61+ Horror Anime That Will Make You Scared!

Updated August 11, 2022 by Ernie

The horror genre in anime might not be as mainstream as the horror genre in Hollywood, but it is equally as good. Anime has a lot of amazing scary, horror shows that will get anyone into a spooky mode. These exciting shows range from stories about ghosts, haunted houses, and bloody, gruesome murders. In this article, we are going to be looking at 26 of these horror masterpieces that would make you poop out your your pants when the lights go out and that eerie feeling sets in. Switch off your lights, get your torches handy, and let’s begin our terrifying journey into the world of horror anime series. And it’s not just anime! You can also look at the best Horror Manhwa, if you’re into the Webtoon vibes.

 

SCARIEST ANIME OF ALL TIME!

 

62. Gantz

INFORMATION
Title	Gantz
Genre	Action, Psychological, Sci-Fi
Type	Series
Studio	Gonzo
Premiered	April 13, 2014
Episode Count	26 episodes
Duration	22 mins. per episode

Gantz is a Sci-Fi horror at its best, and it does possess a pinch of ecchi. Gantz features a lot of gruesome, disturbing and distressing scenes and so it is not recommended for all ages and all persons. But if you want, you can also look at other Sci-Fi anime without horror if this is too much for you!

For fans of the scary anime genre, Gantz is paradise. Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato die while trying to save a homeless man. They find themselves in a game world where they have to fight aliens and monsters. This sci-fi world doesn’t shy away from societal decadence, it portrays greed and violence at its finest… limbs are severed, heads are blown up and already dead people die in more and more horrific scenes. Bloody violence, Gore and r*** are rampant in Gantz and this world proves that even in death, peace is not certain.

 

61. Petshop Of Horrors

INFORMATION
Title	Gantz
Genre	Dark Fantasy, Mystery
Type	Series
Studio	Gonzo
Premiered	March 2, 1999
Episode Count	4 episodes
Duration	23 mins. per episode

Count D runs a pet store in Chinatown. It already sounds creepy. He helps people who want to buy a pet and are looking for something rare and hard to find. People are happy enough with Count D’s work that they are willing to sign a strange service agreement with him. Each contract has its own set of rules that he sets out. People who follow those rules don’t really see anything interesting.

But people who break them, on purpose or by accident, find out that they weren’t as fortunate as they thought they were. As the number of mysterious deaths goes up, murder detective Leon Orcot steps in to solve the growing number of cases. Soon, he figures out that all of the victims are linked to Count D’s pet shop. In the anime “Petshop of Horrors,” things get really scary at that point.

 

60. Paprika

INFORMATION
Title	Paprika
Genre	Fantasy, Thriller
Type	Movie
Studio	Madhouse
Premiered	September 2, 2006
Film Count	1 Film
Duration	90 minutes

Most people feel most safe when they are dreaming. But because of that, they are also the most at risk. So, assume a world in which people found a way to get into people’s dreams, but it ended up in the hands of some strange people.

People are scared in the one spot they thought was safest: their dreams. The movie is beautiful to look at, and the way they show dreams and how they mix with reality will make your spine tingle.

We can at least say it’s scary. Paprika is a must-watch for horror fans because it has some fairly heavy themes, a scary main idea, and some great OST music.

 

59. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress

INFORMATION
Title	Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
Genre	Dark Fantasy, Steam Punk
Type	Series
Studio	Wit Studio
Premiered	May 2, 2016
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

Think of Shingeki no Kyojin, but with scary monsters instead of the giants that look silly. The show is made up of a lot of steampunk and a lot of other things. It can even be called a Zombie Anime!

People live inside the city walls while steam-punk undead zombies that look like the demons that keep me awake at night take over the outside. Everyone wants to go outside the walls, of course. The zombies are hungry.

So get ready for a lot of dying. I think it’s a little less exciting than Attack on Titan but a lot scarier.

 

58. Danganronpa: The Animation

INFORMATION
Title	Danganronpa: The Animation
Genre	Horror, Mystery
Type	Series
Studio	Lerche
Premiered	Jul 5, 2013
Episode Count	13 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

Another “cult” movie that started out as a video game. This takes the battle royale cliche in a very interesting direction by adding the bulk of trying to sneak around and lie.

So fifteen students are stuck in a school and can’t leave until everyone else dies. But you can’t just kill people on the spot. You have to keep it a secret.

Because you’ll be hanged if the rest of the students find out you killed someone. So, yeah, this show’s paranoia is off the charts.

 

57. Ajin: Demi-Human

INFORMATION
Title	Ajin: Demi-Human
Genre	Action, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	Polygon Pictures
Premiered	May 2, 2016
Episode Count	13 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

Do you have any idea of how cool it will be to live forever? Well, have you really thought about what society would be like if people could live forever? I figured so.

Well, people in this anime become Ajin, which means they live forever. Since there’s no real way of punishing them, they probably don’t care much about justice.

The show is about the mind, there is a lot of action, and the Ajin look scary. And if nothing else scares you, the CGI will.

 

56. Gyo

INFORMATION
Title	Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
Genre	Horror
Type	Movie
Studio	ufotable
Premiered	October 29, 2011
Episode Count	1 Episode
Duration	70 minutes

Most of the time, you only worry about sharks when you’re out at the sea, right? Well, you can toss that idea right out the window.

They’ve come to a city near you, much like a circus act on track. These creatures have taken over the town. They are 50% fish, 50% machines, and 100% people who do not like sushi.

And when they go, it smells like an aquarium with a glimpse of human blood. You really should watch Gyo if you’ve seen Jaws or Sharknado.

 

55. Wicked City

INFORMATION
Title	Wicked City
Genre	Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror
Type	Movie
Studio	Madhouse
Premiered	April 25, 1987
Episode Count	1 Episode
Duration	82 minutes per episode

Just so you know, Wicked City would then make you scared to ever sleep with a woman. So, the main idea is that there are two worlds: one for people and one for demons.

The two groups have agreed not to get in each other’s way. But there is a small break in that agreement, hence chaos breaks out as demons start to cause trouble.

One of our main characters is a real person, and the other is a character from a hallucination I once had. They now have to take charge of the situation and ensure the agreement is put back in place.

 

54. The Empire of Corpses

INFORMATION
Title	The Empire of Corpses
Genre	Sci-Fi
Type	Movie
Studio	Wit Studio
Premiered	October 2, 2015
Episode Count	1 Episode
Duration	120 minutes per episode

This one is spooky and makes you think more than it scares you. It’s a tribute to Frankenstein, but the setting is steampunk and the main character is John Watson. So there’s even a little Sherlock Holmes going on. 

In The Empire of Corpses’ world, human remains have been used as tools to do simple tasks. But what happens when at least one of the corpses gets a soul all of a sudden?

Should it be thought of as living? What’s the difference between the living and the dead? Again, it falls more into a questionable category than a frightening one. But there were plenty of horrifying scenes.

 

53. King of Thorn

INFORMATION
Title	King of Thorn
Genre	Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Suspense
Type	Movie
Studio	Sunrise
Premiered	October 9, 2009
Episode Count	1 Episodes
Duration	110 minutes

I didn’t notice how many of these stories were about viruses until I was done with this list. So, yeah, a highly contagious virus starts rapidly spreading around the world. Because they were afraid they wouldn’t be able to find a cure in time and humanity would die out, 160 people were frozen in capsules.

But when they wake up, the world is nothing like it was before. They discover a world full of thorns and inhabited by strange creatures that attack as soon as you move.

It’s a horror film at heart, and there’s a fair amount of blood to go with it. But you should definitely check it out.

 

52. Kurozuka

INFORMATION
Title	Kurozuka
Genre	Action, Drama, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi
Type	Series
Studio	Madhouse
Premiered	October 7, 2008
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

This next anime revolves the journey and times of Kurou, and is first a magical romance novel, then a manga, and lastly an anime. This man, who is also his brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo, resides in the twelfth century and recently lost a battle with the first Shogun of Japan.
While history records that the man committed suicide, the fact is that he discovered a woman who is equally enigmatic and alluring. She finally wins Kurou’s heart and lives in her mountain house with Kuromitsu. But the woman has a terrible secret.
Kurou will be able to see more than a thousand of years of Japan’s gradual transformation into the contemporary world because she has managed to render him immortal. The program is enjoyable to watch and features equal amounts of action, fantasy, and horror.

 

51. Vampire Hunter

INFORMATION
Title	Vampire Hunter
Genre	Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	Madhouse
Premiered	March 21, 1997
Episode Count	4 Episodes
Duration	43 minutes per episode

Like all Vampire Hunter D movies, this one has a lot of violence, blood, and long battle scenes. You can sum up the plot by saying that rich people want their children back from a vampire. She gets a little bit of Stockholm syndrome, and now things are a bit more complicated.

That’s all you need to know about the plot. If you want to see some old-fashioned scary action with limbs flying everywhere, this is the one to watch. Or at least put it in your favorites for a rainy day. Nothing beats a good ol’ vampire anime!

 

50. Bio Hunter

INFORMATION
Title	Bio Hunter
Genre	Action, Horror
Type	OVA
Studio	Madhouse
Premiered	Dec 8, 1995
Episode Count	1 Episode
Duration	58 minutes per episode

When a virus spreads around the world, everyone who gets it turns into a demon who can’t feel anything. Oh, and this makes you want to eat people.

Both of our MCs are doctors who are trying very hard to find a cure. But then, like in The Walking Dead, several of the doctors get sick with the virus.

He doesn’t turn into a bloodthirsty monster right away… So, he helps to keep doing research, even though he is painfully aware that time is running out before he breaks free and eats everyone around him, including his family.

 

49. Psychic Detective Yakumo

INFORMATION
Title	Psychic Detective Yakumo
Genre	Horror, Mystery, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	Bee Train
Premiered	October 3, 2010
Episode Count	13 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

The main character’s name is Yakumo, and now one of his eyes is red. This makes it possible for someone like him to speak to the dead.

It’s a very episode-based show, and each one is a ghost story that the main characters have to solve. Still, each case is part of a bigger story that moves forward.

And it’s complicated and unpredictable in a great way. This anime should be perfect if you like scary stories as well as old police dramas.

 

48. Happy Sugar Life

INFORMATION
Title	Happy Sugar Life
Genre	Drama, Girls Love, Horror
Type	Series
Studio	Ezόla
Premiered	May 2, 2016
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

The plot of this show is kind of all over the place… it’s because this anime is kinda popular. If you only watch some scenes and skip over others, it really just looks like a depressing slice of life anime where the main character sometimes gets picked on.

So if you’ve just watched those “other” parts, you might think that the Yandere simulation model is finally done. So, putting the two together was not something I thought would happen at first. But the main character’s mind is full of nonsense, which makes the whole show feel very scary.

 

47. Perfect Blue

INFORMATION
Title	Perfect Blue
Genre	Dark Fantasy, Steam Punk
Type	Movie
Studio	Madhouse
Premiered	Feb 28, 1998
Film Count	1 Film
Duration	81 minutes

This movie is hard to watch because it is so real, but it looks like something from another world. The main idea is that a girl really wants to become a pop star.

When a stalker starts following her and people begin getting killed for no clear reason, things get a lot harder for her.

Here’s where the psychological thriller show starts, because we’ll start having trouble differentiating dreams and reality. And a dark curtain falls over the screen—hiding any sign of hope or happiness. It is literally one of the best Anime Movies out there.

 

46. Ghost Hunt

INFORMATION
Title	Ghost Hunt
Genre	Dark Fantasy, Steam Punk
Type	Series
Studio	J.C. Staff
Premiered	October 3, 2006
Episode Count	25 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

Taniyama When Mai and her friends are at school together, they like to tell ghost stories. There have been ghost stories and paranormal rumors about an old building on their campus for a long time.

When they start to talk about place in the “Ghost Hunt” anime, a teenage boy called Shibuya Kazuya jumps in and stops them. This boy is the president of the “Shibuya Psychic Research Company,” which is a very interesting fact. He was asked by the school’s principal to look into and disprove the strange stories about the old building.

Later, when Mai walks by the very same facility, she sees a camera in and goes to check it out. Shibuya’s assistant was busy taking video, but as things got worse, the camera broke and the assistant got hurt. Shibuya has no choice but to take the assistant’s place in prospective studies and make Mai compensate for her mistake. Soon, she is pulled into a place of ghost hunting and occult secrets.

 

45. The World Yamizukan

INFORMATION
Title	The World Yamizukan
Genre	Horror, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	ILCA
Premiered	April 3, 2017
Episode Count	13 Episodes
Duration	4 minutes per episode

This anime is probably the only anime that comes close to a pulp horror comic. In many of its episodes, it avoids the traditional anime style in favor of Western art styles, but it still has Japanese values. It also only takes a few minutes of the viewers’ time, since most of the creepy, scary stories are told in a few minutes.

It has stories about a car that eats people at the end, and a strange tale about a woman who goes missing in the woods. The ending is very shocking. Some of the stories are weird just to be weird, but they are all fun to watch.

 

44. Psycho-Pass

INFORMATION
Title	Psycho-Pass
Genre	Crime, Cyberpunk, Psychological thriller
Type	Series
Studio	Production I.G
Premiered	October 12, 2012
Episode Count	22 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

Somewhere, a hundred years from now, Japan will have undergone some dreadful transformations. There is currently a “Sibyl System” in place to assess each citizen’s threat level. It infringes on everyone’s right to privacy and “reads” people’s minds to find any latent criminal intent.

Everyone is granted a “Psycho-Pass” that stores these facts so that those in authority can request access to them at any time. Through the “Inspectors,” deadly law enforcement and enslavement take place. Then there are the “enforcers,” who are essentially covert criminals who have been given some latitude and exemptions in exchange for performing unsavory tasks for the inspectors. Honest, just, and ambitious Akane Tsunemori discovers the nasty side of such a system when she begins working for veteran enforcer Shinya Kougami.

Knowing there might be no way to change or improve the Sibyl, she begins to struggle with the values and beliefs she has always held in the highest regard. The excellent “Psycho-Pass” anime contains a lot of realism-based Orwellian horror themes.

 

43. Tokko

INFORMATION
Title	Tokko
Genre	Action, horror, supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	AIC Spirits
Premiered	April 15, 2006
Episode Count	13 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

This anime tells the story of our main character named Ranmaru Shindo. In 2006, their parents were killed in a horrible massacre, and Ranmaru and his younger sister had just moved to Tokyo. Ranmaru simply can not stop imagining the scary day his whole apartment building was destroyed.

He keeps seeing a girl with a blood soaked sword, who he thinks killed his parents. When he gets out of the task force, he goes to a new school and sees the girl from his imagination there. He needs to find out who she is and what really happened during the construction massacre. It turns out that demons were to blame, and they now threaten to take over all of Tokyo. Tokko is a violent show with horrible deaths and a gut-wrenching plot that horror fans should enjoy.

 

42. Theater of Darkness: Yamishibai

INFORMATION
Title	Theater of Darkness: Yamishibai
Genre	Dark Fantasy, Steam Punk
Type	Series
Studio	ILCA
Premiered	July 12, 2020
Episode Count	13 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

This anime is a short horror anthology series that will make you shiver in just a few minutes. Each animated part, which is based on the kamishibai style of storytelling from the 1930s, has a strange, unnerving quality that can be unsettling or even give you chills. At the moment, there are seven seasons.

Each one tells a story based on a Japanese urban legend or ghost story. One is about a young boy who finds out that his family has to put on horrible, garish smiles to keep the ghost of his extremely great grandfather away. The other is about a young girl who has a skin problem that turns into a side that insists on keeping a grip on her neck and chokes her. It is really scary stuff, but if you’re too frightened, it will be over in a few minutes.

 

41. Requiem From The Darkness

INFORMATION
Title	Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
Genre	Dark Fantasy, Steam Punk
Type	Series
Studio	TMS Entertainment
Premiered	October 3, 2003
Episode Count	13 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

Yamaoka Momosuke becomes tired of creating kid-friendly riddles. He makes the decision to compile frightening stories into an entertaining anthology. His latest work is titled Hyakumonogatari, which translates to “One Hundred Tales.” He comes upon the mysterious group known as “Ongyou” while conducting study.
These three people are essentially investigators working to uncover the reality hidden beneath various myths. They do this in an effort to bring justice to those who have committed wrongs. Yamaoka is left engaged in an internal conflict every time he comes into contact with the Ongyou, where the cutting edges of Truth put his morality to the test. After all, he is observing what is ostensibly prohibited.

 

40. Sankarea

INFORMATION
Title	Sankarea
Genre	Romantic comedy, zombie
Type	Series
Studio	Studio Deen
Premiered	April 5, 2012
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

Chihiro Furuya is crazy about scary things, so she wants to date a zombie. It’s strange, but he kind of knows how much he wants and how to get it. When he loses Babu, his cat, he uses strange magic to keep it alive. He was working on some kind of elixir or potion until a fellow student called Rea Sanka came along and began shouting into the well about how bad her home life was.

In secret, they work on Babu’s potion to make people live longer until Rea dies in a terrible way. Chihiro has to use her as well as the cat as guinea pigs for his invention, which brings them back from the dead as zombies. It’s a strangely sweet horror show with moments of hope. It’s also among the most unique zombie demonstrations you have ever seen.

 

39. Mushishi 

INFORMATION
Title	Mushishi
Genre	Adventure, Iyashikei, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	Artland
Premiered	April 5, 2014
Episode Count	20 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

What happens in the world of supernatural creatures we can never see? Mushishi looks into a hidden world full of terrifying creatures that cause death, pain, and destruction, mostly by accident but sometimes on purpose. Mushishi is about a traveler called Ginko who is cursed with being able to see “mushi,” which are invisible, small spirits that communicate with humans in mostly bad and scary ways.

These spirits aren’t happy-go-lucky. Mushi takes over the eyes of a young girl which led to casualties in a remote mountain range, and even tries to drown people who get too close. It’s often sad and scary  to get rid of mushi, but work is work. It could also be Ginko.

 

38. Angels Of Death

INFORMATION
Title	Angels Of Death
Genre	Psychological horror
Type	Series
Studio	J.C.Staff
Premiered	July 6, 2018
Episode Count	16 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

This well-known manga-to-anime adaptation, also known as “Satsuriku no Tenshi,” features important horror and supernatural elements in its compelling story. The plot takes up when Rachel, a teenage girl, wakes up in an unfamiliar place without knowing where she is or who she is, and she attempts to flee.

She soon realizes that other individuals and entities want to see her dead before she can successfully flee. She meets one such murderous individual in Zack, who initially tries to kill her before joining her in devising a combined escape. This anime masterfully blends horror and action.

 

37. Jujutsu Kaisen

INFORMATION
Title	Jujutsu Kaisen
Genre	Adventure, Dark fantasy, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	MAPPA
Premiered	October 3, 2020
Episode Count	24 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

This anime is an otherworldly action-horror series that was a big hit not too long ago. It is for people who like scary movies that are also funny. In it, the athletic high school student Yuuji Itadori eats a few of Sukuna’s mummified fingers and becomes the doubtful host of the king of the curses, Ryomen Sukuna. Fortunately, Yuuji is able to suppress Sukuna’s power so that he doesn’t die right away.

He does this by coaching as a jujutsu conjurer with his peers and teachers at a special high school as well as an organization that gets rid of curses. Using a shonen formula (there’s even a baseball episode), the show goes in unexpected directions as well as pays special attention to the complicated inner lives of its female characters, all the while being both funny and scary.  If you watch it, you’ll soon be swooning over Gojo while at the same time creating Todo memes like everyone else.

 

36. Hellsing

INFORMATION
Title	Hellsing
Genre	Action, Dark fantasy, Vampire
Type	Series
Studio	Gonzo
Premiered	October 11, 2001
Episode Count	13 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

Who do you call when ghouls, vampires, and other otherworldly foes are coming after England? Of course, Alucard, as well as the Hellsing Organization. The goal of this group, led by Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, is to get rid of these threats for good. Alucard, the first and mightiest vampire ever, is the order’s steadfast dog and their only real chance of beating the enemies who threaten the country and the world.

From grunge bloodsuckers who do want chaos in the streets to Nazis trying to raise a whole battalion of vampires to take back Germany, there is always something horrible and deadly going on around the world of Hellsing, which makes it both exciting and scary to watch.

 

35. Ghost Stories

INFORMATION
Title	Ghost Stories
Genre	Horror, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	Pierrot
Premiered	October 22, 2000
Episode Count	20 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

This anime focused on showing us a supernatural show with some funny parts, but a lot of the demons are pretty scary. It tells the story of Satsuki, who has just relocated with her brother and her father to the place where her now-dead mother was born.

She meets some interesting classmates when she goes to the old school building right next to the one that is still in use. Once they get there, they find out that her mother was the one who sealed away a few of the ghosts that used to haunt the town when she was younger. Satsuki must seal up the ghosts with the aid of her new friends, or she will have to deal with new hauntings almost every day of the week.

 

34. The Flowers of Evil

INFORMATION
Title	The Flowers of Evil
Genre	Coming-of-age, Psychological drama, Suspense
Type	Series
Studio	Zexcs
Premiered	April 5, 2013
Episode Count	13 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

Takao Kasuga is a pretty normal high schooler who loves to hang out with his friend Nanako Saeki and read Charles Baudelaire. Still, he feels like his peers don’t like him. Before he gets to meet the mysterious Sawa, Saeki’s among the few bright spots in his life. He is both scared and excited by the way they talk to each other, particularly after Nakamura needs to catch him stealing Saeki’s gym clothes.

She makes Kasuga sign a “contract” that says he has to do whatever she says. This leads to a very personal and scary look at Kasuga as a person, as well as an obsession on her part to strip away skin. It’s not a typical horror movie, but it’s a deep look at a character told in beautiful rotoscope animation that’ll mess with your head.

 

33. Elfen Lied

INFORMATION
Title	Elfen Lied
Genre	Dark fantasy, Science fiction
Type	Series
Studio	Arms
Premiered	July 25, 2004
Episode Count	13 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

In this anime, which is both sad and scary, a series of things happen after experiments are done on Diclonius, a human who was born with horns and telekinetic powers. Lucy, the main character of this anime, has a split personality. This means that she can either kill everyone around her with phantom hands or win people over as her alter ego, the cute and shy Nyu. This bloody journey is not for people who are easily scared, because you’ll also expect heartbreaking stories that will end up leaving you gasping for air when it’s over.

 

32. Devilman Crybaby

INFORMATION
Title	Devilman Crybaby
Genre	Action, dark fantasy, superhero
Type	Series
Studio	Science SARU
Premiered	January 5, 2018
Episode Count	10 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

This remake of a Go Nagai masterpiece is among the best new takes on an anime series that has been done so far. Akira Fudo is the “crybaby” of the title because his kind heart tends to make him an obvious prey for bullies. His closest friend, Ryo Asuka, tends to help him change his image, but in an unhealthy way.

Ryo does have a secret: he appears to know that demons exist and can show it. He used a special force to create people who turned into demons, and poor Akira is in the middle of it all. So, Akira turns into a “Devilman,” which is a kind of demon that can maintain human behavior while gaining a lot of power from its demon form. Ryo’s actions were not done out of kindness, since he wants to control the earth with Akira as his tool.

 

31. Demon Slayer

INFORMATION
Title	Demon Slayer
Genre	Adventure, Dark fantasy, Martial arts
Type	Series
Studio	Ufotable
Premiered	April 6, 2019
Episode Count	44 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

This anime really is one of the most popular and also one of the scariest anime series. Everything began when Tanjiro Kamado’s family was brutally killed, except for his sister Nezuko who turned into a demon.

Even though there are quieter, sadder episodes in the story arcs to show how much Tanjiro cares about everyone he loves. The show is really about the terrifying yet visually captivating demon battles as Tanjiro cuts through whoever he has to in order to find ways to transform Nezuko back into being a human.

 

30. Deadman Wonderland

INFORMATION
Title	Deadman Wonderland
Genre	Action thriller, Dystopian, Post-apocalyptic
Type	Series
Studio	Manglobe
Premiered	April 17, 2011
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

Ganta Igarashi is in his school when that strange, bloody figure floats through the window of his classroom. This is one of those typical nightmares for every student in his class, too.

This “Red Man” annihilates Ganta’s whole class in a matter of seconds. Ganta is saved, but the Red Man puts a strange piece of red crystal into his chest. Ganta is faulted for the killings and convicted to spend the rest of his life in a prison that looks like a theme park.

While he’s there, he has to get by as a “deadman,” a detainee whose job is to entertain visitors. When he finds out that he has a newfound power in his own bloodstream called the “Branch of Sin,” he is determined to find a way to escape, even though he has to fight countless numbers of other Deadmen, each of whom has their own terrible powers.

 

29. Castlevania

INFORMATION
Title	Castlevania
Genre	Action, Adventure, Dark fantasy, Drama, Horror
Type	Series
Studio	Powerhouse Animation
Premiered	July 7, 201
Episode Count	32 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

When talking about shows that can freak you out, then vampire anime isn’t  a mere exception.  More than half of the “Dracula” anime on Netflix didn’t have anything to do with Dracula, but the show doesn’t ever forget what it was all about: the most influential and popular vampire on the planet falling in love and then having that love taken away from him.

Castlevania largely spent their time building a fully realized world that got more complicated with each season. It makes sense that this world would live on in some way after four seasons, so Netflix is preparing a new show set in the very same world as Castlevania.

 

28. Black Butler

INFORMATION
Title	Black Butler
Genre	Dark comedy, Dark fantasy, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	A-1 Pictures
Premiered	October 3, 2008
Episode Count	36 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

You might be surprised to know that, at the age of 13, our MC, Ciel Phantomhive, has become the head of their household. Even though he is young, he is part of a powerful family that works for Queen Victoria of England. He is a brilliant detective in the style of Sherlock Holmes. He aids the police of the Queen in solving crimes in the seedy parts of London, but he doesn’t do it alone.

He has made a deal with a ghoul named Sebastian Michaelis to help him find out who killed his parents and get revenge on them. After that, he’ll eat Ciel’s soul, but meanwhile, he’s still pretending to be a butler to keep Biel as well as his estate safe. Some of the things that happen to the two main characters in Black Butler are really scary.

 

27. Berserk

INFORMATION
Title	Berserk
Genre	Dark fantasy, Epic fantasy, Sword and sorcery
Type	Series
Studio	OLM, Inc.
Premiered	October 8, 1997
Episode Count	25 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

Berserk is among the most cult-famous as well as hard-to-find shows. The 1997 anime is a real gem for those who are willing to go the extra mile to find it. The series is based on Kentaro Miura’s iconic manga, which is known for its extremely intricate art and complex plots but was never finished because Miura died suddenly at the age of 54.

It begins in an alternate universe Hundred Years’ War, where a mercenary recognized only as Guts joins the dreaded Band of the Hawk, which is led by the mysteriously charismatic Griffith. What seems like a well-told tale about the atrocities of war at first turns out to be a scary dark fantasy ruled by demons. Even though Netflix does have a three-movie adaptation of this series’ plot, the 1997 Berserk is still the best one out there. Never forget to use a Berserk Watch Order to watch it properly!

 

26. Death Note

INFORMATION
Title	Death Note
Genre	Mystery, Psychological thriller, Supernatural thriller
Type	Series
Studio	Madhouse
Premiered	October 3, 2006
Episode Count	37 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

This classic Shounen might not feel like horror, as it is not strictly a horror anime. Imagine possessing the power to kill anyone just by writing their names on a notebook–that’s what happens to a brilliant student named Light Yagami after he finds the Death Note of the Shinigami, Ryuk.

Light takes upon himself the noble goal of eradicating crime. Nevertheless, we see him corrupted by the power of the book. The terrifying cat and mouse chase that follows in the battle of wits between him and the detectives saw bodies dropping in horrifying circumstances. Death note is garnished with dark and creepy moments and an even darker theme that involves lots of manipulation and psychological thriller while also questioning the morality of our favorite characters.

 

25. Vampire Knight

INFORMATION
Title	Vampire Knight
Genre	Dark fantasy, Romance, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	Studio Deen
Premiered	April 8, 2008
Episode Count	26 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

The 2008 dark fantasy anime excels as a horror series. Cross academy houses two distinct classes known as the day class and the night class but the mystery here is that the Night Class students are all vampires and the Day class students are oblivious to that fact.

The protagonist, Yuki, is saved from a vampire attack by Kaname Kuran, a pureblood vampire who later on becomes the leader of the Night class. Yuki develops a crush on Kaname, allowing the series to take a supernatural romance routem but make no mistake there is plenty of blood here as is expected from a vampire series. Yuki’s childhood friend, Zero, bears a strong hatred of Vampires and events from his past promises to change this terrifying world forever.

 

24. Monster

INFORMATION
Title	Monster
Genre	Crime, Mystery, Psychological thriller
Type	Series
Studio	Madhouse
Premiered	7 April 2004
Episode Count	74 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

Monster is an anime classic from the psychological thriller genre. The 2004 horror masterpiece focuses on a Young surgeon named Kenzou Tenma, who chose to save the life of a young boy who came in first over a politician with high societal standing.

A series of mysterious deaths begin to occur around Dr. Tenma, and now he must face the monster he operated on nine years ago. The good Dr. has to solve the mysterious deaths in this psychological horror story, making amends for the atrocities of his former patient. This anime is thrilling and spine-tingling, and it does contain a lot of spooky moments. It is nothing like you have previously seen.

 

23. Memories

INFORMATION
Title	Memories
Genre	Sci-fi
Type	Series
Studio	Studio 4°C
Premiered	May 2, 2016
Film Count	3 Films
Duration	113 minutes per film

This anime is a bit of an odd duck when it comes to how it looks. It’s a set of three movies with different stories and even different types. The only thing that stays the same from one movie to the next is the creepy and tense atmosphere. It’s definitely a psychological horror, then. By far, the most interesting movie is the first one, Magnetic Rose.

It has a very interesting palette, and the science fiction setting works well with the overall story. This anime isn’t likely to make you jump out of fear. But as paranoia sets in, it will keep you just on the edge of your seat.

 

22. Mirai Nikki

INFORMATION
Title	Mirai Nikki
Genre	Mystery, Psychological thriller, Romance
Type	Series
Studio	Asread
Premiered	October 10, 2011
Episode Count	26 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

The future diaries as it is called in English is literally a game where people are pit against each other in a thrilling murder contest to become the successor to the God of space and time. Mirai Nikki provides more of a Psychological thriller than horror, however, the twisted scenes and multiple weird deaths cannot be overlooked.

If you are a fan of yanderes, then Yuno Gasai is enough reason to watch this show, she is also one of the diary holders involved in this battle royale between 11 diary holders. The one-sided love between Yuno and Yuki is a mystery, but it is not the only thing mysterious about the show. Episode 25 was such a mysterious mess that I would advise you watch the 30 minutes OVA to fully grasp the depth of this series.

 

21. The Promised Neverland

INFORMATION
Title	The Promised Neverland
Genre	Dark fantasy, Science fiction, Thriller
Type	Series
Studio	CloverWorks
Premiered	January 12, 2019
Episode Count	23 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

The Promised Neverland is an amazing show with an insanely dark plot. Every moment of this anime feels like something spooky is about to occur, the eerie setting is perfect for the show, portraying a world where orphaned children are cultivated like cattle to be devoured by demons.

The sad reality of the world is certainly not one that fans would like to find themselves in. Our kid protagonists–Emma, Norman and Ray put up a resistance against the demons, fleeing from Grace Field house orphanage. Escaping into the outside world filled with unknowns makes for a brilliant, horror unpredictable watch and even though the second season was done dirty due to several omissions from the source material, it is still a decent watch.

 

20. Mononoke

INFORMATION
Title	Mononoke
Genre	Ghost story, Mystery, Psychological horror
Type	Series
Studio	Toei Animation
Premiered	July 12, 2007
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

Toei animation uses a stylistic distinct art style to turn this historical horror story into a compelling mysterious anime. Portraying traditional Japan during the Edo period, it tells the tale of a mysterious character only known as the medicine seller, who travels far and wide across Japan slaying evil and dangerous spirits known as Mononoke.

While the animation might be a bit unsettling, the strange spirits in this anime are more unsettling, bringing the scary vibes that excite fans of the horror genre. The medicine man’s journey finally leads him to the dwelling place of a brutal and lethal spirit known as Zashiki Warashi, and the events that follow are enough reasons to watch this show.

 

19. Highschool Of The Dead

INFORMATION
Title	Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
Genre	Horror, Psychological thriller, Slice of life
Type	Series
Studio	Lerche
Premiered	July 9, 2015
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	25 minutes per episode

Highschool of the Dead is famous for several reasons such as the over the top fan service and ridiculous ecchi moments, notwithstanding it is also a great horror show. A zombie pandemic hits Japan and as the undead begin terrorizing his school, Takashi Kimuro is forced to kill his best friend who has already been bitten. This anime provides enough gruesome action scenes that it is totally deserving of its spot on this list.

As horrifying as this story gets, we might never get to see an end to this excellent series due to the death of the author. While this show might start off as a generic series about zombie apocalypse, the amazing characters are interesting to make you watch through this hot horror mess.

 

18. School Live!

INFORMATION
Title	Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
Genre	Dark Fantasy, Steam Punk
Type	Series
Studio	Wit Studio
Premiered	May 2, 2016
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

Another High School story stuck in a zombie apocalypse, this is a scary world of cute girls doing

cute things in a world that has been overrun by the undead. The girls of Megurigaoka Private High School are trying to survive in a world where death is imminent, Psychologically detaching themselves from the outside world.

In this anime that mixes horror and slice of life, the forgetful Yuki and members of the school living club try to navigate their daily lives and activities inside the school, oblivious of the Zombie crisis outside.

 

17. School Days

INFORMATION
Title	School Days
Genre	Harem, romance, slice of life
Type	Series
Studio	TNK
Premiered	July 3, 2007
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

A simple romantic story that ends up turning into something much darker, School Days is a harem anime that follows a dramatic love triangle between Makoto, Sekai and Kotonoha

Makoto falls in love with Kotonoha’s beauty, however, he doesn’t approach her. His classmate, Sekai, offers to introduce Makoto to Kotonoha under the condition that he repay her with a kiss. Sekai falls in love with Makoto and develops a growing sense of jealousy that culminates in Murder, School days tells a horrific tale that will linger in your memory long after its completion.

 

16. Japan Sinks: 2020

INFORMATION
Title	Japan Sinks: 2020
Genre	Science fiction, drama
Type	Series
Studio	Science SARU
Premiered	July 9, 2020
Episode Count	10 Episodes
Duration	25 minutes per episode

In a world where nature and the environment are your enemies, how do you survive? This Sci-fi drama is an adaptation of Sakyo Komatsu’s 1973 novel and it shows the strong will of humans to survive even in the face of the harshest conditions and adversities.

The Mutou’s family life takes a disastrous turn as a major earthquake wipes off the surface of Japan in an instant, The family must now band together to have any hope of weathering the storm. The horrors that they will encounter on their journey to refuge are too numerous to mention: the natural disasters that plague this near-apocalyptic world, dangerous humans on the way, and the cold hands of death that come for everyone.

 

15. Tokyo Ghoul

INFORMATION
Title	Tokyo Ghoul
Genre	Dark fantasy, Supernatural thriller
Type	Series
Studio	Pierrot
Premiered	January 9, 2015
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

If you are grossed out by cannibalism then Tokyo Ghoul is certainly not for you, but for every true fan of the horror genre, the story of Ken Kaneki is a must-watch. After a date, Ken Kaneki becomes half ghoul. In a world of brutal battles and hardship, he has to change his life forever while keeping his lust for flesh under check.

This anime is as good as they come, building up a strong online fan base of fans who love blood and gore and brutally vicious deaths. Kaneki’s life as the first half-ghoul, half-human hybrid is a life of severe consequences, especially living in the dangerous city of Tokyo. After the first two seasons, the anime kind of fell off however the manga is an amazing read.

 

14. Vampire Princess Miyu

INFORMATION
Title	Vampire Princess Miyu
Genre	Action, Supernatural, Horror
Type	Series
Studio	AIC
Premiered	October 6, 1997
Episode Count	26 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

This horror anime featuring demons and vampires premiered in 1997 and it is one of the oldest anime on this list. In this anime, shape-shifting monsters known as Shinma roam the earth leaving destruction in their wake, the young vampire girl named Miyu, the daughter of a human and a God-demon must hunt down these Shinma and send them back to the darkness.

Vampire Princess Miyu is a great watch for fans of this genre. Miyu being a demon herself is trapped in solitude between two worlds, yet she must banish the Shinma and restore happiness to earth before she can return to the darkness. The blood and gore that follows her journey and the occasional jump scares makes this anime a classic in the scary genre.

 

13 . Serial Experiments Lain

INFORMATION
Title	Serial Experiments Lain
Genre	Cyberpunk, Psychological
Type	Series
Studio	Triangle Staff
Premiered	July 6, 1998
Episode Count	13 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

Serial experiments lain is another of the horror classics, being one of the top anime of the 90s alongside industry greats like Cowboy Bebop and Evangelion. This cyberpunk mystery will mess with your mind real bad and after the conclusion of the 12 episodes, you will be left questioning a lot of your previous beliefs.

The protagonist, Lain Iwakura is just an introverted school girl. Along with some other girls from her school, she receives an email from a dead classmate claiming to be alive in the ‘Wired’ (a subsection of the internet). Lain Iwakura dives into this virtual world of communication, trying to unravel this mystery while discovering deeper conspiracies. She begins to encounter suspicious men in black and after several bizarre events, she begins to question her identity and consciousness. This is a top tier psychological thriller anime.

 

12. Blood +

INFORMATION
Title	Blood +
Genre	Horror fantasy, Suspense, Vampire
Type	Series
Studio	Production I.G
Premiered	October 8, 2005
Episode Count	50 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

Blood + understands that vampire anime should feature a lot of blood and gore and it provides exactly that. These blood feasting creatures known as Chiropterans are everywhere in the world attacking defenseless people. Saya Otonashi is attacked by a Chiropteran however she is saved by a mysterious man named Haji who suddenly appears.

Haji forces her to drink his blood, and her power awakens. Using her own blood as a catalyst, she begins slaying these monsters. Gore is a huge part of this anime as Saya, Haji and the Red Shield (an organization that aims to defeat the blood-drinking monsters) go on a horror journey to rid the world of the Chiropterans and awaken Saya’s past memories.

 

11. From The New World

INFORMATION
Title	From The New World
Genre	Dark Fantasy, Thriller
Type	Series
Studio	A-1 Pictures
Premiered	October 3, 2012
Episode Count	25 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

From the new world tells a coming of age story of Saki and her friend from Sage Academy. This anime is set in a school to foster magical abilities. Saki Watanabe awakens her psychic powers and joins her other friends who have powers too. The problem begins when kids unable to awaken their powers begin to disappear and an eerie feeling takes over the whole school.

This tragic and heart-breaking story of an apocalyptic horror nightmare sees Saki and friends try to find their disappearing schoolmates while delving into secret matters such as the dangerous tainted cats that might be responsible for the missing kids. This gruesome story exposes the kids to the shocking nature of society at an early age.

 

10. Dusk Maiden Of Amnesia

INFORMATION
Title	Dusk Maiden Of Amnesia
Genre	Mystery, Supernatural, Romance
Type	Series
Studio	Silver Link
Premiered	April 8, 2012
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

This is a very Halloween-themed anime and it is perfect for the spooky moments. Dusk maiden of amnesia mixes horror and romance beautifully giving you a feeling of fearful satisfaction. For 60 years, Seikyou academy has been haunted by the Ghost of Yuuko. The Ghost gets attached to a middle school student, Teiichi who can see her.

Teiichi and his team decide to help Yuuko. As they investigate the paranormal happenings in their school while searching for the truth behind Yuuko’s death.

 

9. Hell Girl

INFORMATION
Title	Hell Girl
Genre	Dark Fantasy, Supernatural Thriller
Type	Series
Studio	Studio Deen
Premiered	October 4, 2005
Episode Count	26 Episodes
Duration	25 minutes per episode

This show poses the question “How far will you go to seek revenge?” Hell girl supports the theory that anthology series make the best horror stories. It is natural that when humans have been severely wronged, we seek revenge and this anime takes revenge to the next level.

Each episode is a standalone episode with an interesting storyline full of betrayals or bullies tormenting someone else. After reaching their breaking points, the characters are able to access a strange website that provides a doll. If the string on the dull is pulled, then revenge will be exerted on the tormentor. However, if you pull the string you’ll lose your soul to hell. This anime provides classical horror elements laced in revenge, showing the evil nature of the human heart.

 

8. Corpse Party

INFORMATION
Title	Corpse Party
Genre	Horror, Mystery
Type	Series
Studio	Asread
Premiered	April 22, 1996
Episode Count	4 Episodes
Duration	30 minutes per episode

This crazy horror anime promises to scare the living daylights out of you. It is quite short, but it contains enough horror to last you a lifetime. It focuses on students of Kisaragi Academy, formerly known as Heavenly Host Elementary–the school where a series of gruesome murders of children and staff took place.

To bid farewell to a classmate, they decide to perform a strange ritual. The charms used are connected to the heavenly host academy and the kids black out, awakening in a new dimension, trapped in a world of vengeful ghosts. They must find a way to escape this dimension filled with those brutally murdered or remain trapped forever.

 

7. Umineko: When They Cry

INFORMATION
Title	Umineko: When They Cry
Genre	Mystery
Type	Series
Studio	Studio Deen
Premiered	July 2, 2009
Episode Count	26 Episodes
Duration	22 minutes per episode

Umineko is the third installment of the ‘Higurashi When They Cry’ series, albeit it has its own cast and plot. It is set in an island where the great Ushiromiya family hold their annual conference. The poor health of the family’s head – Kinzou is a major concern and the conference is to decide on how to share the inheritance.

Fearing his death, Kinzou wishes to see his love one last time so he performs the ritual to bring back the golden witch, Beatrice. A storm follows that traps the family on the island followed by a series of brutal murders. Battler, the protagonist, sets out to solve Beatrice’s riddle to save the remaining family members from dying in gruesome fashion.

 

6 . Paranoia Agent

INFORMATION
Title	Paranoia Agent
Genre	Mystery, Psychological, Thriller
Type	Series
Studio	Madhouse
Premiered	February 3, 2004
Episode Count	13 Episodes
Duration	24 minutes per episode

Who is Lil Slugger? Uncovering the identity of this serial character is the main theme of this psychological horror anime. Lil Slugger terrorizes Tokyo with his bent golden baseball bat that he uses to attack his victims.

A massive manhunt for the assailant is underway and even the police have no idea why these attacks are occurring. If you love a piece of mystery, then this is for you. The anime gives several hints to the audience, aiding the quest to find answers to the questions popping up on the screen via various creepy scenes.

 

5 . Parasyte

INFORMATION
Title	Parasyte
Genre	Horror, Sci-fi
Type	Series
Studio	Madhouse
Premiered	October 9, 2014
Episode Count	34 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

Parasyte will always find a way into any list of anime that excels on elements of horror. Alien parasytes invade earth in an attempt to take over brains and control humans. Shinichi Izumi loses his hand to a parasyte and together. They work as a pair to save lives and defeat the flesh eating parasytes and other infected humans. Gore, blood and weird bodily horrors will unsettle you right from the beginning of this series.

 

4 . Shiki

INFORMATION
Title	Shiki
Genre	Mystery, Psychological
Type	Series
Studio	Daume
Premiered	July 8, 2010
Episode Count	22 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

Vampires never disappoint in the horror genre. Shiki is set in a small town in Japan in the 90s and vicious deaths seem to have overtaken the town. The story telling in Shiki is amazing, building on the concept of Nightwalkers and a mysterious illness that leads to the dead rising. The lines between good and evil are challenged and the 15 year old protagonist has to face the reality of a terrifying town of undeads.

 

3. Another

INFORMATION
Title	Another
Genre	Horror, Mystery, Tragedy
Type	Series
Studio	P.A Works
Premiered	January 10, 2012
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

This show is the anime version of Final destination. It is rife with weird deaths and horrible accidents and a particular girl wearing an eye patch has the ability to communicate with the supernatural world. In a city of many secrets, vicious, bizarre and mysterious deaths plague class 3-3 and our protagonist duo must figure out the mystery and save their classmates who are fated to die.

 

2. Boogiepop Phantom

INFORMATION
Title	Boogiepop Phantom
Genre	Horror, Urban Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	Wit Studio
Premiered	January 5, 2000
Episode Count	12 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

A horror anime deeply rooted in urban legends, Boogiepop Phantom leads the way for the creepy spooky moments. In this anthology series, there is a death personified reaper-like character that is blamed for all the horrific murders. Is Boogiepop real?

After some ritualistic killings, a shining light appears and students start to disappear. Who will piece these mysteries together, solving the Boogiepop drama? The storytelling is unique, and the art style is a perfect match for a horror representation.

 

1. Higurashi: When They Cry

INFORMATION
Title	Higurashi: When They Cry
Genre	Murder, Mystery, Psychological, Horror
Type	Series
Studio	Deen
Premiered	April 4, 2006
Episode Count	26 Episodes
Duration	23 minutes per episode

Higurashi is not for the faint-hearted as it ticks all the boxes for what a horror series should be. The anime portrays murder and torture on a scale not seen before in anime. The various mysterious incidents that end in death also show that there is a bigger conspiracy in this rural village.

Set in a cursed town filled with cute, adorable girls, the events that take place in this series are highly disturbing. While higurashi might be confusing at first, if you have heart to see it to the end, then the nightmarish unconnected threads will piece together into a terrifying larger picture.

 

Final Notes

That’s it for our list. I really hope that you now have the anime in mind you should watch that will either test how brave you are and good in maintaining your cool side… if you can still do it.

We have presented 62 anime here so better choose the best one you think will keep you entertained and at the same time frightened. But, if you have an anime in mind that isn’t included in the list, you can actually comment it down below and tell us why this is the best and most horrific anime you have watched… maybe, it could be included in our next update of this list! Never forget that if you like Horror, be sure to watch Thriller Anime!

That’s it for this blog! See you on your next stop here! Adios!