Pokemon is often seen as a "kids game", and while that is certainly true for some of the themes seen throughout, the same can't be said for others.

Ahead of Halloween, we thought we'd take a look a handful of different Pokemon that have weird, spooky and downright messed up Pokedex entries. Enjoy!

Cubone

Cubone's backstory is nothing new and is pretty well known but that doesn't make it any less tragic. Or creepy.

Its official Pokedex entry states that when it's upset it weeps "mournfully within the skull it wears on its head." It just so happens that the skull it's wearing belonged to its dead mother...

File:Goh Cubone.png

Drifloon

Drifloon has some major IT energy. It's shaped like a balloon in order to coax children away.

Sometimes it will "quickly run away again when the children play too roughly with it", other times it straight up just takes them.

Its Black 2/White 2 Pokedex entry sums it up most casually when it says:

These Pokémon are called the "Signpost for Wandering Spirits." Children holding them sometimes vanish.

Spoink

Okay, this one's not so much of a spooky Pokemon backstory as it is a complete living nightmare.

Its Pokedex entry reads:

Spoink bounces around on its tail. The shock of its bouncing makes its heart pump. As a result, this Pokémon cannot afford to stop bouncing—if it stops, its heart will stop.

That's right, Spoink could literally die at any moment by simply not bouncing. Poor thing.

File:Spoink anime.png

Mimikyu

Mimikyu is one of the most recognisable Pokemon from the Alolan Region but its story is a sad one.

It just wants to be loved, so tries to dress as a Pikachu, however, under its ragged costume is a hideous creature, a creature that's so terrifying that once a "scholar who saw what was under its rag was overwhelmed by terror and died from the shock." The scholar wasn't the only person that's died from catching a glimpse of Mimikyu either.

File:Jessie Mimikyu.png

Phantump

Phantump's backstory is short and sweet:

After a lost child perished in the forest, their spirit possessed a tree stump, causing the spirit’s rebirth as this Pokémon.

However, this begs the question. As there are so many Phantump's in the world, does this mean that thousands and thousands of children have died in the forest and been possessed?

Yamask

Another Pokemon that was once a human. Now dead, Yamask floats around carrying a golden mask.

While it sounds quite innocuous, the mask it carries is supposedly "the face it had when it was still human." Creepy.

File:Yamask anime.png

Parasect

For all intents and purposes, Parasect is a braindead zombie.

While its basic stage, Paras, looks generally happy, hosting a pair of mushrooms on its back that steal most of its nutrition, sadly, the same can't be said for Parasect.

By the point it evolves, the mushroom has fully taken over its host and now does "all the thinking." I think it's cold, dead eyes tell you everything you need to know.

File:Goh Parasect.png

Gourgeist

Gourgeist is a Pokemon that can come in a range of different sizes. Sadly, no matter what its size is, it wants to kill you. Each size is out for blood, whether it's kids, adults or anything in between.

Small Gourgeist pretend to be children to fool adults. Anyone who falls for the act gets carried away to the hereafter.

Large Gourgeist put on the guise of adults, taking the hands of children to lead them to the afterlife.

Supersized Gourgeist aren't picky. They will forcefully drag anyone off to the afterlife.

Hisuian Zorua

The Pokemon Company has revealed a handful of new Pokemon ahead of the release of Pokemon Legends Arceus' release in January next year and it's nice to see they're doubling down on the spooky backstories.

Hisuain Zorua, which has a fantastic look, also has had a bit of a troubling past, poor thing:

These Zorua migrated to the Hisui region after being driven from other lands by humans, who shunned the Pokémon for manifesting uncanny illusions. But the Zorua perished, unable to survive the harsh Hisuian environment and strife with other Pokémon. Their lingering souls were reborn in this Ghost-type form through the power of their malice toward humans and Pokémon.

Basculegion

Pokemon and humans being possessed seems to be a running theme in the lore of the series and that's no different with Basculegion.

Another Pokemon that was introduced as part of Arceus Legends, Basculegion comes about after dead Basculin get possessed. Another extremely troubling situation.

You can read its Pokedex entry below.

This Evolution occurs when a Basculin is possessed by the souls of other Basculin from its school that could not withstand the harsh journey upstream.

Basculegion | Pokémon