Where Have the Horror Cartoons Gone?

I think as time winds on we often get a little nostalgic. For me though, it doesn't take much to trigger a fond memory of days gone by, you’d think I’d have a case of those “Member berries” from South Park lying around with the amount I procrastinate about the good ol’ days. It's probably not too healthy reminiscing on days gone by, but what the heck.

So, as many of you may know, I have a son, he's two. We watch all kinds of stuff from Blippi to Duggee and everything in between and that's fine. But as he gets older I'm looking to branch out to other cartoons, and sadly, I'm having a hard time finding something remotely like the stuff we used to have. So, where have the horror cartoons gone?

Don’t get me wrong, there are still some great cartoons being produced, but I've struggled to find any horror cartoons as of late. Now, this might be due to me living in the UK while some of guys in the States, Canada, or wherever you might be are potentially inundated with horror cartoons, but I don’t think so. I've done a little diggin’ and I’m coming up empty, but why?

I was so pumped looking for new horror cartoons for my son to watch when he gets a little older, but I've come up short and it pains me. Man, there used to be a time when we had Beetlejuice, The Trap Door, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Tales from the Cryptkeeper, The Toxic Crusaders and my personal favorite Count Duckula (He did make a brief return in the new Danger Mouse) to name but a small few! We sure had a blast and I’d like to think it helped me, in part, to become the horror fan that I am today as these were almost a stepping stone into the world of horror and it was fun.

So, where are they at today? Is it due to a lack of horror films being unable to be adapted for the younger audience? Or perhaps parents want to distance cartoons from horror movies? Maybe studios just don’t want to branch out or don’t see an audience for those types of cartoons? It may even be as simple as kids just not being as interested.

What ever the reason, we need more. I mean, the only time I watch The Simpsons now is when they have their Halloween special, but that’s it. It’s a damn shame, especially as a horror fan looking for an entry for the younger audience like we had in the late eighties through to the nineties. But if horror were to make a return, which horror films could be adapted in this day and age?

Could Shaun of the Dead work? How about something similar to Tales from the Cryptkeeper but base it on Trick ‘r Treat with Sam as the title character? I’d also be interested in seeing The Babadook have a life in cartoon form, but saying that, perhaps horror cartoons are simply from a time gone by and that’s that.