The late psychologist Bruno Bettelheim, for one, argued that the creepy stuff helps children to grow emotionally, by allowing them to grapple with fears that are a part of growing up. That's because fairy tales were intended not just to entertain children, but also to educate them about the consequences of evil deeds. Many were variations of French fairy tales already written by people like French writer Charles Perrault.īut even after the Brothers Grimm sanitized the tales, they didn't totally eliminate the scary stuff. The tales mostly came from friends and relatives, which the brothers significantly revised.

Only after disappointing sales did they decide to tone down the material and make it suitable for kids. When the Brothers Grimm published their first edition of ' Nursery and Household Tales' in two volumes in 18, it was meant for adults. In part, that's because fairy tales didn't start out as children's stories, but rather as tawdry folktales that grownups told for entertainment after the kids went to bed. The original versions of most of these fantasy stories are filled with plot twists that belong in a modern slasher film.

Dark and Darker faerie tales