Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "folktale"

1. The Grimm Variations (2024– )

TV-MA | 45 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy

Inspired by the classic Brothers Grimm stories, this anthology features six fairy tales with a dark twist, exposing the shadowy side of human desire.

Stars: Anairis Quinones, Jason Charles Miller, Kaiji Tang, Grant George

Votes: 344

2. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.

Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman

Votes: 330,780 | Gross: $45.51M

3. The Ring (2002)

PG-13 | 115 min | Horror, Mystery

A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.

Director: Gore Verbinski | Stars: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox, David Dorfman

Votes: 374,946 | Gross: $129.13M

4. An American Tail (1986)

G | 80 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

While emigrating to the United States, a young Russian mouse gets separated from his family and must relocate them while trying to survive in a new country.

Director: Don Bluth | Stars: Dom DeLuise, Christopher Plummer, Erica Yohn, Nehemiah Persoff

Votes: 58,039 | Gross: $47.48M

5. Gretel & Hansel (2020)

PG-13 | 87 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery

A long time ago in a distant fairy tale countryside, a young girl leads her little brother into a dark wood in desperate search of food and work, only to stumble upon a nexus of terrifying evil.

Director: Oz Perkins | Stars: Sophia Lillis, Samuel Leakey, Alice Krige, Jessica De Gouw

Votes: 34,023 | Gross: $15.35M

6. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

R | 114 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery

After being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Su-mi reunites with her sister, Su-yeon, and they return to live at their country home. But strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.

Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lim Soo-jung, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Kap-su, Moon Geun-young

Votes: 68,258

7. Song of the Sea (2014)

PG | 93 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama

Ben, a young Irish boy, and his little sister Saoirse, a girl who can turn into a seal, go on an adventure to free the fairies and save the spirit world.

Director: Tomm Moore | Stars: David Rawle, Brendan Gleeson, Lisa Hannigan, Fionnula Flanagan

Votes: 63,096 | Gross: $0.86M

8. The Swan Princess (1994)

G | 90 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

A power-hungry sorcerer curses a princess to live as a swan by day in this tale of everlasting love.

Director: Richard Rich | Stars: Jack Palance, Howard McGillin, Michelle Nicastro, Liz Callaway

Votes: 27,063 | Gross: $9.77M

9. Song of the South (1946)

G | 94 min | Animation, Comedy, Family

The kindly story-teller Uncle Remus tells a young boy stories about trickster Br'er Rabbit, who outwits Br'er Fox and slow-witted Br'er Bear.

Directors: Harve Foster, Wilfred Jackson | Stars: Ruth Warrick, Bobby Driscoll, James Baskett, Luana Patten

Votes: 15,224 | Gross: $63.72M

10. Onibaba (1964)

Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller

Two women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.

Director: Kaneto Shindô | Stars: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satô, Jûkichi Uno

Votes: 21,854

11. The Storyteller (1987–1989)

TV-Y7 | 24 min | Adventure, Drama, Family

An old storyteller tells European folk tales to his sarcastic dog.

Stars: John Hurt, Brian Henson, Frederick Warder, David Greenaway

Votes: 4,998

12. Viy (1967)

Not Rated | 77 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

A young priest is ordered to preside over the wake of witch in a small old wooden church of a remote village. This means spending three nights alone with the corpse with only his faith to protect him.

Directors: Konstantin Ershov, Georgiy Kropachyov, Aleksandr Ptushko | Stars: Leonid Kuravlyov, Natalya Varley, Aleksey Glazyrin, Nikolay Kutuzov

Votes: 9,346

13. Kwaidan (1964)

Not Rated | 183 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

A collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.

Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Kenjirô Ishiyama

Votes: 19,979

14. Errementari (2017)

TV-MA | 98 min | Fantasy, Horror

A quiet village is thrown into turmoil upon disturbing a reclusive and feared blacksmith rumored to be in league with the devil.

Director: Paul Urkijo Alijo | Stars: Kandido Uranga, Uma Bracaglia, Eneko Sagardoy, Ramón Agirre

Votes: 13,498

15. Suburban Sasquatch (2004 Video)

Not Rated | 97 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

When a giant blood-thirsty anthropoid goes on a killing spree in a sprawling suburban park area, it's up to a couple of rangers, a reporter and a mystical Native-American warrior to try and stop it.

Director: Dave Wascavage | Stars: Sue Lynn Sanchez, Bill Ushler, Dave Bonavita, Juan Fernandez

Votes: 1,157

16. Little Otik (2000)

TV-14 | 132 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama

A childless couple passes off an anthropomorphous tree stump as their baby, but things get out of hand when the monstrosity comes to life and demands to be fed.

Director: Jan Svankmajer | Stars: Veronika Zilková, Jan Hartl, Jaroslava Kretschmerová, Pavel Nový

Votes: 6,875 | Gross: $0.12M

17. Black Cat (1968)

Not Rated | 99 min | Drama, Horror

Two women are raped and killed by samurai soldiers. Soon they reappear as vengeful ghosts who seduce and brutally murder the passing samurai.

Director: Kaneto Shindô | Stars: Kichiemon Nakamura, Nobuko Otowa, Kei Satô, Rokkô Toura

Votes: 8,574

18. Pathfinder (1987)

86 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

A young Sámi man witnesses a band of vicious raiders slay his family and flees to a nearby village, where he learns he must become a Pathfinder.

Director: Nils Gaup | Stars: Mikkel Gaup, Ingvald Guttorm, Nils Utsi, Henrik H. Buljo

Votes: 5,601

19. Snowbeast (1977 TV Movie)

Unrated | 86 min | Horror

A Colorado ski resort is besieged by a sub-human beast that commits brutal murders on the slopes.

Director: Herb Wallerstein | Stars: Bo Svenson, Yvette Mimieux, Robert Logan, Clint Walker

Votes: 2,272

20. Kirikou and the Sorceress (1998)

TV-PG | 71 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

Kirikou, an unusual little boy, must search the wisdom of the forbidden mountain in order to save his village from a spell cast by the evil sorceress Karaba

Directors: Michel Ocelot, Raymond Burlet | Stars: Doudou Gueye Thiaw, Maimouna N'Diaye, Awa Sene Sarr, Robert Liensol

Votes: 10,803 | Gross: $0.06M

21. Swan Lake (1981)

G | 75 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

A prince falls in love with a princess cursed to change into a swan by day, but their love is threatened by the sorcerer who keeps her imprisoned.

Director: Kimio Yabuki | Stars: Keiko Takeshita, Tarô Shigaki, Asao Koike, Yôko Asagami

Votes: 969

22. Frosty (1965)

84 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy

A fairy-tale about a conceited young man and a young woman with a tyrannical step-mother, who must overcome magical trials in order to be together.

Director: Aleksandr Rou | Stars: Aleksandr Khvylya, Natalya Sedykh, Eduard Izotov, Inna Churikova

Votes: 5,520

23. Gegege no Kitaro (2018–2020)

TV-PG | 23 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

Follow 13-year-old Kitaro, the last survivor of the forgotten Ghost Tribe, and his friends as they struggle to make peace between humans and yokai.

Stars: Motoko Kumai, Saori Hayami, Mayumi Tanaka, Masako Nozawa

Votes: 121

24. Vampir (2021)

95 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery

A man from London comes to a small remote village in Serbia to look after the cemetery. He starts to have nightmarish visions and suspects the friendly villagers have a more sinister intention with him.

Director: Branko Tomovic | Stars: Branko Tomovic, Gorica Regodic, Joakim Tasic, Eva Ras

Votes: 643

25. Cucuy: The Boogeyman (2018)

Not Rated | 94 min | Fantasy, Horror, Thriller

When children start disappearing, a rebellious teen under house arrest starts to suspect that a legendary evil, a boogeyman known as the Cucuy, might be responsible.

Director: Peter Sullivan | Stars: Marisol Nichols, Brian Krause, Jearnest Corchado, Bella Stine

Votes: 1,086

26. Katalin Varga (2009)

82 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

In the beautiful, otherworldly Carpathian Mountains a woman is traveling with a small boy in a horse and cart, looking to punish those who once abused her. For years, Katalin has been ... See full summary »

Director: Peter Strickland | Stars: Hilda Péter, Norbert Tankó, László Mátray, Roberto Giacomello

Votes: 3,053

27. Bagpuss (1974)

15 min | Animation, Comedy, Family

Bagpuss and his friends are toys in a turn of the century shop for 'found things'. When young Emily brings them a new object, the toys come to life to work out what the strange new thing could possibly be.

Stars: Oliver Postgate, Sandra Kerr, John Faulkner, Emily Firmin

Votes: 1,096

28. Mater and the Ghostlight (2006 Video)

G | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy

In this short featuring the characters of the movie Cars, Mater is told the story of a Ghostlight, which causes him to be scared.

Directors: John Lasseter, Dan Scanlon | Stars: Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Wallis, Bonnie Hunt

Votes: 9,011

29. The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain (1997 Video)

G | 71 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

The first wedding anniversary of Princess Odette and Prince Derek is distracted by field fires set by Knuckles. His master Clavius, wants to conquer the world, and he needs to capture a ... See full summary »

Director: Richard Rich | Stars: Michelle Nicastro, Douglas Sills, Jake Williamson, Christy Landers

Votes: 3,886 | Gross: $0.24M

30. Misty (1976)

100 min | Drama

Misty arrives in a small town to look for her mother who abandoned her 22 years ago. She stays with a bisexual artist and her friends and models for her. Meanwhile, a Christian woman with a secret tries to save her perverted niece.

Director: Joseph W. Sarno | Stars: Mary Mendum, Jennifer Jordan, Jamie Gillis, Jennifer Welles

Votes: 115

31. The Legend of Suram Fortress (1985)

88 min | Drama

A film version of a well-known Georgian folk-tale. A young boy has to be immured into the walls of a fortress in order to stop it from crumbling to pieces.

Directors: Sergei Parajanov, Dodo Abashidze | Stars: Veriko Anjaparidze, Tamari Tsitsishvili, Dudukhana Tserodze, Dodo Abashidze

Votes: 2,171

32. Hungarian Folk Tales (1980–2012)

Animation

Animated Hungarian folk tales.

Stars: Gyula Szabó, Piroska Molnár, György Bánffy, Károly Hrotkó

Votes: 1,587

33. Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer (1984)

Unrated | 90 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

The night before the school festival, things seem to be repeating themselves. Gradually, all the world functions come to a stop, the only ones that are not affected are a select group of student friends.

Director: Mamoru Oshii | Stars: Fumi Hirano, Toshio Furukawa, Akira Kamiya, Kazuko Sugiyama

Votes: 2,226

34. For Those in Peril (2013)

Not Rated | 92 min | Drama

Aaron, a young misfit living in a remote Scottish fishing community, is the lone survivor of a strange fishing accident that claimed the lives of five men including his older brother. ... See full summary »

Director: Paul Wright | Stars: George MacKay, Kate Dickie, Nichola Burley, Michael Smiley

Votes: 1,254

35. The Mistletoe Secret (2019 TV Movie)

TV-G | 83 min | Drama, Romance

A ghost writer/partner of a travel web site and TV feature arrives in Midway before Christmas to write about it. He falls for The Mistletoe Diner's Aria, as does his tall, handsome partner.

Director: Terry Ingram | Stars: Kellie Pickler, Tyler Hynes, Christopher Russell, Adrian Neblett

Votes: 1,590

36. Yao-Chinese Folktales (2023– )

20 min | Animation, Short, Fantasy

A collection of 8 animated short stories that shows traditional Chinese culture, Chinese philosophy, imagination, aesthetic and Chinese society development. It spans various genres including fantasy, science fiction, romantic and drama.

Star: Yunming Zhang

Votes: 376

37. Semum (2008)

116 min | Crime, Fantasy, Horror

Canan and Volkan have a happy and peaceful married life. This young couple has finally found the home they've dreamed of for years. When they became owners, they immediately moved to their ... See full summary »

Directors: Hasan Karacadag, Gizem Karaca | Stars: Ayça Inci, Burak Hakki, Cem Kurtoglu, Sefa Zengin

Votes: 4,039

38. Snow Beast (2011)

PG-13 | 88 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror

People disappear every year out in the Canadian wilderness - however, this year is different. This year something is increasing the body count. Jim ('John Schneider') and his research team ... See full summary »

Director: Brian Brough | Stars: John Schneider, Danielle C. Ryan, Paul D. Hunt, Kari Hawker-Diaz

Votes: 1,343

39. The Day the Earth Froze (1959)

Not Rated | 67 min | Adventure, Fantasy

The evil witch Louhi kidnaps Lemminkäinen's sister to build for her a Sampo, a device that creates salt, grain, and gold. When Lemminkäinen fails to recover the Sampo, Louhi steals the sun, plunging the world into frozen darkness.

Director: Aleksandr Ptushko | Stars: Urho Somersalmi, Anna Orochko, Ivan Voronov, Andris Osins

Votes: 1,464

40. The Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure (1998 Video)

G | 71 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Evil sorceress Zelda kidnaps the Swan Princess in order to wreak havoc on the peaceful land of Swan Lake.

Director: Richard Rich | Stars: Michelle Nicastro, Brian Nissen, Katja Zoch, Joseph Medrano

Votes: 2,528

41. Heaven on Earth (2008)

106 min | Drama

Chand, a young Punjabi woman, travels to Canada to marry a man she has never met. They live in a crowded suburban house and Chand has to also put up with her husband's abusive behavior.

Director: Deepa Mehta | Stars: Preity G Zinta, Gick Grewal, Vansh Bhardwaj, Geetika Sharma

Votes: 923

42. Once Upon a Time there Lived a Dog (1982)

10 min | Animation, Short, Comedy

Two lonely souls met: a dog outcast by his owners, and a poor wolf living in the woods.

Director: Eduard Nazarov | Stars: Georgiy Burkov, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, Eduard Nazarov

Votes: 4,215

43. How to Drown Dr. Mracek, the Lawyer (1975)

96 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

A turbulent comedy of confusion about the water sprites who go soul hunting in the river Vltava and become ordinary mortals through all kinds of misadventures.

Director: Václav Vorlícek | Stars: Jaromír Hanzlík, Libuse Safránková, Frantisek Filipovský, Milos Kopecký

Votes: 1,313

44. Manga sekai mukashi banashi (1976–1979)

30 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy

Animated adaptations of fairy and folk tales from around the world.

Votes: 63

45. Making Plans for Lena (2009)

Unrated | 105 min | Drama

Ever since she broke up with Nigel, Lena soldiers on through life as best she can with her two kids. She valiantly overcomes the obstacles put in her way. But she has yet to confront the ... See full summary »

Director: Christophe Honoré | Stars: Chiara Mastroianni, Marina Foïs, Marie-Christine Barrault, Jean-Marc Barr

Votes: 998

46. Bluebeard (1901)

TV-MA | 12 min | Short, Horror

A young woman becomes the eighth wife of the wealthy Bluebeard, whose first seven wives have died under mysterious circumstances.

Director: Georges Méliès | Stars: Georges Méliès, Jehanne d'Alcy, Bleuette Bernon, Thomas White

Votes: 1,881

47. The Dove's Lost Necklace (1991)

Not Rated | 86 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy

This second feature in Nacer Khemir's "Desert Trilogy". The story revolves around Hassan, who is studying Arabic calligraphy from a grand master. Coming across a fragment of manuscript, ... See full summary »

Director: Nacer Khemir | Stars: Navin Chowdhry, Walid Arakji, Ninar Esber, Sonia Hochlaff

Votes: 542

48. Town Musicians of Bremen (1989)

G | 86 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Based on the Brothers Grimm folktale, four aging farm animals, a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster, leave their farms to become musicians in Bremen and enjoy life. However, they find a den of thieves and decide to outsmart them.

Director: Cruz Delgado | Stars: Rafael Alonso Naranjo Jr., Gonzalo Durán, Eduardo Jover, Claudio Serrano

Votes: 270

49. The Stopwatch Gang (2012)

Documentary, Crime

The FBI coined the name, "The StopWatch Gang," for the stopwatch worn during their bank robberies ranging from California to Florida. Using outrageous disguises such as wigs, sunglasses and... See full summary »

Director: Karin Rownd Kwiatkowski | Stars: Stephen Chenoweth, Richard Hubbell, Robert Kittredge, Blaine D. McIlwaine

50. Goha (1958)

83 min | Drama

In Egypt, an old man decides to marry a beautiful young woman, who happens to be in love with another poor young man.

Director: Jacques Baratier | Stars: Omar Sharif, Zina Bouzaiade, Lauro Gazzolo, Gabriel Jabbour

Votes: 115