I love Jim Henson. Not only did he set the standard for cinematic puppetry, but he also used it to tell countless wonderful and imaginative stories. The Muppets are awesome. Sesame Street is awesome. And Hensons underappreciated show The Storyteller is awesome. So it should come as no surprise that his puppet-centric films are also awesome. The Dark Crystal was billed as the first live-action film in which no people appear on screen: instead every single character is an elaborate animatronic puppet operated by several puppeteers. This creates a visual style that feels both grounded and fantastical, evoking the feeling that you're watching a dream. However, hence its inclusion on this list, The Dark Crystal is also very frightening. The films villains, the Skeksis: a terrifying race of evil bird-like creatures, are scarier than most childrens movie monsters because they appear real, at least to a 5 year old. When I was a kid it took a lot of explaining to convince me they didnt really exist.