The kind of horror where you know something is out there, but you can't tell if it's looking for you, or if it's already watching. And you will never know.
I actually feel kinda bad for all the folks out there that are missing out on this underrated masterpiece. The colors, composition and sound design are spot on and you really captured the retro 90s feel perfectly. I can't remember the last time an animation provided me with so much nostalgia and I'm really looking forward to more ;)
There's something amazing about this style of animation that makes it feel so warm, fuzzy, and nostalgic for childhood memories. The contrast between this and the actual scary, horror elements meshes perfectly, and I'd love to see more works like this in general!
Whimsical. It has a whimsical type of art style. Whimsical art gives you that warm, fuzzy and nostalgic and almost magical feeling which you described.
I agree, the visual style here is very cool. I would like to see a real cartoon in this style, and not just illustrations. But even in this case, they are nice to look at.
when one guy goes missing and the entire town goes looking for him, he either meant something to everyone or the town was bored or they've had peace for the past 10-20 years
It’s a little depressing to think that one day my friends and I went outside and played together for what would be the last time and we didn’t even know it
Just looking at the inside of the car frightened me. Seeing the scuffed up blanket and broken windows, you can imagine what Jordi experienced the night he was taken by the Pine Creepers.
To me theres nothing creepier than silence, someone just being taken away. They dont scream, they dont struggle, theyre just taken. Because even a scream would let you know at least kinda whats happening, but if you hear nothing then you literally have no idea what happened, how thats even possible. Creepy. Reminds me of a random animated short i saw a couple years ago, dont remember it but it was a bigger sister and a little sister, the little one was maybe 5 and she was going to the kitchen at night because she heard noises, and the sister followed behind, the whole time the characters foot steps could be heard, floor creaking, breathing, just normal noise, and the ending scene was a flash of something coming into the window and grabbing the child and yanking her out so fast that you could tell she didnt survive the force of it, but it was totally mute silent. Fast and no sound. Really great layer of horror and unnatural. If you're somewhere quiet right now, like in bed, imagine it. The ringing in your ears it's so silent, and imagine it. Scary, right?
I love the pine creepers design at a distance you could mistake there face for an owl with there facial structure, at first I thought they were some sort of owl people but looking closer you see that they are some kind of goblin creature making them more otherworldly but still grounded.
@@spiritsofwolves Yeah. The guy was just a kid, what was he supposed to do? All of the possible options he could have chosen would have gotten everyone killed.
Ya and what if they added a physical features to the people like ( tattoos, scars, birth marks or "heterochoroma" [which means two different eye colors] ) that why we could make the connection to the missing people and the pinecreeps are the missing people.
I appreciate the economic use of animation, taking advantage of stillness and saving most of the frames for when they're needed. I also like the designs for the monsters, as they look like they could have derived from new world monkeys; some particularly stealthy, semi-plausible form of cryptid.
“Bite the bullet” is an informal phrase that means to do something unpleasant or painful because it is necessary; even though you would like to avoid it.
I've always been a fan of "silhouettes of creatures hidden in fog/mist only seen when lightning/lighting hits" and "forrest horrors" And I saw your Worm video first then this and I'll say this is by far my favorite
Reminds me of a very strange and scary encounter me and my brother had while backpacking in the Colorado wilderness. Never thought much of it until I got more into horror stories and podcasts and heard people talk about similar experiences. I’ll never go out into the woods at night alone and without a gun again. Great stuff guys, 10/10 from me.
There’s a shit load of animals out in the woods you wouldn’t want to face alone after dark. It’s why hunters always keep their guns on or near them even when asleep. And that’s not even the start, imagine living in a world where it’s not just coyote’s or bears, but you also got shit like pine creepers, wendigos, wood crawlers, or some other horror monster lurking out there. I shudder at the thought.
the limited animation in this is so cool. its one of the most creative ways of portraying a memory in any show ive ever seen. the way it freeze frames a bit when talking about the more basic moments and suddenly starts to move smoothly in the more memorable parts really does capture how memories feel sometimes. this show is definitely filling the hilda shaped hole in my heart.
What a wonderful combination of narration and animation! You just made me see how I can combine both audiobook writing and animation. Thank you for inspiring me ❤
A beautiful short story that absorbed me the moment I started watching and as a passionate fan of Luke Pearson's Hilda it had a welcoming aspect to me; should Hilda ever get a continuation, it should have a similar aesthetic and writing as this short story. Congratulations to the writer(s) and the animator(s) of "The Pine Creepers"! You created a masterpiece.
There's something cozy about how you did the animation, even with the pine creepers. The voice work was also smooth and comfortable, adding to the atmosphere.
Reminds me so much of Gravity Falls; the art style, the story, the creepy atmosphere. I'm not one for the Cal Arts style or any of it's derivatives, but once it is paired with an engaging story, it definitely works. Looking forward to more.
Fr its like steven universe look with gravity falls atmosphere and has an 80s-90s retro feel to it. If this was a show series or a youtube series i would def watch
Novelle form: I'll never forget the summer of 95. I was 13 that year. A heat wave had set in, making it one of the hottest July's on record. The house I grew up in on Lake Michigan didn't have air conditioning. Most of the time, that was fine. At night, a breeze would come in off the water, so just an open window was usually enough to cool things down and sleep pretty comfortably. Not that summer, though. That summer was different. Some of my friends and I had taken to camping outside to try and escape the heat. Jordy Baker, Auggie McLean, and me. I don't know if it really made all that much difference. I think maybe we just liked being together. That made it easier to get through. I can't remember the first day I met Jordy. We lived on the same street in our small town, and we did everything together. He was my best friend. It felt like it had always been that way. Augie was a quiet kid back then, but you wouldn't know it when we were alone, so much so that his big mouth got us kicked out of my backyard. Dad had to be up at five for work, and he didn't exactly appreciate Augie's high-pitched laugh the same way Jordy and I did. There was a clearing in the pines behind Jordy's house where we used to hang out sometimes, so we decided to set up camp back there. An old rusted out Buick Century marked the spot. I always wondered whose car that used to be, back before it became part of the woods. I mean, thinking about it now, I'm not even really sure how it got out there through the trees in the first place. We cleaned out the broken glass and the cigarette butts left behind by the neighborhood teenagers. We made a fire pit out of one of the wheel rims Jordy managed to pry off. The mosquitoes out there were ruthless at sundown. Dry, prickly needles covered the ground in a thick blanket under the trees. The only thing I hated more than that feeling under my feet when I wasn't wearing any shoes was the crunching sound they made whenever I was. It wasn't all that cozy of a spot, but at least it was private, a place far enough away from the rest of the world that we could stay up all night laughing, and no one would care. Jordy had skimmed some beer from a case in the basement that his dad was working on. Four bottles of lukewarm lager to share between us. Not exactly a blowout, but not enough that Mr. Baker would miss them either. I don't drink much beer these days, but even just the smell of it always brings me back to that night. The hours slipped past as we stoked the fire, talking about nothing in particular. That half a sip of beer must have gone right to Augie's head as he called it a night pretty early on without even finishing one bottle. We didn't mind, more for us. At some point, Jordy brought up what happened to Pike Lister. Pike was two grades ahead of me in school, and he probably failed a couple on top of that. He was big, and everybody was scared of him. On a Friday that past November, Pike left school after his usual extra hour of detention to walk home, and that was the last time anybody saw him. The search lasted for weeks. They never found anything. Some people said he just took off, ran away from home. Others thought he might have drowned in the lake accidentally. Not Jordy though. I listened quietly as he laid it all out, how his dad said it wasn't the first time something like this had happened around here, how back in the 70s, four people disappeared without a trace, and now around that same time, locals had started seeing something in the woods that wrapped around our town, pale creatures with large eyes and long limbs, creeped around on all fours. The pine creepers, that's what we called them anyway. Jordy figured that's what happened to Pike. The pine creepers must have got him. I laughed him off and eagerly changed the subject. We ended up burning a couple more sticks before letting the fire die and heading to bed. One of us could take the back of the Buick, and the other had to sleep in the tent with Auggie. To call it a two-man tent was being generous. I offered to bite the bullet, or at least that's what I let Jordy think. I'd never admit it at the time, but the truth is all that talk about the creepers had me a little scared. Augie's snoring and spooning seemed like a fair price to pay if I didn't have to be alone outside. After all, if they could take Pike Lister, what chance did any of us have? I'm not sure what time it was when I woke up. It was still dark out, and I could hear rain coming down outside. For the first few minutes, I just laid there, listening to the steady sound of the drops against the tent. It wasn't long before I realized that beer had gone right through me, and I wasn't going to be able to hold it. I fumbled around until I found the lantern, and I made my way outside. The night air had cooled down a bit with the rain, which felt nice. The whole sky was clouded over, blocking out any light from the moon or the stars. My eyes finally started adjusting to the dark. That was when I noticed it, something catching the light just beyond the edge of the clearing, a dim reflective shine that flickered as I moved the lantern. It took me a second to realize what I was looking at, eyes, watching me. It was hard to see much of what those eyes belonged to, but I knew what they were. Pine creepers. My pulse pounded in my ears as we stared each other down. I carefully started backing up, never once looking away. I wanted to turn and run so badly, but just kept slowly taking one step after another. I got back into the tent as quickly as I could without making much noise. Maybe if I was quiet enough, those things would move along. I thought about waking Augie, didn't want him to freak out and draw attention to us. Seconds passed, nothing. The rustling of the trees, the calm drone of the rain. Just as I started to think that maybe I'd overreacted, maybe my mind could be playing tricks on me, it started, that familiar awful sound, the crunch of those needles. There was something moving around outside the tent. I was out there, alone. I kept telling myself he wouldn't wake up, he was safer in the Buick, that I should stay still, stay quiet. I laid there, and I kept listening for what felt like forever. I was too scared to do anything else. I never woke up Augie, I never called out to Jordy, I never did anything. The hours passed, and I must have fallen asleep for a few minutes because the next thing I knew, the birds had suddenly started chirping, and even from inside the tent, I could tell it was getting light out. I gathered any bit of courage I had, threw the sleeping bag off, and gave Augie a shove. I climbed out of the tent first
You nailed the vibe and the story. What I love most is that there isn’t a whole bunch of animation, but the visuals compliment the story. You give us these beautiful shots and of what you do show it adds just enough detail to the narration while allowing us to interpret the rest, and it works so dang well. Awesome work, looking forward to more!
Oh my god, this was amazing! A very eerie atmosphere all the way through, the voice for the narrator is perfect, the animation style is great and I love the mix of still and movement. What a great recommendation from Animated Horror Flicks! Subscriber gained 😁
I want to headcanon that these stories are either ghost stories Hilda and Frida tells David during the camping trip or actual events that is happening inside the Hilda world. Obviously it's because it's similar to the Hilda Series' artstyle but it's still fun to think about.
This popped up again in my recommendations after a year and I had to watch again. I probably watched this 2-3 dozen times last year when it came out, it's just so good. It has this almost coziness to it's story telling with the background sounds and music matching with the amazing voice acting and visuals just perfectly, using a slightly darker color pallet than you'd get out of modern animation that is still colorful and full of life while also fitting the spooky story it's paired with. Honestly can't believe I never commented on it until now. Gonna have to check out the new release after this.
Ok but the story actually brought tears to my eyes, it reminds me of the guilt Nancy from stranger things must have felt after neglecting and loosing her friend Barb, I'm always afraid that my lack of quick thinking will result in the demise of someone I care about😭😭
Dude, I can't believe how skilled you are in narrating. This is a true art of telling the story where you don't even need to watch the animation, it's so perfectly imaginable in your head while listening to you which shows you read books. You deserved a sub, and I want more of these! Well done, man! Love the video so much.
As people keep saying, the animation is very warm and cozy and it made me so happy and also made all the sense in the world when I read that the creator was also the director of "Hilda". This looks like it could fit right into a slightly darker spin-off in Hilda's world.
I just discovered this and I am in AWE of the compositions and animation and especially the style being very obviously reminiscent of Hilda's. This is just too good to be on TH-cam and it puts all those other horror story animations TO SHAME. 😭
This “Horror Story” feels so calming with a cool animation that for the first few moments I didn’t even realized it’s a horror story until I read the title properly
My headcanon is that this series takes place in the same universe as Hilda. It's a big ol' world out there, and not every spirit, fairy, or other nonhuman creature is going to be as nice as the ones little Hilda befriends. Just as much as there are friendly folk, there are dangerous folk, ones you shouldn't mess with.
This gave me so much nostalgia and creeping fear from we used to camp out in the backyard against the woods. You managed to bottle that feeling somehow. Incredible.
this is the most underrated masterpiece i have ever seen. the story is great, the animation is great, and the music is perfectly fit, yet it doesn't even have 100k views.
The moment I heard Lake Michigan I instantly became that much more invested in the story since I go there every summer since my family lives in Michigan so it's only an hour or so away from our place
I watched this right after “the worm” and I cannot wait for another one, although this kind of work must take ages. You deserve so much more recognition for the way it’s done as a whole. Freaking awesome job!!
Reminds me a short story by HP Lovecraft about a creepy spooky painter who paints some creepy & disturbing creatures at his accademy & people start to wonder about him. In the end of the story it turns out that the creatures he paints about aren’t made up but are real andare live with him in his house
I love how I live pretty close to where this story takes place, and I've been in a place like the woods in the story. It really makes the story 10x better when you know the crunch of pines and the feeling of Northern summer night air
Maybe one of these days I will actually write down a few things that happened when I was a teenager. They aren't fiction, but I think fiction or not, the stories should be told. You made me think about them because your content is top-notch. Truly an inspiring final product, guys!
This is amazing! It perfectly captures that fear of the woods at night, almost a primal feeling. I love scary stories and moonlit forests. Thanks so much for this video.
Other horror animation channels: I went inside an abandoned Mr beast burger and what I found was horrifying This channel: God tier animation and storytelling Seriously, I loved this! I love the designs of the pine creepers and the music, oh the music is beautiful! What’s your next video about because you have yourself a new subscriber!
theres painfuly little horror animation of such quality, i guess it makes sence, animations had a poisonous reputation of being for kids then being for adults but only in the most imature ways, really creepy animation is such a new treat!
OHMYGOD THIS APPEARED ON MY RECOMMENDATIONS AND I JUMPED WHEN I RECOGNISED THE ARTSTYLE ART DIRECTOR OF "HILDA"???? this is such a interesting story. really got me into the "halloween vibe" is there gonna be more?!
00:09 Summer of 95, hottest July on record 01:32 Setting up camp in the Pines behind Jordy's house 02:47 Memories of a nostalgic night by the fire 04:22 Pike disappeared and locals suspected the pine creepers 05:44 Fear of the creepers sets in during the night 07:03 Discovered mysterious eyes lurking in the darkness 08:43 Sudden terror strikes during the night in the woods 10:32 Jordi's mysterious disappearance in summer of 95
I wonder how none of them heard and/or wake up to jordy's screams or the pine creepers cries or at least the struggles of them pulling him out of the car
this blows all other scary channel animators out of the water. Whereas IMR scary tales relies on templates and dainty barely detailed backgrounds, using the same body types and faces. You go out of your way and time to reassure everyone looks unique for the story being told, and flash multiple angles. Scary animation channels seem to rely on puppets, where you put the effort to show their legs in more than one scene. You deserve way more views, attention, and fan funding.
This is why I don’t like being out in the dark alone. Ever. Just a constant feeling of something watching me out there in the dark. Doesn’t help I live near a cemetery either
man I wish there was like hundreds of theses videos I could binge, pleasing visuals with a calm but interesting narration is wonderful, keep it up I can't wait for the next video :]
The cozy and sweet atmosphere this short sets up is so good. It really takes its time easing into the story and it WORKS because you already know it’s a horror short, so all the little details that endear you to the characters also make you dread as you never know when the ball will drop.
This art and animation style has grown on me over the years and this video is a top quality of both of those. The story didn't really grab my attention that much, I was mostly looking at the art. But that don't mean plot was bad. Good job!
I would love to know if there are more channels like this one, dont think there is anything as good as this, but something at least close to this two master pieces
Gosh, what fantastic narration. The comfy art style and slow-movement animation works well to lull the watcher into a false-sense of security. It's really well done.
This took me back to my childhood days, 90's feel and the music, stories I shared with my friends, the narration especially reminds me of my English teacher when he taught us Sherlock Holmes The Hound of the Baskervilles. The entire class felt like that we are in a movie. You gave me the same feeling, I felt like I travelled back in time. I'm eagerly waiting for you next project.
The story telling, the atmosphere, the animation, the character design and how they show personality, even just how the emotions are expressed is phenomenal! I love this, and it’s soooo underrated!❤
Such a Divine narration!!! The atmosphere and tension on point!! And the flow of emotions between the warm and cold was sublime! New subscription acquired!
Damn, someone has got to make this a series cos this animation and storytelling is so much better than most animated horror storys I've seen, God, cant wait to see more.
Oh crap , ok I got genuinely creeped out, specially the tension of just holding your breath while hoping something scary just walks off. Incredible. Also astounding the animation of those things creepers. Incredible work, congrats, I wish there was a series in this style R rated ala Stranger Things, it'd be awesome. Aaan yup im not camping ever again ahaha :'D
These animations are on point the animation style the sound design the stories and my favorite part is its not one of those horror movies where they just do jumpscares everywhere to keep you on the edge of your seat so they can call it a "horror movie" it actually has a good atmosphere so you get the horror aspect without cheesy jumpscares amazing writing keep making them please.
I don’t subscribe to much on youtube, so when I do, you know something is quality, and you are definitely getting a sub from me. This is the perfect horror format imo, please don’t stop making these. The animation is perfect and the writing is on point! You guys are gonna blow up on here, I can already tell. Btw, whoever your artist and animator is, they are incredibly talented
Oh I loved this! I liked the feeling it gave and it was pretty cool! Loved it. Will there be more? 👀 I think this could become a small indie animated mini show. Also with how similar it's to Hilda I headcanon this show as happening it in the same universe as Hilda haha.
Thank you! There's definitely going to be more. I want to do a few different stories and maybe shake it up a bit now and then with more traditional short scenes and stuff.
@@DWHAAD what if instead of Pine creepers how about the night troodons because I’ve heard Jurassic world dominion has a lot of dinosaurs around the world including troodons because I heard they come at night they were like the piranhas of the forest did that ring the bell what would you do if you came face with 20013 million troodons or night troodons What do you think
THIS is the kinda horror I love. No jump scares just creepy vibes and mystery. Absolutely perfect
Yesss
Totally agree
Yes, that is relatable.
Yes
The kind of horror where you know something is out there, but you can't tell if it's looking for you, or if it's already watching.
And you will never know.
Saw "The Worm" came back to check out this one, happy I did ^°^
Same
@@LBoET ME TOO
Me too
Me too
you are definitely not alone with that 🙂
I actually feel kinda bad for all the folks out there that are missing out on this underrated masterpiece. The colors, composition and sound design are spot on and you really captured the retro 90s feel perfectly. I can't remember the last time an animation provided me with so much nostalgia and I'm really looking forward to more ;)
Thanks for recommending this channel. It’s awesome!
Thanks, bro, for recommending this. The channel only has 1 video, so the algorithm doesn’t work just yet.
@@jinraigami3349 You're welcome. Yeah let's hope the algorithm kicks in eventually.
@@AnimatedHorrorFlicks once he keeps uploading such quality contents, more people will be here.
Can you please help me with how to do the animation?
There's something amazing about this style of animation that makes it feel so warm, fuzzy, and nostalgic for childhood memories. The contrast between this and the actual scary, horror elements meshes perfectly, and I'd love to see more works like this in general!
Whimsical. It has a whimsical type of art style. Whimsical art gives you that warm, fuzzy and nostalgic and almost magical feeling which you described.
Looks like Steven universe
the animator for this animation made hilda its pretty good with 2 seasons the city looks so pretty everything is
I am 20 and yes I have seen hilda twice the animation is so cozy and relaxing
I agree, the visual style here is very cool. I would like to see a real cartoon in this style, and not just illustrations. But even in this case, they are nice to look at.
when one guy goes missing and the entire town goes looking for him, he either meant something to everyone or the town was bored or they've had peace for the past 10-20 years
Near the beginning they said it was a small town so it's probably a bigger deal
small town life, everyone know everybody and you look out for your own
The opening almost made me cry, brought me back to my childhood when everyday was an adventure with your friends………now I’m alone
Time goes by way too quickly. 😢
It’s a little depressing to think that one day my friends and I went outside and played together for what would be the last time and we didn’t even know it
Why not just make some more friends?
It's never the same@@astrograph7875
@@astrograph7875because the Pine Creepers will take them
Just looking at the inside of the car frightened me. Seeing the scuffed up blanket and broken windows, you can imagine what Jordi experienced the night he was taken by the Pine Creepers.
the windows are broken already since the beginning
The window was broken from the inside. There's no glass in the car.
Wasnt the car trunk open anyway?
@@fillit8839 In the beginning of the story the narrator said they cleaned up all the glass. They must have so they could sleep inside it
To me theres nothing creepier than silence, someone just being taken away. They dont scream, they dont struggle, theyre just taken. Because even a scream would let you know at least kinda whats happening, but if you hear nothing then you literally have no idea what happened, how thats even possible. Creepy.
Reminds me of a random animated short i saw a couple years ago, dont remember it but it was a bigger sister and a little sister, the little one was maybe 5 and she was going to the kitchen at night because she heard noises, and the sister followed behind, the whole time the characters foot steps could be heard, floor creaking, breathing, just normal noise, and the ending scene was a flash of something coming into the window and grabbing the child and yanking her out so fast that you could tell she didnt survive the force of it, but it was totally mute silent. Fast and no sound. Really great layer of horror and unnatural.
If you're somewhere quiet right now, like in bed, imagine it. The ringing in your ears it's so silent, and imagine it. Scary, right?
Was it the one where the big sister hit the little sister with the bat but it was actually the monster?
You mean ‘Other Lily’?
that's by david romero! his work is fantastic :D
Other Lily?
th-cam.com/video/Drqsgn3CYow/w-d-xo.htmlsi=zHBpL1CsGLHcaUCg
This??
I love the pine creepers design at a distance you could mistake there face for an owl with there facial structure, at first I thought they were some sort of owl people but looking closer you see that they are some kind of goblin creature making them more otherworldly but still grounded.
I thought they looked like a bigger version of king Julian
@@Loadingpleasetryagainyeah they’re not that creepy until they open their mouth
Fun fact: Wendigos were often associated with owls
Damn...left his buddy at the mercy of those Rake rejects. He must be suffering from a terrible case of survivor's guilt.
Honestly thought what could you do? Anything else would've likely drawn attention to them and lower their chances of survival. Sad though
@@spiritsofwolves Yeah. The guy was just a kid, what was he supposed to do? All of the possible options he could have chosen would have gotten everyone killed.
@@spiritsofwolvesa life for a life
@@spiritsofwolvesI would be stupid enough to try bluffing, like you're supposed to with tigers and wolves.
Don't know if someone's pointed out that 4 people disappeared in the 70s and we see exactly 4 Pinecreepers. Interesting detail
Ya and what if they added a physical features to the people like ( tattoos, scars, birth marks or "heterochoroma" [which means two different eye colors] ) that why we could make the connection to the missing people and the pinecreeps are the missing people.
They'd be like wendigos or something
They'd be like wendigos or something
I like mayo.
@@LethalDose161The people went mad, and turned into pinecreeps!
This feels like a Hilda sub-story my god this already looks so good
this is what i thought as well
yesss especially the nostalgic subdued colors. so pretty like Hilda
Same
I thought of gravity falls but eh- Hilda could do
the art style helps that a lot lol
I love how Hilda's artstyle has already become an influence for many artists
Make senses, considering Andy Coyle's the director on Hilda.
Bruh litereally this animation's creator andy colye is Hilda's director
that show is 10 / 10 ngl
so THATS where i remember it from!
well yea its bland, boring, easy to draw and overused, arguably ugly
I appreciate the economic use of animation, taking advantage of stillness and saving most of the frames for when they're needed. I also like the designs for the monsters, as they look like they could have derived from new world monkeys; some particularly stealthy, semi-plausible form of cryptid.
What kind of evolutionary path did these monsters go through, and what would their territory look like?
“Bite the bullet” is an informal phrase that means to do something unpleasant or
painful because it is necessary; even though you would like
to avoid it.
I've always been a fan of "silhouettes of creatures hidden in fog/mist only seen when lightning/lighting hits" and "forrest horrors"
And I saw your Worm video first then this and I'll say this is by far my favorite
the build up, the scene being set, the lore being laid out. perfection, utterly beautiful
Reminds me of a very strange and scary encounter me and my brother had while backpacking in the Colorado wilderness.
Never thought much of it until I got more into horror stories and podcasts and heard people talk about similar experiences. I’ll never go out into the woods at night alone and without a gun again.
Great stuff guys, 10/10 from me.
Wow, share it with us! Bro
Congrats, you are 100% American now.
There’s a shit load of animals out in the woods you wouldn’t want to face alone after dark.
It’s why hunters always keep their guns on or near them even when asleep.
And that’s not even the start, imagine living in a world where it’s not just coyote’s or bears, but you also got shit like pine creepers, wendigos, wood crawlers, or some other horror monster lurking out there.
I shudder at the thought.
the limited animation in this is so cool. its one of the most creative ways of portraying a memory in any show ive ever seen. the way it freeze frames a bit when talking about the more basic moments and suddenly starts to move smoothly in the more memorable parts really does capture how memories feel sometimes. this show is definitely filling the hilda shaped hole in my heart.
What a wonderful combination of narration and animation! You just made me see how I can combine both audiobook writing and animation. Thank you for inspiring me ❤
Go for it!
A beautiful short story that absorbed me the moment I started watching and as a passionate fan of Luke Pearson's Hilda it had a welcoming aspect to me; should Hilda ever get a continuation, it should have a similar aesthetic and writing as this short story. Congratulations to the writer(s) and the animator(s) of "The Pine Creepers"! You created a masterpiece.
There's something cozy about how you did the animation, even with the pine creepers. The voice work was also smooth and comfortable, adding to the atmosphere.
Niko pfp
It did fulfill a type of warmness one would expect of a nostalgic flashback, huh?
Reminds me so much of Gravity Falls; the art style, the story, the creepy atmosphere.
I'm not one for the Cal Arts style or any of it's derivatives, but once it is paired with an engaging story, it definitely works.
Looking forward to more.
Same. Its everything so much like that show.
The vibe is gravity falls but the art style is from hilda
Fr its like steven universe look with gravity falls atmosphere and has an 80s-90s retro feel to it. If this was a show series or a youtube series i would def watch
Calarts art style doesn't exist
@@OriginalJohnnyCagethank you oh my god. Like its 2023 why are people still saying "calarts style"
Loved it ❤
Thank you!
I like how the shot at 2:20 having the fire animated insinuates that all three of the boys are just there, unmoving.
I’m so proud of the artist for making this, it feels timelessly nostalgic while still sticking to its setting, I can’t wait for what’s coming next.
Novelle form:
I'll never forget the summer of 95. I was 13 that year. A heat wave had set in, making it one of the hottest July's on record. The house I grew up in on Lake Michigan didn't have air conditioning. Most of the time, that was fine. At night, a breeze would come in off the water, so just an open window was usually enough to cool things down and sleep pretty comfortably. Not that summer, though. That summer was different.
Some of my friends and I had taken to camping outside to try and escape the heat. Jordy Baker, Auggie McLean, and me. I don't know if it really made all that much difference. I think maybe we just liked being together. That made it easier to get through.
I can't remember the first day I met Jordy. We lived on the same street in our small town, and we did everything together. He was my best friend. It felt like it had always been that way. Augie was a quiet kid back then, but you wouldn't know it when we were alone, so much so that his big mouth got us kicked out of my backyard. Dad had to be up at five for work, and he didn't exactly appreciate Augie's high-pitched laugh the same way Jordy and I did.
There was a clearing in the pines behind Jordy's house where we used to hang out sometimes, so we decided to set up camp back there. An old rusted out Buick Century marked the spot. I always wondered whose car that used to be, back before it became part of the woods. I mean, thinking about it now, I'm not even really sure how it got out there through the trees in the first place. We cleaned out the broken glass and the cigarette butts left behind by the neighborhood teenagers. We made a fire pit out of one of the wheel rims Jordy managed to pry off. The mosquitoes out there were ruthless at sundown. Dry, prickly needles covered the ground in a thick blanket under the trees. The only thing I hated more than that feeling under my feet when I wasn't wearing any shoes was the crunching sound they made whenever I was.
It wasn't all that cozy of a spot, but at least it was private, a place far enough away from the rest of the world that we could stay up all night laughing, and no one would care.
Jordy had skimmed some beer from a case in the basement that his dad was working on. Four bottles of lukewarm lager to share between us. Not exactly a blowout, but not enough that Mr. Baker would miss them either. I don't drink much beer these days, but even just the smell of it always brings me back to that night.
The hours slipped past as we stoked the fire, talking about nothing in particular. That half a sip of beer must have gone right to Augie's head as he called it a night pretty early on without even finishing one bottle. We didn't mind, more for us.
At some point, Jordy brought up what happened to Pike Lister. Pike was two grades ahead of me in school, and he probably failed a couple on top of that. He was big, and everybody was scared of him. On a Friday that past November, Pike left school after his usual extra hour of detention to walk home, and that was the last time anybody saw him. The search lasted for weeks. They never found anything. Some people said he just took off, ran away from home. Others thought he might have drowned in the lake accidentally. Not Jordy though. I listened quietly as he laid it all out, how his dad said it wasn't the first time something like this had happened around here, how back in the 70s, four people disappeared without a trace, and now around that same time, locals had started seeing something in the woods that wrapped around our town, pale creatures with large eyes and long limbs, creeped around on all fours. The pine creepers, that's what we called them anyway. Jordy figured that's what happened to Pike. The pine creepers must have got him. I laughed him off and eagerly changed the subject. We ended up burning a couple more sticks before letting the fire die and heading to bed.
One of us could take the back of the Buick, and the other had to sleep in the tent with Auggie. To call it a two-man tent was being generous. I offered to bite the bullet, or at least that's what I let Jordy think. I'd never admit it at the time, but the truth is all that talk about the creepers had me a little scared. Augie's snoring and spooning seemed like a fair price to pay if I didn't have to be alone outside. After all, if they could take Pike Lister, what chance did any of us have?
I'm not sure what time it was when I woke up. It was still dark out, and I could hear rain coming down outside. For the first few minutes, I just laid there, listening to the steady sound of the drops against the tent. It wasn't long before I realized that beer had gone right through me, and I wasn't going to be able to hold it. I fumbled around until I found the lantern, and I made my way outside.
The night air had cooled down a bit with the rain, which felt nice. The whole sky was clouded over, blocking out any light from the moon or the stars. My eyes finally started adjusting to the dark. That was when I noticed it, something catching the light just beyond the edge of the clearing, a dim reflective shine that flickered as I moved the lantern. It took me a second to realize what I was looking at, eyes, watching me. It was hard to see much of what those eyes belonged to, but I knew what they were. Pine creepers. My pulse pounded in my ears as we stared each other down. I carefully started backing up, never once looking away. I wanted to turn and run so badly, but just kept slowly taking one step after another. I got back into the tent as quickly as I could without making much noise. Maybe if I was quiet enough, those things would move along. I thought about waking Augie, didn't want him to freak out and draw attention to us. Seconds passed, nothing. The rustling of the trees, the calm drone of the rain. Just as I started to think that maybe I'd overreacted, maybe my mind could be playing tricks on me, it started, that familiar awful sound, the crunch of those needles. There was something moving around outside the tent.
I was out there, alone. I kept telling myself he wouldn't wake up, he was safer in the Buick, that I should stay still, stay quiet. I laid there, and I kept listening for what felt like forever. I was too scared to do anything else. I never woke up Augie, I never called out to Jordy, I never did anything.
The hours passed, and I must have fallen asleep for a few minutes because the next thing I knew, the birds had suddenly started chirping, and even from inside the tent, I could tell it was getting light out. I gathered any bit of courage I had, threw the sleeping bag off, and gave Augie a shove. I climbed out of the tent first
You nailed the vibe and the story. What I love most is that there isn’t a whole bunch of animation, but the visuals compliment the story. You give us these beautiful shots and of what you do show it adds just enough detail to the narration while allowing us to interpret the rest, and it works so dang well. Awesome work, looking forward to more!
Oh my god, this was amazing! A very eerie atmosphere all the way through, the voice for the narrator is perfect, the animation style is great and I love the mix of still and movement. What a great recommendation from Animated Horror Flicks! Subscriber gained 😁
I want to headcanon that these stories are either ghost stories Hilda and Frida tells David during the camping trip or actual events that is happening inside the Hilda world. Obviously it's because it's similar to the Hilda Series' artstyle but it's still fun to think about.
This popped up again in my recommendations after a year and I had to watch again. I probably watched this 2-3 dozen times last year when it came out, it's just so good. It has this almost coziness to it's story telling with the background sounds and music matching with the amazing voice acting and visuals just perfectly, using a slightly darker color pallet than you'd get out of modern animation that is still colorful and full of life while also fitting the spooky story it's paired with. Honestly can't believe I never commented on it until now. Gonna have to check out the new release after this.
Yes, this story has that coziness feeling for me too.
Ok but the story actually brought tears to my eyes, it reminds me of the guilt Nancy from stranger things must have felt after neglecting and loosing her friend Barb, I'm always afraid that my lack of quick thinking will result in the demise of someone I care about😭😭
Dude, I can't believe how skilled you are in narrating. This is a true art of telling the story where you don't even need to watch the animation, it's so perfectly imaginable in your head while listening to you which shows you read books. You deserved a sub, and I want more of these! Well done, man! Love the video so much.
As people keep saying, the animation is very warm and cozy and it made me so happy and also made all the sense in the world when I read that the creator was also the director of "Hilda". This looks like it could fit right into a slightly darker spin-off in Hilda's world.
I just discovered this and I am in AWE of the compositions and animation and especially the style being very obviously reminiscent of Hilda's. This is just too good to be on TH-cam and it puts all those other horror story animations TO SHAME. 😭
This “Horror Story” feels so calming with a cool animation that for the first few moments I didn’t even realized it’s a horror story until I read the title properly
My headcanon is that this series takes place in the same universe as Hilda. It's a big ol' world out there, and not every spirit, fairy, or other nonhuman creature is going to be as nice as the ones little Hilda befriends. Just as much as there are friendly folk, there are dangerous folk, ones you shouldn't mess with.
2:19 I always thought what they wrote on the mirrors gave off strange vibes so this was perfect detail, my favorite detail (0v0)
I just love how it looks so much like Hilda
I don’t know if you know this but the director is the director of Hilda
This gave me so much nostalgia and creeping fear from we used to camp out in the backyard against the woods. You managed to bottle that feeling somehow. Incredible.
Why did I watch this just before bed ffs
Saaame
I always love some good horror before Bed : - )
God, the animation on that fire is absolutely astounding.
Why tf is this comforting
I live this art style, it reminds me so much of Hilda❤❤❤❤
this is the most underrated masterpiece i have ever seen. the story is great, the animation is great, and the music is perfectly fit, yet it doesn't even have 100k views.
The art style reminds me a lot like Hilda here. If Hilda turned into a narrative horror story.
Looking *SUPER* forward to hopefully seeing more of these spooky monster stories, the style of this animation is excellent!
The moment I heard Lake Michigan I instantly became that much more invested in the story since I go there every summer since my family lives in Michigan so it's only an hour or so away from our place
"I'll never forget the Summer of '95" [cue fun car ad and Christmas ad for a clothing store]
Nothing like it
I watched this right after “the worm” and I cannot wait for another one, although this kind of work must take ages. You deserve so much more recognition for the way it’s done as a whole. Freaking awesome job!!
Wow. It's been awhile since a story gave me the chills. I definitely look forward to your next story.
Reminds me a short story by HP Lovecraft about a creepy spooky painter who paints some creepy & disturbing creatures at his accademy & people start to wonder about him. In the end of the story it turns out that the creatures he paints about aren’t made up but are real andare live with him in his house
I was not prepared for how much a visual component to this story would elevate the spooky factor well done sir.
Such grand storytelling I love the way it feels like someone is trying to creep u out with a ghost story.
I love how I live pretty close to where this story takes place, and I've been in a place like the woods in the story. It really makes the story 10x better when you know the crunch of pines and the feeling of Northern summer night air
The sound of the crunching pine needles from steps gave me the fucking CREEPS. Holy crap. Moar please!
This really shows that you can do a lot with limited animation and good use of sound. The whole scene inside the tent at night was very tense.
Pretty good start. Art style is almost a mix of Gravity Falls and Hilda
Maybe one of these days I will actually write down a few things that happened when I was a teenager. They aren't fiction, but I think fiction or not, the stories should be told. You made me think about them because your content is top-notch. Truly an inspiring final product, guys!
Can't tell if it's an original animated short or an audio story that got animated!
Really well done! Very descriptive!
how is this not popular'??'!!! IT IS AWESOME! THE NARRATIONS! THE CHARACTER DESIGN ! EVERYTHING!
This is amazing! It perfectly captures that fear of the woods at night, almost a primal feeling. I love scary stories and moonlit forests. Thanks so much for this video.
The Pine Creepers look badass ngl. Amazing story and animation!
Other horror animation channels: I went inside an abandoned Mr beast burger and what I found was horrifying
This channel: God tier animation and storytelling
Seriously, I loved this! I love the designs of the pine creepers and the music, oh the music is beautiful! What’s your next video about because you have yourself a new subscriber!
theres painfuly little horror animation of such quality, i guess it makes sence, animations had a poisonous reputation of being for kids then being for adults but only in the most imature ways, really creepy animation is such a new treat!
OHMYGOD THIS APPEARED ON MY RECOMMENDATIONS AND I JUMPED WHEN I RECOGNISED THE ARTSTYLE
ART DIRECTOR OF "HILDA"???? this is such a interesting story. really got me into the "halloween vibe" is there gonna be more?!
Yup. I can't wait to show everybody what's coming up next!
I love how you drew it like the Hilda Series ❤
why do i keep watching this stuff at midnight
00:09 Summer of 95, hottest July on record
01:32 Setting up camp in the Pines behind Jordy's house
02:47 Memories of a nostalgic night by the fire
04:22 Pike disappeared and locals suspected the pine creepers
05:44 Fear of the creepers sets in during the night
07:03 Discovered mysterious eyes lurking in the darkness
08:43 Sudden terror strikes during the night in the woods
10:32 Jordi's mysterious disappearance in summer of 95
It's amazing, more people need to watch this series of mysterious occurences!
I wonder how none of them heard and/or wake up to jordy's screams or the pine creepers cries or at least the struggles of them pulling him out of the car
this blows all other scary channel animators out of the water. Whereas IMR scary tales relies on templates and dainty barely detailed backgrounds, using the same body types and faces. You go out of your way and time to reassure everyone looks unique for the story being told, and flash multiple angles. Scary animation channels seem to rely on puppets, where you put the effort to show their legs in more than one scene. You deserve way more views, attention, and fan funding.
This is why I don’t like being out in the dark alone. Ever. Just a constant feeling of something watching me out there in the dark. Doesn’t help I live near a cemetery either
Killing it with this art style and story telling🔥🔥🔥had me hooked
This is my favorite short horror story animation channel and I want to see more.
Scarier than any horror short I’ve seen recently. 10/10.
This one was probably one of the only things that i've actually heard that scared me
man I wish there was like hundreds of theses videos I could binge, pleasing visuals with a calm but interesting narration is wonderful, keep it up I can't wait for the next video :]
The cozy and sweet atmosphere this short sets up is so good. It really takes its time easing into the story and it WORKS because you already know it’s a horror short, so all the little details that endear you to the characters also make you dread as you never know when the ball will drop.
This art and animation style has grown on me over the years and this video is a top quality of both of those. The story didn't really grab my attention that much, I was mostly looking at the art. But that don't mean plot was bad. Good job!
I would love to know if there are more channels like this one, dont think there is anything as good as this, but something at least close to this two master pieces
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SO HAPPY THIS IS OUT :0 ! HAPPY SPOOKY SEASON EVERYONE
Gosh, what fantastic narration. The comfy art style and slow-movement animation works well to lull the watcher into a false-sense of security. It's really well done.
This took me back to my childhood days, 90's feel and the music, stories I shared with my friends, the narration especially reminds me of my English teacher when he taught us Sherlock Holmes The Hound of the Baskervilles. The entire class felt like that we are in a movie. You gave me the same feeling, I felt like I travelled back in time. I'm eagerly waiting for you next project.
the animation... the artstyle... the story... this is stellar
I'm completely mind blown! Everything in this video is perfect! It truly is a masterpiece! Keep up the good work!
The story telling, the atmosphere, the animation, the character design and how they show personality, even just how the emotions are expressed is phenomenal! I love this, and it’s soooo underrated!❤
Such a Divine narration!!! The atmosphere and tension on point!!
And the flow of emotions between the warm and cold was sublime! New subscription acquired!
the animation and artwork is very reminiscent of a show called Hilda, I love it
Damn, someone has got to make this a series cos this animation and storytelling is so much better than most animated horror storys I've seen, God, cant wait to see more.
This has to be the most sensible character in any horror movie ever.
Oh crap , ok I got genuinely creeped out, specially the tension of just holding your breath while hoping something scary just walks off. Incredible. Also astounding the animation of those things creepers. Incredible work, congrats, I wish there was a series in this style R rated ala Stranger Things, it'd be awesome.
Aaan yup im not camping ever again ahaha :'D
These animations are on point the animation style the sound design the stories and my favorite part is its not one of those horror movies where they just do jumpscares everywhere to keep you on the edge of your seat so they can call it a "horror movie" it actually has a good atmosphere so you get the horror aspect without cheesy jumpscares amazing writing keep making them please.
Great story and I loved the narrative voice. I think every teen boy who ever camped had a similar experience! .. love this piece of work!
Please never stop making these, they are absolutely amazing
Oh man, you really should do more content like this. Very creepy and enjoyable.
This feels more like an animated story book
I don’t subscribe to much on youtube, so when I do, you know something is quality, and you are definitely getting a sub from me. This is the perfect horror format imo, please don’t stop making these. The animation is perfect and the writing is on point! You guys are gonna blow up on here, I can already tell. Btw, whoever your artist and animator is, they are incredibly talented
For how short it was it is an incredibly amazingly well done feature! WOW!
Oh I loved this! I liked the feeling it gave and it was pretty cool! Loved it.
Will there be more? 👀 I think this could become a small indie animated mini show.
Also with how similar it's to Hilda I headcanon this show as happening it in the same universe as Hilda haha.
It does look like a cool premise but tbh those pine creepers look like they belong in the Adult Swim show Primal
Thank you! There's definitely going to be more. I want to do a few different stories and maybe shake it up a bit now and then with more traditional short scenes and stuff.
@@DWHAAD Can't wait! Good thing I'm subscribed 🥰
@@DWHAAD what if instead of Pine creepers how about the night troodons because I’ve heard Jurassic world dominion has a lot of dinosaurs around the world including troodons because I heard they come at night they were like the piranhas of the forest did that ring the bell what would you do if you came face with 20013 million troodons or night troodons
What do you think