History Main / EerieAnatomyModel

[[caption-width-right:350:And how'd you like it if in the dead of night [[CreepyChild some children that shouldn't be there]] were holding a light in your face?]]

* Chapter 26 of ''Manga/HellTeacherNube'' stars an anatomy model in a PinocchioSyndrome plot. Having been around students so much, it had gained sapience and thought itself a student too. At night, it would tidy up the entire school, which made it well-liked but nonetheless feared. Nube's class came together at night to pretend class while working towards a gentle exorcism, but the revelation it wasn't human was still a huge shock to the model. [[TearsFromAStone It did accept the truth]] and was given a few hours to play with its "fellow" students as if it were a human, allowing it to go peacefully. Nonetheless, its wish to be human was so strong that it was granted by [[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Kannon]]. She didn't, however, give him full skin with it, but he's good at hiding that.

* ''VideoGame/Persona'' has Anatomy, a demon of the Foul order.

Eerie anatomy models are predominantly an East Asian trope. There is no particular reason these things aren't used all that much in Western media, but the high popularity in Japan can be traced back to ''Franchise/GakkouNoKaidan'' and in particular the [[Film/GakkouNoKaidan 1995 film]] in which the anatomy model was one of the more memorable {{youkai}}. The urban legend itself -- that the model walks around school at night -- goes back at least as far as the 1950s. Anatomy models have since become a common pick for one of TheSevenMysteries -- haunting the science room, the biology lab, or rarely the infirmary -- but just as easily show up as part of a full-blown BigBoosHaunt. Sometimes, it's a two-for-one deal featuring an anatomy model ("jintai mokei") and a skeleton model ("kokkaku mokei") as a RedOniBlueOni-style duo. A step further they're joined by the [[RaisingTheSteaks science room specimens of cut-open animals preserved in formaldehyde]]. The typical model seen in East Asian media is a [[BarbieDollAnatomy full-bodied]] [[AlwaysMale male figure]] [[TwoFaced that looks normal on right side and flayed on the left side]]. Comedic works might make use of this by showing the model's normal side en profile first, then [[UncannyValley startling the audience or the cast]] [[TheReveal by its turning]].

When it comes to skeleton models, those being actual human remains is still TruthInTelevision. Up until the early 20th century it was not uncommon to preserve an actual skeleton instead of going through the trouble of reproducing one. Every so often there's another story of another school that either realizes their skeleton model is real or decides to investigate whom their skeleton model belonged to. And that's in regards to places that have principally switched over to artificial models; there's countries where digging up actual bones is ongoing.

* There's 7x7 mysteries to deal with in one of the challenges in ''Manga/AsTheGodsWill'' Arc II. The anatomy model debuts in Chapter 26 and is one of the traditional inclusions, although a peculiarity is that its normal half-face is a ''[[Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera2004 The Phantom of the Opera]]''-like mask. It seeks out humans to turn them into art, which doesn't require them dead but sure makes them more cooperative. Fortunately, its only victim before being blown up is a wannabe-rapist.
* ''Manga/{{Dandadan}}'': Ayase, Okarun, and Jiji chase after an animated one named Taro, who's in love with a female mannequin named Hana who was thrown out. Hana is also sentient, but lacks arms and legs.

* In the tenth episode of the sixth series of ''Manga/GeGeGeNoKitaro'', the focus is on the Seven Mysteries at Mana's school. Among them is an anatomy model. The Mysteries get taken prisoner by one of them, Yousuke, [[StalkerWithACrush who is after Hanako]]. The protagonists defeat him and and allow the Mysteries to return to their parts of the school.

* Chapter 26 of ''Manga/HellTeacherNube'' stars an anatomy model in a PinocchioSyndrome plot. Having been around students so much, it had gained sapience and thought itself a student too. At night, it would tidy up the entire school, which made it well-liked but nonetheless feared. Nube's class came together at night to pretend class while working towards a gentle excorcism, but the revelation it wasn't human was still a huge shock to the model. [[TearsFromAStone It did accept the truth]] and was given a few hours to play with its "fellow" students as if it were a human, allowing it to go peacefully. Nonetheless, its wish to be human was so strong that it was granted by [[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Kannon]]. She didn't, however, give him full skin with it, but he's good at hiding that.

* In the sixth episode of ''Manga/LoveTyrant'', the protagonists visit a school building at night. They are harrassed by the local spirits, among which an anatomy model, but Guri and Akane beat them into a pulp.

* In Chapter 50 of ''Manga/ZekkyouGakkyuu'', there's a skeleton model that stands abandoned in the preparation room. It has only one desire: to be free to leave and have friends and for all that it has to be human. It kills two notorious bullies [[ReplicantSnatching for their flesh]], but can't use their heads because those would not make getting friends easy. Then Asato, a fallen once-bully who thinks the model killed her former friends for her sake, comes to ask the model not to harm Chiba. Chiba used to be the trio's main victim, but has since befriended Asato. Knowing enough, the model kills Asato and takes her head so it can go hang out with Chiba.

** Sunako considers herself a creature of the dark ever since the boy she liked called her ugly. She's basically a {{hikikomori}} whose most important friend is an incomplete anatomy model she's named Hiroshi. As per Chapter 44 (or Episode 20), after she was called ugly she found it among the trash of a school and took it home, which was the start of her macabre collection. Her other friends, in order of importance are the skeleton model Josephine, the limbless anatomy model Akira, and the skull model John. They are joined in Chapter 50 (Episode 18) by another skeleton, George Maximilian du Veloce, who is Josephine's brand new husband. She interacts with them as if they are alive, [[ConsultingMisterPuppet presenting her inner ponderings as their words to her]], and most people close to Sunako join in on that kind of projection. In the anime, Hiroshi is alive as the episode's presentator. He also dances during both outros, and is joined by Akira and Josephine in the second one.
** Sunako visits an abandoned school building in Chapter 25 in the hopes of meeting ghosts, including a walking anatomy model, but to her dismay there aren't any.
* Tesshou from ''Manga/WildLife'' threatens the [[CoolOldGuy proud principal of an orphanage]] in Chapter 2 with killing him and turning his corpse into an anatomy model.

* ''Anime/AfterSchoolMidnighters'' stars the St. Claire Elementary School duo of Kunstlijk and Goth. Kunstlijk, an anatomy model, is a MadScientist and Goth, a skeleton model, is somewhere between his BeleagueredAssistant and his BestFriend. They are set to be disposed off when the science room gets demolished the next day, a prospect that terrifies Goth but doesn't bother Kunstlijk because he's convinced they'll just go to another school. When a trio of girls vandalize Kunstlijk, he has them brought back at night by a gangster trio of dead half-skinned rabbits preserved in formaldehyde that he revived. Goth saves them from Kunstlijk on the argument that the girls should partake in the After School Midnight Party, a challenge of which the prize is one wish. The wish could be used to prevent the science room's destruction, but Kunstlijk is more interested in revenge. His tricks backfire, of course, and one launches him all the way into the town where he hides in a fashion mannequin depot. It's upon seeing the mountain of mannequin limbs that he realizes there won't be another school for him and Goth; they're over 40 years old and replaceable by the dozen. Setting aside his hatred, he goes back to ensure the girls ace the ASMP. They do and wish "to play again". Because this can only happen if the science room is spared, it, along with Kunstlijk and Goth, are restored to prime condition and the plans for demolition erased.

* In ''Film/TheDoctorTakesAWife'', despite being unable to stand the sight of anatomy diagrams, June takes a liking to the anatomy head Tim has on his desk, because it reminds her of her uncle Chester. As such, she starts calling it Chester and talks to it as if it were a real person, which includes promising it that Marilyn won't be its mother (ie, that Tim won't marry Marilyn).
* In the science room of the OldSchoolBuilding in ''Film/GakkouNoKaidan'', when the status of the old school building as haunted has been well-confirmed, the three boys of the group first come face to face with a reanimated cut-open toad specimen that menacingly stands up on its hind legs. Seconds later, the boys notice the skeleton model they'd found earlier, toyed with, and left at one of building's exit doors, in the room with them. (It's left ambiguous in the film whether the skeleton moved itself or was brought over. The booklet sold to the theater audience at that time states that it is, in fact, another monster.) In fright, Hitoshi walks straight into the anatomy model, which organs have started looking decidedly organic and functional. Hitoshi accidentally pulls out its intestines, angering the model and requiring the other two boys to save him by using a stuffed bear as shield. The trio escape into the preparation room, the door of which the anatomy model bashes its head through, but they push it back and block the hole. The anatomy model gives up once the [[OneWingedAngel janitor]] arrives.

* A half-dog anatomy display gets turned into a creepy, whimpering and twitching zombie by the 2-4-5 Trioxin gas in ''Film/ReturnOfTheLivingDead.''
* In ''Film/Frankenstein1931'', Fritz gets spooked by a anatomical skeleton at the medical school just before stealing the brain.

* An ''Manhua/OldMasterQ'' strip have Master Q visiting his local doctor, who is then told to change into a surgical gown, only for Master Q to be scared of the model skeleton in the changing room.

* ''Series/ImScaredButWantToKnowAboutTheBody'' is a Japanese educational series in which schoolgirl Elina learns anatomy and physiology from anatomy model Jintaro. In the intro she is afraid of him, not helped by the fact that she is meeting him in a darkened school lab at night, and she faints when he drops his lab coat and shows his whole, half-skinned plastic body. During the episodes Elina and Jintaro interact quite happily, though she is still uncomfortable when he drops sections of muscle to show his organs.

*** In ''VideoGame/CorpsePartyPC98'', the anatomical model is the critical element as to whether Yoshiki and/or Ayumi [[MultipleEndings survive until the end]]. If it catches the duo, the model corners Ayumi, and Yoshiki can choose to run or to save her. Running leads to Ayumi's bloody death. Saving her prompts Yoshiki to attack the model with a gas burner, but the model teleports behind him and shares the flames, leading to Yoshiki's death.

*** By the time of ''[[VideoGame/CorpseParty Corpse Party: Blood Drive]]'', the anatomical model has partnered up with the [[SanitySlippage mentally all-gone]] Azusa. They try to kill Yoshiki, but he outruns them. Next they encounter Magari, who has been tasked with retrieving her cult-colleague Azusa. Magari subdues the both of them and logically got Azusa out thereafter, but Yuuya's fate is currently unknown.

*** In ''VideoGame/CorpsePartyZero'', the anatomical model inserts itself between the Hasegawa sisters during a momentary power outage and moves in on Shiho when the light returns. If Kaori doesn't create an escape route timely, Shiho is killed and Kaori soon after. If Shiho is saved but the sisters get caught still, Kaori is knocked out and Shiho [[OffWithHisHead decapitated]]. If all goes well, the sisters lock the anatomical model up inside the Science Lab. This only stops it for so long, as it launches itself through the window, but crashes through the floor. When much later Kaori has to escape the school, the anatomical model returns without its legs to give steady but slow chase.

*** Anatomical models are enemies encountered in ''Seiko [=MindBreak!=] (Nebulous 8bit Style)''. There's a light and a dark variant. The dark variant will lose its legs upon taking damage, but continue on attacking regardless.

* In India, unclaimed corpses may be put in mass graves and later dug up to make room for new ones. [[https://www.thenational.ae/world/booming-business-in-bones-demand-for-real-human-skeletons-surges-in-india-1.111275 The old bones may then be sold to both medical students and animation students.]] The country has many of both and they're all encouraged to get a skeleton for themselves to use as study material. As a result, the demand is much higher than the supply. On top of that, medical students are particularly encouraged to get access to the real deal because more knowledge can be gained from that than a mass-produced replica.
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* In ''Anime/PsychoPass'', the main characters investigate a series of killings where the suspect preserves her victims' corpses through plastination, rearranging their body parts and often removing their skin, which creates this effect.