Photography & Digital Art,Art & Design,ComicsMAY 18, 2023

Horror Movie Villains Get A Makeover Turning Them Into Sweet And Innocent Characters By This Artist (12 Pics)

Some of the horror movie classics have the best villains that still creep me out to this day. But that is not the case for everyone. Illustrator Anastasia Panina, better known as Anastasia in Red on her social media accounts, reimagines these creepy characters as sweet and innocent ones.

This contrast is both funny and heartwarming, bringing a refreshing twist to the terrifying world of horror. So if you are a fan of horror movies, we highly advise you to follow Anastasia for more of her content. Also, feel free to visit our previous post on Bored Panda, where Anastasia illustrated these villains giving advice on the fight against COVID-19.

More info: Instagram | Facebook | ainred.com

Meet Anastasia In Red, the artist behind these artworks

#1 Jason Voorhees, Friday The 13th (1980)

Friday the 13th is a 1980 American independent slasher film produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham. Its plot follows a group of teenage camp counselors who mysteriously disappear one by one an unknown killer while attempting to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past.

anastasiainred

Report

48points

Bored Panda reached out to Anastasia to learn more about her and her work. Anastasia shared that her interest in horror movies started in childhood: “I'm an artist and Illustrator, best known as Anastasia In Red. I've been obsessed with horror, macabre, and bizarre themes since childhood. I was 7 when I watched my first horror movie. My favorite activities were summoning spirits, listening to and telling scary stories. I was in love with everything about witches, magic, vampires, demons, and ghosts. And, of course, I enjoyed drawing.”

“As I grew up, the love for all the spooky stuff grew with me. So, I'm extremely glad that I was able to make it part of my work. One of the features of my art is that I really like to mix creepy and cute, scary and beautiful, horror and humor.”

“In addition to digital illustrations, I also work with physical materials and make Dark, Fantasy, and Horror-themed wooden jewelry and home decor painted by hand.”

#2 Ghostface, Scream (1996)

There was a very peculiar period for horror films at the end of the 1990s. At that time, fans were able to get excited again, with productions of a certain prestige that raised the genre to a high level, also creating a legion of new followers. For someone who was a teenager, these films meant a lot, giving life to a subgenre that seemed dead and buried. Adding a lot of humor, metalanguage, and jokes with the subgenre formula, but obviously not forgetting the scares, tension, and gore, a new era for such productions was born. The influence was so strong that this mold was assimilated by all and any production of the genre, even new copies of consecrated franchises.

anastasiainred

Report

45points

#3 Predator (1987)

Predator (1987) is one of the most iconic films of the '80s and definitely one of the most remarkable in Schwarzenegger's career. In the plot, the Austrian star is the leader of an elite military team, the kind that performs missions that no one else could.

Their task is simple: rescue the crew of a helicopter that has crashed behind enemy lines in a Central American country, and contains a high-ranking officer.

anastasiainred

Report

44points

We were wondering if Anastasia was influenced by any particular film or a villain to create her dark but cute illustrations. She shared: “I guess the whole point is that these movies, first of all, have a connection with my childhood. I watched them on TV with my parents and was scared but very curious at the same time. What an amazing feeling! Probably someone thinks that a kid at this age is too young for such things, but I regret nothing.”

“I think the biggest influence on my work is not even movies, but the TV series Tales from the Crypt with its dark humor. By the way, I draw not only well-known characters but also create my own, which become recognizable as well. For example, Derpy Black Cat is one of my most popular characters. I think he could be a great companion for the Crypt-Keeper. Hehehe.”

#4 Pennywise, It (2017)

A journey into King's cold, dark mind. Made for American TV, 'It' shows a quiet town that was terrorized 30 years ago by a being known as 'The Thing'. His victims were children, and he appeared most often as the clown Pennywise. In this form, he reappears 27 years later. Seven young people who saw 'The Thing' return to fight it. However, this battle could cost them their lives. The new adaptation of 'It" (2017) arrived in theaters exactly 27 years after the release of the last film. And the most sinister? In the book, Pennywise returns every 27 years.

anastasiainred

Report

43points

#5 Samara Morgan, The Ring (2002)

In 2002, director Gore Verbinski released one of the most iconic horror films of the century: the Hollywood remake of the classic 'The Ring'.

Praised by experts for its gripping, chilling atmosphere, as well as the visuals and performance of Naomi Watts, the narrative brings to life the terrifying Samara, an obsessive spirit who collects victims via a cursed videotape - and who gives her targets seven days to say goodbye.

In addition to the critical success, the feature also made a box office bang, grossing no less than $249 million from a budget of $48 million, making it one of the most successful remakes in history and yielding two sequels that, unfortunately, did not receive the same reception.

anastasiainred

Report

39points

Anastasia possesses a remarkable talent for transforming terrifying villains into adorable and harmless-looking characters. We were curious to learn more about her approach to this creative process. Anastasia shared: “To answer this question, I think it's worth telling how exactly I came up with the idea of making horror icons funny and cute. It started with the memory of how Freddy Krueger cured my insomnia when I was 8-9 years old. Sounds absurd, I know!”

“I remember very well the first time I experienced insomnia. It was very difficult for me to fall asleep, and I couldn't sleep properly for about 2 weeks. Apparently, this happened because I was too worried about school, lessons, homework, tests, grades, etc. I just wanted to be a good student. But after watching one of the parts of A Nightmare on Elm Street on TV, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. That night, I saw Freddy Krueger in my dream. He turned out to be a nice guy and said that actually he isn't so bad, it's just a job.”

“One day, I remembered this story, and that's how I came up with the idea to create My Cute Villains art series. I just imagined that horror icons have a life behind the scenes with their own problems. And at the beginning of the COVID era, to distract from negative thoughts, I again decided to turn to my favorite characters and created the Villains against COVID-19 art series. I wanted to make anti-COVID tips that would be really memorable and not boring. I thought very carefully about which villain should give particular advice.”

#6 Hannibal Lecter, The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Released on circuits across the USA on February 14, 1991, having previously held preview sessions in New York (January 30) and California (February 1), The Silence of the Lambs turned 32 years old.

The film is based on the homonymous novel by writer Thomas Harris – responsible for a series of books starring the character Hannibal Lecter. The story features a rookie FBI recruit-in-training, Agent Clarice Starling, facing the biggest opportunity of her short career as well as her most daunting challenge: maintaining professional ties with an incarcerated psychopath, Dr. Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter, in order to gain insight into the hunt for another maniac, the transvestite Buffalo Bill - who is kidnapping and taking the lives of young women.

anastasiainred

Report

36points

#7 Pinhead, Hellraiser (1986)

The supernatural franchises of the 1980s are some of the most loved and adored by fans of the horror genre - and one of them is 'Hellraiser' with the unforgettable character Pinhead.

Officially released in 1987, the British feature film brought Clive Barker as director and screenwriter and was based on his own novel 'The Hellbound Heart'. In the plot, Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) is a connoisseur of sexual depravity, who seeks the latest sensual experience and buys a beautiful and intricate puzzle cube. Only Frank has experience with the cube after solving the riddle and opening the doors of Hell and Heaven, which causes his death. When an old lover moves in with him, he tries to convince her to help him get back to the world of the living.

anastasiainred

Report

36points

Although the artwork is created in a consistent style, the drawing duration for each piece varies. Anastasia shared the time difference it takes: “It always depends on how many characters and details are in the illustration. But thinking about the idea itself can take quite a long time as well. So it can be from 1-2 days to several weeks. One of my most complex pieces called Eerie Mirror Beauty Salon took me about a month.”

#8 Michael Myers, Halloween (1978)

Halloween is a 1978 American independent slasher film directed and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with producer Debra Hill. The plot centers on a mental patient, Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium for taking the life of his babysitting teenage sister on Halloween night when he was six years old. Fifteen years later, he escapes and returns to his hometown, where he stalks a female babysitter and her friends while under pursuit by his psychiatrist.

anastasiainred

Report

30points

#9 Freddy Krueger, A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. The film's plot concerns a group of teenagers who are targeted by Krueger, an undead former child executioner who can take away people's lives through their dreams, as retribution against their parents who burned him alive.

anastasiainred

Report

30points

And lastly, Anastasia added: “Have you ever heard that horror movies can be good for health? For example, they can help us face our fears, boost our immune system, relieve depressive feelings, and more. So watch horror, and stay healthy!”

#10 Critters & Dr. Alan Feinstone, The Dentist (1996)

The Dentist is a 1996 American slasher film directed by Brian Yuzna. It follows a successful but mentally unstable dentist in Los Angeles who begins committing murder. It is the first installment in The Dentist film series, followed by The Dentist 2.

anastasiainred

Report

27points

#11 Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark (1988)

Elvira is a comedy and horror film starring Cassandra Peterson and based on the character created by her on television, an absolute success in the '80s. Released in 1988, the original film didn't do much at the box office - just $5.5 million - but it has become a cult classic over the years, gaining a respectable fan base.

anastasiainred

Report

26points

#12 Jack Torrance, The Shining (1980)

The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson. The film is based on Stephen King's 1977 novel of the same name. The film's central character is Jack Torrance (Nicholson), an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic who accepts a position as the off-season caretaker of the isolated historic Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies, with his wife, Wendy Torrance (Duvall), and young son, Danny Torrance (Lloyd). Danny is gifted with psychic abilities named "shining". After a winter storm leaves the Torrances snowbound, Jack's sanity deteriorates due to the influence of the supernatural forces that inhabit the hotel.

anastasiainred

Report

26points