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

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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!”