The Pine Creepers | Animated Horror Story

In the summer of 1995 three friends ventured into the woods...
CHECK OUT THE PEOPLE WHO HELPED BRING THIS VIDEO TO LIFE:
ANIMATION
Shane Plante / time.scum
EDITING
John McKinnon / skunkypants
MUSIC
Ryan Carlson / ryajamcar

[@RustedZeus]

THIS is the kinda horror I love. No jump scares just creepy vibes and mystery. Absolutely perfect

[@Darsh.r.m_20]

Yesss

[@Stevyfacedepet]

Totally agree

[@MAJORa86]

Yes, that is relatable.

[@SG-yt2ye]

Yes

[@RustBot42]

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.

[@yuriatsugi3696]

This is an abolute masterpiece wth❤ Thank you for making this! This deserves to be seen by way more people!! The creepy vibes are just perfect

[@madfish4720]

I dont understand how this channel doesn’t have attleast 1 million subs

[@rocknrollson9440]

i’m from michigan too, holland michigan right on the lake! it’s so cool to here a michigan based horror story

[@vintage_soda]

this looks exactly like the Hilda style, this is sooooo cool!

[@charismao23]

This reminds me of Twin Peaks. Love the 90s vibes though.

[@random_numbers0]

Please PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE 😂😂😂😂😭 can we talk about Mike's back problems XDDDD love the animiation

[@gabrielsmedleysanimaltime5826]

I love the creature designs here. I wonder if they're predatory primates.

[@oceanwind427]

Man you should write screenplay for next Stranger Things season)

[@jft2nd]

Subscribed!! Wish I could help animate some of the stories by these animated horror stroy channels to help the frequency of video uploads faster!

[@CasualPlay_1]

PLEASE make a part two of him coming back all grown up with a shotgun or something.

[@ZaddyAintPlayin]

If I were him bro I’m sticking my willie out the tent zipper and letting it loose. No way I’m a wandering out in the woods after that pine creeper story

[@EnulaRajapaksha]

the art style reminds me of Hilda

[@hussainqureshi9933]

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!

[@BrockLee3]

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.

[@dredvax]

Looks like Steven universe

[@pab1161]

the animator for this animation made hilda its pretty good with 2 seasons the city looks so pretty everything is

[@berrylicious3503]

I am 20 and yes I have seen hilda twice the animation is so cozy and relaxing

[@cinemartin3530]

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.

[@aliceangl3563]

Saw "The Worm" came back to check out this one, happy I did ^°^

[@LBoET]

Same

[@Blay-mx2ey]

@@LBoET ME TOO

[@Lil_daisy_4u]

Me too

[@user-bc3jr4fi5v]

Me too

[@Sgront]

you are definitely not alone with that 🙂

[@AnimatedHorrorFlicks]

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 ;)

[@kirsten07734]

Thanks for recommending this channel. It’s awesome!

[@jinraigami3349]

Thanks, bro, for recommending this. The channel only has 1 video, so the algorithm doesn’t work just yet.

[@AnimatedHorrorFlicks]

@@jinraigami3349 You're welcome. Yeah let's hope the algorithm kicks in eventually.

[@jinraigami3349]

@@AnimatedHorrorFlicks once he keeps uploading such quality contents, more people will be here.

[@AimanZaveri]

Can you please help me with how to do the animation?

[@ElvenSailor_Main]

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?

[@maxpokebruh27]

Was it the one where the big sister hit the little sister with the bat but it was actually the monster?

[@aliaslocket5856]

You mean ‘Other Lily’?

[@djrydell]

that's by david romero! his work is fantastic :D

[@Nanda-bc1bp]

Other Lily?

[@UrCrazyGurl_Violet]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqPUpJqkaKiMpdksi=zHBpL1CsGLHcaUCg This??

[@maxpokebruh27]

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.

[@imagebear8916]

the windows are broken already since the beginning

[@fillit8839]

The window was broken from the inside. There's no glass in the car.

[@aka1721]

Wasnt the car trunk open anyway?

[@MarinCarin]

Don't know if someone's pointed out that 4 people disappeared in the 70s and we see exactly 4 Pinecreepers. Interesting detail

[@greyenero5513]

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.

[@LethalDose161]

They'd be like wendigos or something

[@LethalDose161]

They'd be like wendigos or something

[@Martian34789]

I like mayo.

[@LMKfan13]

@@LethalDose161The people went mad, and turned into pinecreeps!

[@potatosloth4784]

This feels like a Hilda sub-story my god this already looks so good

[@UlfrickHammerfall]

this is what i thought as well

[@missbornlucky6676]

yesss especially the nostalgic subdued colors. so pretty like Hilda

[@grunt3214]

Same

[@marshmewww]

I thought of gravity falls but eh- Hilda could do

[@hannahbenet6546]

the art style helps that a lot lol

[@GOOBANGI]

The opening almost made me cry, brought me back to my childhood when everyday was an adventure with your friends………now I’m alone

[@raynemalyon8810]

Time goes by way too quickly. 😢

[@afoolofmanyfandoms]

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

[@astrograph7875]

Why not just make some more friends?

[@Epicus5]

It's never the same​@@astrograph7875

[@PresidentMrFrog-g7k]

@@astrograph7875because the Pine Creepers will take them

[@10000eyes]

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.

[@Loadingpleasetryagain]

I thought they looked like a bigger version of king Julian

[@Revenant_zz]

@@Loadingpleasetryagainyeah they’re not that creepy until they open their mouth

[@Splicer-lb5xb]

Fun fact: Wendigos were often associated with owls

[@paleoartstudios783]

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 ❤

[@DWHAAD]

Go for it!

[@THATGuy5654]

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.

[@melvinfranco2142]

What kind of evolutionary path did these monsters go through, and what would their territory look like?

[@IMRScaryTales]

Loved it ❤

[@DWHAAD]

Thank you!

[@cartooncritique6625]

Damn...left his buddy at the mercy of those Rake rejects. He must be suffering from a terrible case of survivor's guilt.

[@spiritsofwolves]

Honestly thought what could you do? Anything else would've likely drawn attention to them and lower their chances of survival. Sad though

[@someguyontheinternet604]

@@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.

[@LMKfan13]

@@spiritsofwolvesa life for a life

[@Splicer-lb5xb]

​@@spiritsofwolvesI would be stupid enough to try bluffing, like you're supposed to with tigers and wolves.

[@RyDaMoOnline]

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 😁

[@RocketWithASmile]

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

[@Agudname]

Near the beginning they said it was a small town so it's probably a bigger deal

[@rendratvandonkereschrijver2912]

small town life, everyone know everybody and you look out for your own

[@TheSaiProducts]

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.

[@PhoenX279]

Niko pfp

[@malonoraco2190]

It did fulfill a type of warmness one would expect of a nostalgic flashback, huh?

[@lenardbordo9838]

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.

[@Dog-Lover36]

“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.

[@titan_o7]

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.

[@Nothing-df4rh]

Wow, share it with us! Bro

[@AdamGołębiewski-v1s]

Congrats, you are 100% American now.

[@meathead2934]

I love how Hilda's artstyle has already become an influence for many artists

[@daveykirkham4214]

Make senses, considering Andy Coyle's the director on Hilda.

[@RegnARTS1210]

Bruh litereally this animation's creator andy colye is Hilda's director

[@-The_Slayer-]

that show is 10 / 10 ngl

[@coolmansogreat]

so THATS where i remember it from!

[@hiimargo7058]

well yea its bland, boring, easy to draw and overused, arguably ugly

[@AshynnKor]

the build up, the scene being set, the lore being laid out. perfection, utterly beautiful

[@Ny-kelCameron]

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.

[@billcipherproductions1789]

Same. Its everything so much like that show.

[@theemperor7434]

The vibe is gravity falls but the art style is from hilda

[@Lamar_the_martian]

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

[@OriginalJohnnyCage]

Calarts art style doesn't exist

[@soupy55]

​@@OriginalJohnnyCagethank you oh my god. Like its 2023 why are people still saying "calarts style"

[@uphi-downlow5792]

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

[@squiddyanimations6617]

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.

[@barkerbits5562]

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!

[@crimeinspector3517]

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.

[@nanopulga098]

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.

[@meathead2934]

It does look like a cool premise but tbh those pine creepers look like they belong in the Adult Swim show Primal

[@DWHAAD]

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.

[@SeinIshamiado]

@@DWHAAD Can't wait! Good thing I'm subscribed 🥰

[@maximiliankain1717]

@@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

[@tigress_4393]

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😭😭

[@oceangmd]

I like how the shot at 2:20 having the fire animated insinuates that all three of the boys are just there, unmoving.

[@hudsontille8630]

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.

[@kac6466]

Why did I watch this just before bed ffs

[@Brochowski]

Saaame

[@elikabriellecruz6570]

I always love some good horror before Bed : - )

[@MerryMohProductions]

Pretty good start. Art style is almost a mix of Gravity Falls and Hilda

[@DisturbedFlyer7]

The sound of the crunching pine needles from steps gave me the fucking CREEPS. Holy crap. Moar please!

[@carperfjord8748]

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!

[@shawnisback]

Hilda animator?!?!?

[@jennyfeare1702]

Looking *SUPER* forward to hopefully seeing more of these spooky monster stories, the style of this animation is excellent!

[@mrpalaces]

What a masterpiece. The channel name suggest this will be an anthology?

[@DWHAAD]

Yep! Exactly.

[@foxpro3002]

Aww wonderful, we gotta tell saberspark

[@firozatq4905]

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 KZbin and it puts all those other horror story animations TO SHAME. 😭

[@luxitos2867]

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.

[@michealnotmichael6595]

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.

[@r7inyz]

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?!

[@DWHAAD]

Yup. I can't wait to show everybody what's coming up next!

[@StarMisura]

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

[@justaname9330]

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.

[@knife-wieldingspidergod5059]

Yes, this story has that coziness feeling for me too.

[@matthewgarrett5023]

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.

[@davidBTAS]

Wow. It's been awhile since a story gave me the chills. I definitely look forward to your next story.

[@Styrophoamicus]

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.

[@XantaliX]

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

[@Masterofdroods]

Make a second part where he’s older and a guilt ridden mess, that he decides to go out a hunt down the pine crawlers

[@americanpride5540]

I was not prepared for how much a visual component to this story would elevate the spooky factor well done sir.

[@zippyzippad]

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

[@meg5553]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SO HAPPY THIS IS OUT :0 ! HAPPY SPOOKY SEASON EVERYONE

[@figthegiant4065]

I love how the comments all agree that the animation is a mix of Gravity Falls and Hilda

[@l_euro_l]

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 :]

[@shanevinzant6935]

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

[@racerg3490]

Why tf is this comforting

[@exumbra1399]

New manga: That One Time I Let Monsters Eat My Best Friend Because I'm a Coward

[@Mankey619]

The art style reminds me a lot like Hilda here. If Hilda turned into a narrative horror story.

[@jackalninezeronine]

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!

[@metaphysicalmonsters3667]

God, the animation on that fire is absolutely astounding.

[@TheMisbegottenOphanim]

It's amazing, more people need to watch this series of mysterious occurences!

[@koda_1]

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

[@Anaid_Rojas]

I'm completely mind blown! Everything in this video is perfect! It truly is a masterpiece! Keep up the good work!

[@XCircusBabyX]

The Pine Creepers look badass ngl. Amazing story and animation!

[@marcinsmyczek8583]

Oh man, you really should do more content like this. Very creepy and enjoyable.

[@boomgirlbucko]

This artstyle reminds me of Hilda

[@Dy1ng1nsid3]

why do i keep watching this stuff at midnight

[@siimqlybekka]

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

[@mikeydudek2885]

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

[@mannyramirez2461]

Killing it with this art style and story telling🔥🔥🔥had me hooked

[@renatoquezada4173]

how is this not popular'??'!!! IT IS AWESOME! THE NARRATIONS! THE CHARACTER DESIGN ! EVERYTHING!

[@Mr.ArcadeMaster]

I actually have experienced an event like this back in 1996 I was 13 at the time and I when camping with 4 friends and Charlie (my German shepherd) but let me tell you something, I would have chosen to see pine creepers rather than what I saw out there camping and what it did to my dog😔

[@tristanworthylake]

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!

[@deadlyd5865]

Where are the crystal gems when you need them 😢

[@Ark_gamer_]

Pls make more creature horror stories like this it's awesome. The animation, the creature design, the creature sounds! It's awesome! It would be cool if you made a story but from the creatures pov.

[@ponywhisp5787]

OOOOOOO your animatic is soooooo pretty 😍 ✨️ 💖 better than me....anyway HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE MY GUY/GIRL..I have no idea what ur gender is actually but UR AMAZING

[@facepalm6768]

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

[@fpcoutinho]

It is just me, or the main character looks exactly like Bob? (from Markiplier and Wade's trio)

[@GruulAnarch]

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.

[@Waffles4903]

Scarier than any horror short I’ve seen recently. 10/10.

[@legolassoslab5233]

Reminds me a short story by HP Lovecraft about a creepy spooky painter, Who in his Academy paints some creepy & disturbing creatures & 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

[@gustavocecille2063]

This was so good! I showed this to my kids as their bedtime stories and they loved it they even asked to watch it again. Really reminds me of Stephen King in terms of writing ❤ pls make more 😊

[@benmaharaj6854]

Did I have to watch this before taking the trash out this evening? No and I probably shouldn't have lol

[@sammypierce6079]

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!

[@Normeda]

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!

[@moviekaffeee3067]

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.

[@dandantsm6560]

The way i can notice all the little details in certain animations and figure out the animator somehow is inspired by Steven Universe :') this has a lot of details that remind me of that show! Anyway this is pretty good, i thought it would be scarier tho, but It's a pretty goos story!

[@leonardosacks1973]

Absurdamente melhor que as outras animações de terror no KZbin