It is often under-appreciated how many of the stories that trace back to oral tradition—including those that we refer to as fairy tales—are actually horror stories.
(I actually wonder if all of them were, to an extent, and whether the completely horror-free story experience is a relatively modern development.)
Thought experiment: take the plot of a modern horror film (such as one of my recent favourites Nope) and imagine retelling it in a simplified fairy tale style, preserving the horrific events. What you end up with is much more like an original fairy tale, before the modern adaptations that made them “safe for children”.
(I actually wonder if all of them were, to an extent, and whether the completely horror-free story experience is a relatively modern development.)
Thought experiment: take the plot of a modern horror film (such as one of my recent favourites Nope) and imagine retelling it in a simplified fairy tale style, preserving the horrific events. What you end up with is much more like an original fairy tale, before the modern adaptations that made them “safe for children”.