Krabat(2008)
2008 · Marco Kreuzpaintner · 120 min
A 14-year-old orphan named Krabat flees the horrors of the 30 Years War by becoming an apprentice to an ominous master of a mysterious mill. Krabat is not only taught the craft of milling, but is also instructed in the sinister world of the darker arts. When the life of his friend and protector is threatened, Krabat must struggle to free himself from an evil sorcerer's control in a gripping fight for freedom, friendship and love.
Action · Fantasy · Horror
5.8226 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
2/5
Gore
3/5
Stays with you
How Krabat scares
The story unfolds slowly, following a boy settling into a strange new home before the darker rules of the mill start closing in on him. It builds dread through mood and atmosphere rather than shocks, with the horror creeping in through small, unsettling details and the growing sense that something is very wrong with the place he's trapped in. The fear here is more about control, fate, and helplessness than gore or chases, though there are moments of real physical danger. It leaves a heavier, more melancholy feeling than a typical scare-fest, closer to a dark fairy tale than a horror ride.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Krabat rates psychological 4/5, visceral 3/5, gore 2/5, lingering effect 3/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 4 of 5
- Visceral: 3 of 5
- Gore: 2 of 5
- Lingering: 3 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 15 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 10 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 60 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow, moody build with creeping dread that steadily tightens into a tense, dark finish.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 4.
How scary is Krabat?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Krabat rates 3/5 — solidly scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be moderately gory and genuinely disturbing. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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