The spooky season is finally upon us! The creepiest time of year, when fans of all mediums partake in that most hallowed of pop culture traditions: bingeing on horror all month long in the countdown to Halloween.
Alas, this annual viewing can often be more trick, less treat for anime fans, as despite the plethora of blood and beasties animation has to offer, truly terrifying series can be hard to come by. For bloodcurdling screams that would make even Shinji Ikari seem at ease, we’ve put together a list of some of our favourite horror anime, just in time for Halloween.
Higurashi: When They Cry – New
Streaming on AnimeLab
What better way to kick things off than with a brand new spookfest? Higurashi: When They Cry – New is the latest iteration of the cult classic psychological horror series, originally created by doujin circle 07th Expansion. Set in the fictional village of Hinamizawa, we follow its newest resident, Keiichi Maebara, as he quickly discovers that this seemingly peaceful town hides a deeply sinister secret.
Don’t let the art style fool you! Fans of the original video games and previous anime series (the first of which is now streaming on Netflix) can attest that Higurashi is not for the faint of heart. This ongoing series is sure to get very bloody, very quickly, so be sure to abide by its classification rating (this goes for all titles mentioned below).
The Promised Neverland
Streaming on AnimeLab and Crunchyroll
One of the best parts of Halloween is the abundance of snacks, but… maybe not at Grace Field House.
Winner of Best Fantasy and Best Antagonist at Crunchyroll’s 2020 Anime Awards, The Promised Neverland follows orphans Emma, Norman and Ray, as they plot a daring escape after learning the horrific truth about the orphanage they call home. A grisly tale packed with all sorts of visual horrors, The Promised Neverland’s true terror comes from the minefield of mind games that await our brainy young protagonists.
At just 12 episodes in length, it’s an easy enough series to knock out over a weekend – and what better time to start, with the second season right around the corner, scheduled to commence in January 2021.
Death Parade
Streaming on AnimeLab
If you had to stake your entire life on a game against a totally random stranger, how hard would you fight to win? Who deserves to live more? And could you take a life to save your own? Death Parade is anime’s answer to the Saw franchise, but with less focus on gratuitous gore, instead emphasising its character studies of the victims in the hot seat.
Spoiler alert from this point forward: Then, of course, there’s the big twist that makes the show a thousand times more horrifying, taking its Saw-esque premise to even greater heights. The game isn’t to determine who wins, your actions determine your fate in the afterlife – reincarnation or Hell. Seeing the characters react to their mortality, their actions leading up to their death, and learning their ultimate fates as decided by Decim can be horrific, but it can also be oddly uplifting. Striking a balance like that isn’t easy, but this show nails it.
GeGeGe no Kitaro
Streaming on AnimeLab and Crunchyroll
For guys and ghouls who like their horror a little bit milder, we’ve got you covered! Based on the legendary manga by Shigeru Mizuki, GeGeGe no Kitaro is the seventh anime adaptation of the classic series, released in celebration of the original anime’s 50th anniversary.
In a world populated by supernatural creatures and unsuspecting humans, our titular hero, Kitarō, straddles the divide; a benevolent yōkai fighting for peaceful cohabitation. His adventures see him cross paths with a veritable beastiary of friends and foes, from the cat girl, Neko Musume (otherwise known as “Catchick”), to Nurikabe (or “Wally Wall”), a wall-shaped yōkai taken straight from Japanese folklore. It’s an absolute must-watch for mythology enthusiasts!
Monogatari Series
Streaming on Crunchyroll, Bakemonogatari streaming on AnimeLab
Continuing with the theme of Japanese folklore, NisiOisiN’s Monogatari series follows hapless “nice guy” and half-vampire Araragi, a high schooler who compulsively helps people afflicted by curses and apparitions. A crab spirit making people completely weightless, a monkey’s paw that grants twisted wishes, a lost snail unable to find their way home, and other spirits haunt Araragi’s peers, each of them representing the dark id of their victims.
Each character’s anxieties and weaknesses are examined through this supernatural lens. Feeling like a stranger in your own house, unrequited love; issues many of us can no doubt empathise with, are all tactfully explored in Bakemonogatari and its sequels. It’s also elevated by direction and animation from Akiyuki Shinbo and SHAFT, who ensure that even 22 minutes of straight dialogue can make for some of the most memorable episodes in anime.
Steins;Gate
Streaming on AnimeLab and Crunchyroll
Time travel is fun, right? It sure seems like it when it’s Marty McFly riding around in the DeLorean, or the Doctor whizzing around in the TARDIS. Steins;Gate poses the question of “what if time travel was actually super scary?”
The horror of this anime is very psychological, as our main character, Okabe “HOUIIIIIN KYOOOOUMAAAA”, innocently starts fiddling with sending text messages back in time… Until his pulling at seemingly insignificant threads starts to unravel his world, and he loses control. The show’s portrayal of a mental breakdown at the unforeseeable consequences of one’s action is truly frightening, not to mention there’s a shadowy organisation looming in the background, watching everything unfold… Time travel has never been so terrifying.
Parasyte -the maxim-
Anime Streaming on Netflix and Crunchyroll, live-action films streaming on AnimeLab
Maybe it’s the little alien voice in our ear, but we’d be remiss not to mention this next title. Nearly two decades after the original manga ended, Parasyte took the anime world by storm with a stylish 24 episode series from acclaimed studio Madhouse, along with two live-action films.
Parasyte -the maxim- follows Shinichi Izumi, yet another average high school student, whose life is turned upside down when a parasitic alien takes possession of his right hand. Forced into an uncomfortable symbiosis, Shinichi and the parasite, Migi (named for the Japanese word for ‘right’), must work together to survive the greater alien threat.
Parasyte is quintessential body horror. The transformations inflicted on host bodies can be extreme and grotesque, reminiscent of John Carpenter’s The Thing. Its designs are striking and inventive, animated as expertly as we’ve come to expect from Madhouse. If you want more spook with your sakuga, this series is a must-watch!
Bonus: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Streaming on Netflix
There was debate within our writers’ room as to whether Evangelion could strictly speaking be classified as horror, but ultimately, we decided that the best judge of its spookiness is you, reader.
Eva may not be scary in a Freddy, Jason or Leatherface kind of way, but what it presents is arguably much more terrifying. Evangelion is all about existential dread. Shinji, Misato, Rei, Asuka, and everyone else at NERV, represent the horrors of our own minds; feeling like we’re replaceable, that we’re not needed, that we don’t deserve love, that failure will make us unwanted. Cosmic horror is also a big part of Eva’s appeal; the unknowable terror of the Angels, and the EVA Units themselves, are all part of why this show is definitely spooky enough to watch this Halloween season.
