Ever since I first gasped in a grip of horror and enthusiasm at the Quay Brothers‘ recent exhibition, Dormitorium, I cannot help but marvel at its hideous beauty.

Described as “a world frozen in time, where dust has settled over the cobwebs, mirrors and machines – stored in a locked room, in a world where all kinds of incomprehensible objects hold the stage while human characters remain at their mercy”, the reality is an skilfully eerie collection of stop-motion characters.

Born in Philadelphia and based in London, but with a creative influence drawn from the remoter corners of Eastern Europe, identical twin animators Timothy and Stephen Quay have, to date, produced a unique body of work, which aims to establish the puppet film as a serious adult art form.

Dormitorium contains sets from their films including The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer (1984), and their acknowledged masterpiece, Street of Crocodiles (1986).

As I illicitly sneaked through the atrium of the Institute, stealing furtive shots of the grotesque and fantastic, I could not help bristling with goosebumps, despite the early morning sun.

Alone in the deserted building at the unearthly hour of 9 a.m. on a Sunday, the jaunty figures hung motionless in their gothic environment, and for a brief half hour I was catapulted back to the gnawing anxiety of childhood – a time when it seemed entirely plausible that shop mannequins would come to life to conduct nocturnal forays with gleaming red eyes, and dolls became animated with Chuckie-esque malevolence.

Yet equally, I was in awe of the optical illusions: the room that seemed never ending, that in reality was the result of clever design; the peep-hole that cast your eye upon a scape of giant, metal creatures; and my favourite, the writer, covered in scribings.

Although I could not find the full schedule for the exhibition tour, I gather it has traversed Europe already. If you find yourself frequently falling in love with films of the Burtonesque variety, try to catch the Quay Brothers and sample a little grown-up dark animation. You’ll be chilled, awed, and inspired.