor, a narcotics cop in Orange County, Calif., becomes an addict when he goes under cover.
He is wooing Donna, a dealer, to ferret out her supplier. At the same time, he receives orders to spy on his housemates, one of whom is suspected of being Donna’s biggest customer.
Where to watch: Tubi
Film4 praised the more gritty and gory elements of Watership Down, writing: ‘A beautifully realised animation, Watership Down ultimately works because it doesn’t dilute the violence and drama of Adams’ book with a rose-tinted lens.’
Arizona Daily Star said: ‘Cuts so deep on so many ethereal levels that you can flip to nearly any page in the history book and see a parallel.’
Meanwhile, Looking Closer summarised: ‘Don’t listen to anybody who writes it off as a ‘cartoon about bunnies.’ Stunning beauty, smart scripting, a splendid score … this is a serious film for serious moviegoers.’
Watership Down is streaming now on BFI Player via Amazon Prime Video
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