Cartoons aren’t always just for kids—and even some that are can be surprisingly creepy. From unsettling storylines to eerie animation and downright terrifying villains, plenty of animated shows have a way of giving you the chills. These are the cartoons that might make you think twice before letting the little ones watch.
“Courage the Cowardly Dog”
- Producers: Robert Winthrop and Winnie Chaffee
- Cast: Marty Grabstein, Thea White, Lionel Wilson, Arthur Anderson, and Paul Schoeffler
- Seasons: 4
“The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy”
- Producers: Vincent Davis and Louis J. Cuck
- Cast: Grey DeLisle, Richard Steven Horvitz, Greg Eagles, and Vanessa Marshall
- Seasons: 6
“The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack”
- Producers: Pernelle Hayes
- Cast: Thurop Van Orman, Brian Doyle-Murray, Roz Ryan, Jeff Bennett, and Steve Little
- Seasons: 3
“Gravity Falls”
- Producers: Tobias Conan Trost, Brian Doell, and Suzanna Olson
- Cast: Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal, Alex Hirsch, Linda Cardellini, and J. K. Simmons
- Seasons: 2
“Cow and Chicken”
- Producers: David Feiss and Vincent Davis
- Cast: Charlie Adler, Candi Milo, Dee Bradley Baker, Howard Morris, and Dan Castellaneta
- Seasons: 4
“Betty Boop’s Hallowe’en Party”
- Producer: Max Fleischer
- Animators: Willard Bowsky and Myron Waldman
- Running Time: 7 minutes
“Invader Zim”
- Producers: Monique Beatty, Christine Griswold, and Steve Ressel
- Cast: Richard Steven Horvitz, Andy Berman, Rosearik Rikki Simons, Melissa Fahn, Jhonen Vasquez, and Rodger Bumpass
- Seasons: 2
“Coraline”
- Producers: Bill Mechanic, Claire Jennings, Henry Selick, and Mary Sandell
- Cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David, John Hodgman, Robert Bailey Jr., and Ian McShane
- Running Time: 100 minutes
“Over the Garden Wall”
- Producers: Pernelle Hayes
- Cast: Elijah Wood, Collin Dean, Melanie Lynskey, Christopher Lloyd, Tim Curry, Jack Jones, and Samuel Ramey
- Seasons: 1
“Tales From The Cryptkeeper”
- Producers: Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Patricia R. Burns
- Cast: John Kassir, Elizabeth Hanna, David Hemblen, Luca Perlman, and Asia Vieira
- Seasons: 3
“Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated”
- Producers: Mitch Watson and Victor Cook
- Cast: Mindy Cohn, Grey DeLisle, Matthew Lillard, and Frank Welker
- Seasons: 2
“Aaahh!!! Real Monsters”
- Producers: Sherry Gunther, Geraldine Clarke, Cella Nichols Duffy, and Mark Steen
- Cast: Charlie Adler, Christine Cavanaugh, David Eccles, Gregg Berger, Jim Belushi, and Tim Curry
- Seasons: 4
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Courtesy of Disney Channel.