Back in the day, Magic art was pretty gruesome. Lots of body horror, monsters, and just downright scary figures appeared in some of our favorite cards. Over the years, we have seen a departure from this art…until Phyrexia: All Will Be One. This set is filled to the brim with some unsightly monstrosities, and as a fan of all things horror, I thought it would be fun to look at some Magic art, old and new, and highlight the horror movies they remind me of!
Hellraiser: Basilica Skullbomb
Let’s start out with the set that inspired this entire article: All Will Be One. Every single white card in this set is downright terrifying. Almost every creature has a weird excess of teeth and exposed flesh. It’s creepy and off-putting, but I love it.
I have always been vocal about how the Phyrexians remind me so much of the Cenobites from Hellraiser. In all honesty, it was incredibly difficult for me to choose a specific art. From Sinew Dance to Swooping Lookout to Mondrak, Glory Dominus, there are a lot of terrifying pieces that capture the essence of the movie. However, one piece that really stuck out to me was Basilica Skullbomb.
Everything about this art makes me think of the Cenobites: the lack of eyes, the bone-shaped protrusions on its head, and the creepy teeth. It’s downright chilling. In fact, this head looks almost exactly like the Chatterer Cenobite! The art direction in All Will Be One is incredibly strong and creeps me out in the best way possible.
An American Werewolf in London: Greater Werewolf
Werewolf movies are almost as common as their Zombie counterparts. As a lover of the 80s and practical horror effects, my favorite Werewolf movie has to be An American Werewolf in London. Of course, there are tons of Werewolves in Magic. Huntmaster of the Fells, Avabruck Caretaker, and Afflicted Deserter are just a few of many. But none of them truly capture the essence of the film…except one. Let’s take a trip to the past and look at a card from Homelands: Greater Werewolf.
Holy crap, they don’t make art like this anymore, and with good reason! This thing is a monstrosity!!! It perfectly captures the gross and painful process of a Werewolf’s transformation. While I adore depictions of horror in Magic, I can’t help but think that this card is too gnarly.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Abattoir Ghoul
One of the most iconic horror movies ever is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It is definitely not for the weak of heart. From this movie came one of horror’s most iconic villains: Leatherface. This chainsaw-wielding maniac has had many iterations in film. Sometimes he works in a slaughterhouse with butcher knives; other times he’s in an orphanage or in his family home. However, each depiction of this monster always features cannibalistic tendencies, a mask, and a leather apron. Each depiction is chilling and unsettling. Imagine my surprise when I found him being depicted in an uncommon in Innistrad.
The card Abattoir Ghoul screams Leatherface to me (pun intended). While this Zombie isn’t exactly wearing a mask, his visage looks rather Leatherface-esque with his cannibalism, butcher knife, and apron. He is practically the spitting image of horror’s most iconic cannibal.
The Mist: Distended Mindbender (and Friends)
Eldritch Moon was an excellent set that combined classic horror elements with Lovecraftian aspects. The art was horrifying, filled with eldritch abominations and body horror. It was truly the best of both worlds when it comes to horror. The Eldrazi descending upon Innistrad reminded me of one of my favorite horror movies: The Mist. This movie screams Eldrazi, and it was honestly a struggle to choose just one card for this movie…so I didn’t. I chose multiple.
Pieces like Distended Mindbender, Drownyard Behemoth, Lashweed Lurker, and Emrakul, the Promised End all capture the essence of the creatures in The Mist. Some are big, some are small, some have tentacles, others eat people for snacks. Even the movie depicts these creatures as coming from a tear in our dimension…who’s to say that they aren’t Eldrazi? I like to think so, at least.
The Return of the Living Dead: Appetite for Brains
Zombies are one of horror’s most terrifying monsters. Flesh-eating creatures coming back from the dead are something I hope we never have to face. From shows like The Walking Dead to movies like Night of the Living Dead, Zombies are heavily depicted in many media. In fact, Zombies are one of Magic’s most popular creature types. Therefore, there are quite a lot of cards to choose from. Any one of the Zombie cards can be used for Zombie flicks, but the one that sticks out to me the most is Appetite for Brains.
This card reminds me of an exact scene from The Return of the Living Dead, an amazing Zombie movie with marvelous practical effects. Gruesome Zombies having a hankering for brains is nothing new, but I couldn’t help but chuckle at how this card is almost an exact still from the movie.
The Thing: Morophon, the Boundless
My favorite horror movie of all time has to be John Carpenter’s The Thing. A group of scientists in the Antarctic stumble across a mysterious shapeshifting creature that slowly begins to absorb and hide amongst the scientists. This Thing only wants one thing: to consume all. When I saw the Greater Werewolf art, this movie originally came to mind. That sled dog scene, am I right? [Copy Editor’s Note: Goodbye, sleep. It was nice knowing you…]
Well, since The Thing is my favorite movie, I wanted to try to make a Commander deck based on it. I thought long and hard about who would be the Commander…and then it hit me: Morophon, the Boundless.
The original art is eerie and creepy, but the Judge promo is downright horrifying. Plus, the card is a Changeling, meaning it is every creature type…just like The Thing! Coincidence? I think not.
Jaws: Voracious Greatshark
You’re gonna need a bigger deck box. That’s right, y’all! It’s Jaws! This piece of horror is so incredibly iconic, it honestly needs no description. Giant sharks are scary. The ocean has always been a scary place. It’s mostly unknown and unexplored. Who knows what lurks in those murky waters? Well, Jaws put a face to that murkiness. Heck, as a kid, I was even terrified to hop into a pool after I saw the movie. I know sharks can’t survive in chlorinated water, but six-year-old me didn’t know that. Twenty years later, I still feel that same anxiety. So what card sparks that same unease? Nope, not Giant Shark. It’s Voracious Greatshark!
That thing is massive, I’m talking Jaws massive! This shark can practically fit three boats in its mouth and wow do I absolutely hate it. I think what makes this art so unsettling is the fact that it’s a real thing. It’s no Vampire or Zombie. Sharks like this used to exist…and maybe they still do.
Annabelle: Demonic Tutor (2020 Judge Promo)
Dolls have always unsettled me. Their creepy, unmoving faces exist within the uncanny valley. From ventriloquist dummies to Victorian dolls, dolls have been seen in horror films as conduits for evil beings or spirits. However, one particular movie has cemented itself into pop culture recently: Annabelle.
The 2020 Judge promo for Demonic Tutor practically screams Annabelle, with a creepy little demon-doll ripping the head off a teddy bear and whispering manipulative things to an unsuspecting child. Of course, if we wanted to go old school, we could talk about Child’s Play. Who doesn’t remember the antics of Chucky? You think it would be easy to beat an evil doll, but when I look at this Demonic Tutor, I start to question that line of thinking.
The Invisible Man: Invisible Stalker
One of the scariest movies I saw as a kid was The Invisible Man. Even though it was an old black and white film from the 30s, I was petrified. How can you protect yourself from what you can’t see? As I got older, I saw the 2000s version and eventually the 2020 version. No matter how many times this concept has been redone, it has surpassed horror and gone into the realm of terror.
So what Magic card is able to capture something unseen? Well, that’s simple: Invisible Stalker. This particular piece differs greatly from the others on the list. We see no body horror, scary weapons, or evil faces. In fact, there’s no face at all. What makes this card so unsettling is the fact that once he’s fully disrobed, this guy can be anywhere. In fact, he could be in the room you’re in right now watching you read this article.
Creature from the Black Lagoon: Sygg, River Cutthroat
Shadowmoor shows us the dark that comes from the light. Lorwyn and Shadowmoor are my favorite planes in all of Magic and the creatures’ darker halves always unsettled me, especially the Merfolk.
Sygg, River Cutthroat strongly reminds me of the Creature from the Black Lagoon. This old film features scientists researching the remnants of an unknown aquatic creature. As their luck would have it, another one of the creatures exists and is slowly cornering them as they conduct their research. It’s kind of neat to see how much Sygg looks like the infamous creature. The fact that this creature is legendary means that there is a possibility for a themed Commander deck! Maybe on my next brewing stream, huh?
Return to Horror
I thought that Magic’s days of horror and gruesome art were behind them. However, with the return of the Phyrexians comes the return of these bone-chilling pieces. Horror movies and Magic are two great passions of mine, and sometimes it can be nice to take a step back and find similarities between the two. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a horror collaboration in the future with Universes Beyond. I mean, we already did The Walking Dead.
Let me know if you think other pieces of Magic art have strong ties to horror films, old and new! Happy spooking, deckbuilders!
