Junji Ito Collection anime
Halloween is just around the corner, and we’ve been looking at ways you can spook up your season. We already made a list of the best horror games to play this Halloween, but what if you’re not in the mood to play something? What if you want to watch something? That’s where anime comes in.
There are heaps of really fantastic horror anime, so whittling down this list to just six was a tough call, but we think we’ve come up with what we’d consider the essentials of the genre. Most of these are series, but there’s a movie and a few standalone anthology series in there too, so there’s truly something for everyone.
Here are the best horror anime to watch this Halloween.
Another
PA Works
If you ask an anime fan for good horror anime series suggestions, there’s an 80% chance that they’ll bring up Another. It’s the story of a young boy who befriends a mysterious girl at school that nobody else can see, before terrible things start happening to his classmates. It’s a little like Final Destination, with some incredibly gruesome and memorable on-screen deaths, but has a heavy focus on mystery-solving and uncovering the truth. It’s beautifully animated, filled with twists and turns, and will burn a place into your brain for years to come.
Another is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Shiki
Daume
Shiki is as much a horror anime as it is a philosophical tragedy, taking a wild, tragic, and out-of-control plot and grounding it in human emotion, moral philosophy, and suspense. In this series, a small village is hit with a wave of deaths, and when the dead rise, they try to take back their town. Panic spreads through the village, and its remaining citizens have to ask difficult questions about how to deal with their now-undead loved ones.
Shiki is available to stream on Crunchyroll in some regions.
Higurashi When They Cry
Crunchyroll
Much like Another, Higurashi When They Cry is one of the go-to anime series for horror anime fans, and also has a heavy focus on mysteries. In the sleepy little town of Hinamizawa, there’s said to be a curse, and every year on a specific date, people vanish or turn up dead. It starts off seemingly cute and wholesome, but it turns into something truly twisted and horrific. It’s a great watch, and we’d definitely recommend watching the whole series – including its follow-ups, Kai, Rei, Gou, and Sotsu.
Gegege no Kitaro
Toei Animation
Gegege no Kitaro is the only somewhat child-friendly horror anime on this list, and has a young boy named Kitaro teaming up with a host of strange creatures – like a mummified eyeball, a cat-girl, and a rat-man – to help unite the world of humans and yokai, Japanese spirits. It’s got a very unique art style unlike pretty much anything else, very likable characters, and a delightful cast of weird and wonderful creatures from both Japanese myth and elsewhere. It does get a little bit spooky at times, but it’s the kind of scary that kids can enjoy without getting nightmares.
Gegege no Kitaro is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Junji Ito Collection
Crunchyroll
Junji Ito is the quintessential source of horror in Japan, with his manga exploring deeply disturbing and moving depictions of grief, body horror, and human fear. The anime adaptation loses a teensy bit of the vibe of original manga, but makes up for it with gorgeous animation and faithful recreations of some of the most stirring scenes from the manga. If you only watch one thing on this list, make it the Junji Ito Collection.
Junji Ito Collection is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Perfect Blue
Madhouse
Satoshi Kon is known for his striking art style and animation, and psychological thriller Perfect Blue is no exception. When a pop idol retires from music to become an actor, she starts being stalked by an obsessive fan, and all around her murders start taking place. It’s difficult to watch, as her psyche falls apart, but you also can’t look away — from its art style to its compelling story, Perfect Blue is impossible not to get wrapped up in.