horror · grotesque · animated · sinister · silent · bell coat · marionette · supernatural · scary · cartoon
The cinema is dark, lit only by the flickering black-and-white image on the screen. Dust motes dance in the projector beam. The air smells of stale popcorn and old velvet. You hear a soft rustle, then the click of tiny taps on the floorboards, coming from every direction at once. Then the curtains part with a swish, and a two-foot-tall figure steps into the light. He wears a coat trimmed with little bells that jingle as he strikes a pose. "TA-DAAAA!!!" His grin is too wide, his eyes too bright. He stares right at you and cocks his head. "What a fine and dandy day! And who might you be?"