10 insane tattoo sleeves dedicated to horror films
[Photos by: easytattoo_uk, pandaffx, markvincenttattoos, chriscabaltattoo/Instagram]
The gothic literary tradition began hundreds of years ago with Horace Walpole’s The Castle Of Otranto in the 18th century. From then on, our fascination with the mysterious and the horrific has taken us from the page to the screen. It’s only natural, then, that the next medium for horror has become the art of tattooing. These fans have shown their obsession with and appreciation for their favorite masters of horror by getting these insanely detailed full sleeves.
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This black and grey photorealism horror sleeve is composed entirely of portraits, from the bloody Sweeney Todd to the classic monster of Frankenstein. The collage of fiendish faces spans the gap between old school flicks, straight up slaughter fests and even something as lighthearted as The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Vanessa Aurelia
Riverside, California
If you want top-of-the-line horror work, go to Paul Acker. Acker is famous in the tattoo world for his incredible photorealism and dedication to all things spooky and scary. This one pays homage to the screen adaptation of Stephen King’s beloved Pet Sematary.
Paul Acker
Bensalem, Pennsylvania
This sleeve is eye-catching because the artist chose its colors very carefully. The majority of the sleeve is black and grey, but there are pops of color that make the darkness come alive.
Chris Blouch Chris Cabal
Manheim, Pennsylvania
Again, we have portrait work with some familiar faces, but incorporated in this sleeve also are the infamous Dracula and the ferociously fuzzy Wolf Man. These horror movie icons not only have their own movies, but also come together in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. In case you’re slacking on your film history, the timeless comedy duo actually contributed a lot to the world of horror cinema.
Pandaink
Los Angeles, CA
Double the leg sleeve, double the fun! One sleeve shows a lot of love for horror, but two? This chick is as crazy as the movies she watches, and it’s awesome. Say hello to Chuckie, Annabelle and about 10 other majorly creepy characters.
Girls With Ink Rock
A world of color for the one and only Captain Spaulding! This list wouldn’t be complete without one of Rob Zombie’s famously fucked-up characters from The Devil’s Rejects and House Of 1000 Corpses. Of course, there also are appearances on this sleeve from Predator, Freddy, Jason and more.
Jay Stirling
St. Marys, Ontario
Hellraiser, Michael Myers, Norman Bates, Damien, Jack Torrance, Jigsaw — this sleeve is brimming with the baddest villains of all time. And those are just a few! This person knows horror from every decade and represents like a true fan.
Ricky Lopez
Kings Lynn, UK
Every zombie-phile out there knows the importance of Night Of The Living Dead to the genre. This punked-out sleeve takes a more cartoonish approach, which stands out amongst the portraiture that tends to overwhelm horror movie tattoos.
Steve Easley
Visalia, California
The Silent Hill movies are based on the video game of the same name, including iconic figures such as Pyramid Head and the disfigured nurses, both of whom appear here. The color on this sleeve is incredibly vivid, and the artistry is essentially flawless.
While familiar faces from The Silence Of The Lambs, Scream and Dead Snow all appear on this impeccable black-and-grey sleeve, perhaps the most important face is not fictional. That would be, of course, that of one of the most influential directors of all time, Alfred Hitchcock. His horror movies, including Psycho and The Birds, continue to influence artists and producers to this day. His legacy is immeasurable.
Mark Vincent
Downingtown, PA
