If it can be done then i haven't seen it yet...
I mean, when i think "horror" i think of something that it truly capable of frightening me; something that can induce the true feeling of fear. I've seen stuff that is gory, creepy, dark and so forth, but i don't recall seeing an animation that really scared me the way some live action films have. Honestly, i think it was last year that the ottawa film festival has a special showing on horror in animation... i really, was not at all impressed. Dark and creepy yes, but not all that frightening.
Frankly i think animation may be dealing with something of a handicap. I think part of what frightenings us with live actions films is how real it all feels, and animation just by its appearance can cause enough disconnect that we do not feel enough realism to feel that fear. Perhaps horror is less about the fear induced from seeing someone maimed and more that your body tricks into thinking that YOU the viewer will be next; your body fails to make the distinction between fantasy and reality and you momentarily get lost in the film feeling as though it is really happening. As such, the less realistic it is, the easier it is for your body to make the disconnect between fantasy and reality and not react to the film.
I think the only way it might be done is if you are either dealing with a feature length film that has enough time to REALLY draw you deep into the film, or if you use amazingly realistic 3D animation... y'know, enough to make atleast the monsters or what not feel real (hell that's how it kind works in live action when monsters are involved)... i'm having trouble recalling but i think i may have seen some games, or trailers that showed the might have potential; like i might be scared if there was a better build up of suspense... though i might have to make a distinction between horror and just shock value
I mean, when i think "horror" i think of something that it truly capable of frightening me; something that can induce the true feeling of fear. I've seen stuff that is gory, creepy, dark and so forth, but i don't recall seeing an animation that really scared me the way some live action films have. Honestly, i think it was last year that the ottawa film festival has a special showing on horror in animation... i really, was not at all impressed. Dark and creepy yes, but not all that frightening.
Frankly i think animation may be dealing with something of a handicap. I think part of what frightenings us with live actions films is how real it all feels, and animation just by its appearance can cause enough disconnect that we do not feel enough realism to feel that fear. Perhaps horror is less about the fear induced from seeing someone maimed and more that your body tricks into thinking that YOU the viewer will be next; your body fails to make the distinction between fantasy and reality and you momentarily get lost in the film feeling as though it is really happening. As such, the less realistic it is, the easier it is for your body to make the disconnect between fantasy and reality and not react to the film.
I think the only way it might be done is if you are either dealing with a feature length film that has enough time to REALLY draw you deep into the film, or if you use amazingly realistic 3D animation... y'know, enough to make atleast the monsters or what not feel real (hell that's how it kind works in live action when monsters are involved)... i'm having trouble recalling but i think i may have seen some games, or trailers that showed the might have potential; like i might be scared if there was a better build up of suspense... though i might have to make a distinction between horror and just shock value