Robert Morgan, the director of one of the most original and highest-rated horror films in recent years, Stopmotion, has spoken about the importance of supporting unusual movies: "It's very important. If you think about making films like this, it's an unusual genre of film, it's kind of, it's out there."The director has also commented on the nature of experimental horror and how it can really divide horror fans.

Stopmotion is one of the year's most important horror films. It holds a solid rating of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and while audiences seem to be less enamored with it (48% on the audience score), the reception by critics is good enough to observe the industry's occasional bet on unusual genre films. Made for less than $1 million, the film was bought by IFC Films after it went around the festival circle, with Morgan winning a Best Director prize in 2023's Fantastic Fest.

Stopmotion tells the story of a stop-motion animator named Ella, who has always stayed under her mother's shadow. However, when her mother dies, Ella finds herself in a successful run with her work, but it doesn't last long: Her puppets find a way to "live."

In an interview with GamesRadar+, Morgan explains his movie isn't "within the normal rhythms of a normal horror movie," as it's perhaps "weird" and "arthouse." He adds:

"But I think the people that really like it, really love it. I think when it speaks to people it really speaks to people. I always felt like the process of stop-motion animation could be really interesting to depict in a film. I've never seen that depicted in a movie. I'm amazed that no one's done it, so I was very eager to do it."

Morgan is a film director who's mostly known for his short films, both live-action and animated. In Stopmotion, his feature film debut, he combines the two of them in a horrific and nightmarish setting where the audience quickly gets lost. Per our review of Stopmotion:

"One of the most interesting things about Stopmotion's story is its focus on familial trauma and how it affects you throughout the different stages of your life. It's clear even within the opening minutes that Ella's life and talents are controlled by her mother. She doesn't get sleep or have a social life. Her duties are to finish the movie and be as close to perfect as possible, every step of the way. Suzanne treats Ella as a failing version of herself, rather than a daughter, so when Ella finally gets the chance to express herself through her own art, it's not a surprise that the product continues to get more horrifying as the process continues."

Stopmotion is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital.

Experimental Horror Has Gotten Weirder and Better

In recent years, there has been a wave of decent horror films that have taken the risky route of being experimental and arthouse. Often produced by indie studios, they are the black sheep of a genre that's already a black sheep in the industry. While several have won some prestigious awards, they remain obscure and disturbing horror pieces that are anything but friendly to mainstream audiences. Nevertheless, they have the ability to scare one out of their wits, just like Morgan's Stopmotion.

Often celebrated by fans of the weird, they are the films that often are in social media posts about mysterious movies you have to see. For anyone compiling a watch list, then Stopmotion can be added to a list of other arthouse horror films you can watch today such as 2022's Skinamarink, 2021's Mad God, and 2019's The Lighthouse.