As Halloween approaches, there’s no better way to immerse yourself in the spirit of the season than by diving into the world of scary anime. So I’ve compiled some of the greatest scary anime to watch. Here is last year’s list we compiled.
Anime doesn’t have the best rep when it comes to being scary. There are some exceptions of course. So this list will include thriller, psychological horror, body gore as well as traditional horror.
Scary Anime to Watch This Halloween
Anime I’ve Watched
Made in Abyss
Synopsis: The Abyss is a huge chasm that plunges deep into the earth, filled with strange creatures and ancient relics. Brave explorers called delvers are eager to uncover its secrets and venture into its darkest depths.
Riko, the daughter of the famous Lyza the Annihilator, dreams of following in her mother’s footsteps and exploring the deepest layers of the Abyss. However, as a novice Red Whistle, she can only explore the uppermost layer. One day, she meets a mysterious robot who looks like an ordinary boy. She names him Reg, but he has no memory of his past. Believing that Reg’s technology comes from deep within the Abyss, they decide to embark on a journey to recover his memories at the bottom of the Abyss. Little do they know, they will soon face the harsh realities of the Abyss.
I watched this anime for the first time recently. Surprisingly, I was never spoiled, so I started watching it without any prior knowledge. It’s more of a psychological horror and body-horror anime. Which there will be a lot of on this list. There are actually episodes with a warning at the beginning, so you could only imagine how those episodes went.
It takes a while for the ‘horror’ to start in the show, but when it does it goes from 0-100 real fast.
Perfect Blue
Synopsis: Encouraged by her manager, Rumi, Mima Kirigoe, the lead singer of the popular J-Pop group “CHAM!” and a teen idol, decides to leave her bubblegum trio to pursue an acting career in the soap opera “Double Bind.” However, her bold move angers many of the band’s male fans, particularly a mysterious, obsessed fan who begins posting creepy threats and disturbing personal details about Mima on her blog—entries she insists are not hers.
A well known 90’s classic anime produced by Madhouse. This is another psychological horror anime, I think this anime does it very well.
This film is very dialogue heavy from what I remember. So if you aren’t into mainly reading subtitles for an hour this may not be for you.
I’ve mentioned this before, but the 90’s anime art style and coloring look so good. The art style from many anime in this era are my favorite.
Link Click
Synopsis: Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang run Time Photo Studio. They help clients deal with past regrets. Using a photo provided by the client, Cheng can travel back to the moment it was taken when he high fives Lu Guang.
Cheng becomes the photographer and experiences their memories and feelings. Meanwhile, Lu Guang tracks events of that time. He assists Cheng in reliving the photographer’s experiences. They have 12 hours and only one chance to find what the client needs, all while making sure that the past remains unchanged.
This anime is more of a thriller anime. It’s kind of a murder mystery type of anime, but with a bunch of different stories.
Check out my full review of Link Click here.
Kizumonogatari (1,2 & 3)
Synopsis: It adapts the Koyomi Vamp arc, focusing on Koyomi Araragi’s transformative spring break and his first encounter with a vampire oddity named Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade. The story follows how Araragi became a vampire and then returned to humanity, with the help of oddity expert Meme Oshino and Tsubasa Hanekawa.
This is a prequel of Bakemonogatari, it tells the story of how Araragi became a vampire. The visuals and animation are amazing for a 2016 film. They still hold up almost 10 years later.
The recommended watch order is Bakemonogatari into Kizumonogatari. Even though this is a ‘prequel’ you watch it second. This is how Nisio Isin wrote the light novels.
ERASED
Synopsis: Struggling mangaka Satoru Fujinuma has a hard time expressing himself. However, he possesses a supernatural ability that allows him to travel back in time to prevent deaths and accidents, reliving moments until he successfully stops them. When a tragic incident involving his mother catches him off guard, he desperately tries to change the outcome. He is sent back to his childhood as a grade-schooler and embarks on a new journey, determined to use his ability to save her from harm.
Again this isn’t a straight up horror anime, it’s a scary thriller anime. However, it’s a good suspenseful mystery thriller anime.
I remember watching this anime in one sitting many years ago. The best part of this anime is the story.
The Promised Neverland
Synopsis: Emma is a bright and cheerful 11-year-old orphan living in Grace Field House, a cozy orphanage with 37 other children. They enjoy a happy life filled with good food, comfortable beds, clean clothes, games, and the love of their caregiver, “Mom” Isabella. Education is highly valued, and Emma, along with her best friends Norman and Ray, consistently excels in their exams. The children have plenty of freedom, but they are forbidden from going beyond the perimeter wall or gate that separates the house from the outside world. One day they find out why they are forbidden from going outside.
I would consider The Promised Neverland a traditional horror anime. The twist at the end of the first episode caught me off guard. I think the first episode will hook you right in. Fans say the second season isn’t worth it, the directors deleted a lot of the story from the manga. The second season is so bad, fans pretend it doesn’t exist and ask when a second season will be announced.
Parasyte: the Maxim
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Shinichi Izumi lives with his parents in a quiet Tokyo neighborhood. One night, worm-like aliens called Parasites invade Earth, entering humans through their ears or noses to take control of their brains. When a Parasite tries to crawl into Shinichi’s ear while he sleeps, he is wearing headphones, so it instead enters his body through his arm. This Parasite, named Migi, takes over Shinichi’s right hand.
Because Shinichi prevents Migi from reaching his brain, they both retain their separate intellect and personalities. Together, they must fight other Parasites that attack them, as these creatures devour humans for food. As they encounter more Parasites, Shinichi and Migi develop a strong bond, working together to survive in a dangerous world.
Another body horror and gore anime. Additionally this anime is also psychological horror. This is 24 episodes long though. If you have a lot of time this Halloween season this is one of the classic gore anime out there.
Junji Ito Collection
Synopsis: Junji Ito Collection is an animated horror anthology series produced by Studio Deen, adapted from various works by Junji Ito. The series mainly features stories from The Horror World of Junji Ito collection, along with selections from Ma no Kakera and New Voices in the Dark.
Junji Ito’s manga has not gotten any good anime adaptations unfortunately. I thought we got a good adaptation of Uzumaki that recently aired. However it was just really good for the first episode.
This animated anthology isn’t too bad though, some of the episodes are actually pretty scary. Hopefully in the future, we can get a production studio that will adapt Junji Ito’s work the way it deserves.
Anime I Haven’t Watched
These are a couple of horror anime I haven’t had the chance to watch yet. But I see these anime always mentioned in horror anime lists.
Higurashi When They Cry
Synopsis: In June 1983, Keiichi Maebara moves to the village of Hinamizawa and quickly befriends classmates. He learns about the village’s annual Watanagashi Festival, a celebration honoring the local deity, Oyashiro. While Hinamizawa seems calm and peaceful at first, Keiichi discovers that for four consecutive years, murders and disappearances have occurred on the day of the festival. This series of incidents, known as the “Oyashiro Curse,” remains a mystery and fuels the superstitions of the villagers.
On scary and horror anime lists, I always see this anime mentioned. Higurashi was released in 2006, and anime fans still talk about it to this day.
Elfen Lied
Synopsis: A teenage girl escapes from a laboratory with the power to dismember people. On her way out, she gets shot and becomes a double- person, half-sweet, half-murderer. Then she meets people who have suffered the biggest horrors possible. Together, they will face the evil organization who uses other girls to track the original one.
I’ve actually watched the first couple episodes of Elfen Lied, but never continued. From what I remember this is very gory, the main character is a killing machine. This anime is the most mentioned anime I have seen in discussion posts about horror anime.
Devilman: Crybaby
Synopsis: When sensitive teenager Akira is dragged into a world of demons and devils by his childhood friend, Ryo, his life changes forever. Finding himself merged with an incredibly powerful demon, Akira devotes his time and effort into protecting human beings from demons and the destruction they bring. What he soon discovers, however, is that things are never black and white, and that his values will be constantly tested in a new world of shades of grey. What follows is a twisted and poignant tale of sacrifice, betrayal, love, grief, and the slow realization that maybe humans are the real monsters. IMDB
I personally don’t know anything about this anime, I see it all the time mentioned in discussion posts just like Elfen Lied. Watching the trailer it looks gory as well.
Yamishibai
Synopsis: Every week at 5 p.m., an old man in a yellow mask, known as the kamishibaiya or kamishibai narrator, visits a children’s playground to share ghost stories rooted in Japanese myths and urban legends. He tells these tales using a traditional kamishibai method, presenting a new story each week on the back of his bicycle.
I didn’t know this anime existed. This is similar to the Junji Ito Collection, it’s a different story every episode. There are currently four seasons. The kamishibai is animated which makes it a unique viewing experience. I’ve read online that some of the stories are genuinely scary.
Get Your Popcorn Ready for a Scary Anime Marathon!
