Anime horror series are subcategories of anime. You can find other genres like romance, school life, slice of life, shōnen, adventures and so on. Anime horror series generally features murderous bloody scenes, thrillers or paranormal activities. Many people enjoy watching horror anime while others will fear it to the extent of even wetting their selves just by listening to horror histories. As you can see today we will be focusing on anime horror series and if you like watching them, then these are the 15 best anime horror series you should watch:
- Another
- Monster
- Perfect Blue
- Hell Girl
- Corpse Party
- Shiki
- The promised Neverland
- Parasyte: The Maxim
- Elfen Lied
- Tokyo Ghoul
- Higurashi When They Cry
- Mononoke
- Ghost Hunt
- Angels of Death
- Shoujo Tsubaki
15 Best Anime horror series to watch
1. Another
Another is a Japanese anime horror series created in 2012. It is based on the novel. Manga of the same name by Yukito Ayatsuji. It even has a Live action movie base on the novel too.
An honorable student Misaki of class 3-3 during the school year in Yomiyama North Middle School left the rest of the students devastated by the sudden loss. So they decided to make it as if their comrade was not dead till the point of keeping his desk in place and bringing it to the graduation ceremony.
No one could explain why their dead and buried comrade was present in the graduation picture. During spring Kouichi Sakakibara transfers to that class and begins to notice the mysterious atmosphere of the class. Together with a one-patch-eye girl called Mei Misaki, they will investigate strange and gruesome deaths at their school.
Genres: horror, mystery, psychological, supernatural
Themes: curse, death, school
2. Monster
Monster is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa. An anime horror series adaptation was made by Madhouse, which aired between 7 April 2004 and 28 September 2005 on Nippon TV.
A Japanese popular surgeon Kenzo Tenma living in Germany with a promising career and a beautiful fiancee becomes unhappy with the politic of the hospitals he works in. So he decides to save the life of a young boy shot in the head by some rich mayor.
The hospital’s director out of anger decides to stop supporting him and make him lose his position in that hospital and hence his fiancee too. After a while, the hospital’s director and his subordinates that took Tenma’s place were found dead mysteriously.
Tenma became the primary suspect in the case as many believe he had many reasons de take their life away. In order to clear his name and get to the bottom of mysterious murderous cases he needs to leave all behind to engage in a cold case journey.
Genres: drama, horror, mystery, psychological, thriller
Themes: amnesia, crime, detective, medicine, nazis, police, serial killer, tragedy
3. Perfect Blue
It is a 1997 Japanese animated psychological thriller film directed by Satoshi Kon and written by Sadayuki Murai. The anime horror series is based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis by Yoshikazu Takeuchi.
The story follows Mima Kirigoe, belonging to a Japanese idol group who left music in order to start an acting career. Later on, she becomes a victim of stalking and many people she knows begin mysteriously to die. This is going she starts losing herself from reality. Most of the plot plays between fantasy and reality
Genres: drama, horror, mystery, psychological, thriller
Themes: idols, stalkers, stardom
Read also: Top 10 Anime Girls That Will Make You Creep Out
4. Hell Girl
Jigoku Shoujo or Hell Girl is an anime horror series Japanese anime series conceptualized by Hiroshi Watanabe and produced by SKY Perfect Well Think, Tokyo MX, Wakasa Seikatsu, Fujishoji, Aniplex and Studio Deen
The story goes as follows: Somewhere on the internet, there is a website that can only be accessed at the stroke of midnight known as the Jigoku Tsushin. It is said that whoever posts a grudge there, Jigoku Shoujo will appear and take the person tormenting you away. The only thing known about the girl is that she lives with her equally enigmatic grandmother and whenever there is a post that moves her, she becomes Jigoku Shoujo. The anime is more of drama, horror, mystery, psychological, and supernatural with themes like bullying, comeuppance, death, hell, magical girl, revenge, and tragedy.
5. Corpse Party
This is another one of the terrific anime horror series. Corpse party deals with a group of students from Kisaragi Academy who decide to perform the “Sachiko Ever After” charm. The charm is supposed to unite them as friends forever but once the ritual is finished, an earthquake transports them to a Heavenly host elementary school.
Satoshi and his friends do not know the terrific past behind which culminated in its demolition. They try to look for each other in order to escape from this Heavenly host but unfortunately find out that their lives are at the mercy of those affected by that past.
The anime has genre adventure, horror, mystery, psychological, supernatural, and thriller and theme as ghosts, gore, survival, horror, tragedy adventure, horror, mystery, psychological, adventure, horror, mystery,
6. Shiki
Shiki is originally a Japanese horror novel written by Fuyumi Ono. A manga series adapting the story, drawn by Ryu Fujisaki was serialized in the Japanese monthly magazine Jump SQ. An anime adaptation of the manga by Daume was broadcast on Fuji TV
The anime horror series follows a small village called Sotobamura have approximately 1300 residents. It’s a village where the burial of the dead customs is still practised. One day three dead bodies were found and Ozaki Toshio even though uncertain decided to treat the deaths as normal occurrences. Unfortunately, the day after villages started dying one by one.
This anime horror series revolves around horror, mystery, psychological, and supernatural with themes of death, Tragedy, undead, vampire
Read also: Top Free Manga Websites
7. The Promised Neverland
Yakusoku no Nebārando or well known as the Promised Neverland is a Japanese manga series written by Kaiu Shirai and illustrated by Posuka Demizu. The series is animated by CloverWorks and directed by Mamoru Kanbe.
Three prodigies children of the Grace Field House Norma, Ray and Emma are educated in an orphan. The orphanage does not seem like a regular one despite the fact that the children there were well nourished and living in a comfortable environment with a caring mother they called mama.
However, when one of the children, a six-year girl is adopted by foster parents, she forgets her favorite doll rabbit. In order to catch up with Connie so that they could give it back to her, Norma and Emma sneak out of the orphanage.
Well as they arrive at a bloody and scary scene, they understand exactly why they were taken care of carefully and educated.
Genres: adventure, supernatural, thriller
Themes: demons, orphans, survival, tragedy
Read also: Top 2022 Winter Anime Releases
8. Parasyte: The Maxim
Parasyte is a Japanese science fiction horror manga series written and illustrated by Hitoshi Iwaaki. An anime television series adaptation titled Parasyte -the Maxim- was produced by Madhouse.
The story follows Shinichi Izumi a high schooler whose right hand has been infected with an alien parasite he named Migi(meaning right). Migi is one of the first parasites to sympathize with its host.
As time passes Shinichi and he begins to reinforce their relationship but he is not the only parasite on earth. Most of the parasites are aiming to exterminate the human race while on the other hand, humans try to exterminate parasites. Shinichi and his friend then find themselves between these two wars.
Genres: action, drama, horror, psychological, romance, science fiction
Themes: aliens, blunted affect, crime, fighting, gore, tragedy
9. Elfen Lied
Elfen Lied is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Lynn Okamoto. Later on, an anime version was adapted into thirteen episodes.
A mutated homo sapien Diclonius selected by a god and has a goal to destroy mankind. He possesses two horns on his head and has a sixth sense which gives it telekinetic abilities. Due to their dangerous nature, they are captured and isolated by the government.
But Lucy a psychotic Diclonius manages to break out of her confine and murder most of the guards in the laboratory. Unfortunately, she got shot in the head while trying to escape. However, she survived and manages to drift along the beach.
This is where Kouta and Yuka, two children discover her. Since she lose her memories she was named Nyuu as that was the only thing she could say. She now lives in Kouta’s house but however many things are yet to happen.
Genres: action, drama, horror, psychological, romance, science fiction
Themes: amnesia, ecchi, gore, magical girlfriend, multiple personalities, mutants, superpowers, tragedy
Read also: Top 20 Best Free Anime Website
10. Tokyo Ghoul
Tokyo Ghoul is a Japanese dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Sui Ishida. A 12-episode anime television series was adapted by studio Pierrot. This is one of the thrilling anime horror series you should add to your watchlist.
The story is about Ken Kaneki a young college student who meets Rize in a cafe he usually attends. Quickly they grow close to each other but little does Kaneki knows about her. Actually, Rize is a ghoul, some sort of monster that lives by hunting human flesh.
However, an accident occurred and part of Rize’s special organs(the red child) was transplanted into Kaneki. That is how he became a ghoul himself
Genres: action, drama, horror, supernatural
Themes: gore, monsters
Related: Tokyo Ghoul Real Life Locations
11. Higurashi When They Cry
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni or Higurashi When They Cry or also When the Cicadas Cry is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft visual novel series. The first anime series was animated by Studio Deen and produced by Frontier Works, Geneon Entertainment and Sotsu.
Maebara Keiichi comes to a rural village called Hinamizawa on a hot summer day in 1993. There he befriends Satoko, Mion, Rika and Rena his classmates. Later on, he is accepted into a club and they participate in all types of activities.
As Keiichi became more and more part of Hinamizawa, he discover the dark history of the land. That is how he finds out that his friends are not really what they seem to be.
Genres: drama, horror, mystery, psychological, supernatural, thriller
Themes: conspiracy, death, gore, moe, revenge, tragedy
Related: Real Hinamizawa Village in Japan
12. Mononoke
A medicine seller goes around feudal Japan looking for evil known as Mononoke. (Note that Mononoke are vengeful spirits in Japanese classical literature and folk religion that were said to do things like possess individuals and make them suffer, cause disease, or even cause death).
The medicine seller has a special sword to slay evil. However, the medicine seller must learn the detail about the Mononoke or else he can not end it.
Genres: mystery, supernatural
Themes: demons
13. Ghost Hunt
Mai Taniyama likes telling ghost stories to her friends until when she met 17-year-old Kazuya Shibuya. Shibuya is a man sent by Shibuya Psychic Research Center to investigate paranormal activity in a school said to be haunted.
Shibuya’s assistant came to Mai’s rescue when she got caught in a bad situation. However, by saving Mai his assistant was worn out and Shibuya asked Mai to become his assistant…
Genres: drama, horror, mystery, psychological, supernatural
Themes: espers, exorcism, ghosts, occult, poltergeist, psychics, spirits
14. Angels of Death
After witnessing a murder, Rachel wakes up in a medical facility on floor B7 with nearly no memories. Each floor houses a murderous resident. Rachel survives the B7 residence by escaping to B6 where Isaac Foster lives.
As time passes she starts coming back and she claims that she deserves to die. So Rachel as Isaac to take her life away but Isaac refuses because he wants to kill people who want to live.
Later on, the two made an arrangement where Rachel must help Isaac to escape, then he will respect his part in killing her. That is how each of them proceeds to each floor in order to attend to their goals.
Genres: adventure, horror, mystery, psychological
Read also: Top 2021 Fall Anime Movies
15. Shoujo Tsubaki
After losing her parents, young flower-selling Midori is put up by a fairground group. She is abused and forced into slavery, until the arrival of an enigmatic magician of short stature, who gives her hope for a better future.
Genres: drama, horror
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