“Horror” has always been an intriguing genre. People who are into horror always want something better, something more to give them adrenaline rushes or jump scares. And nothing offers a broader range to create terror than animation.
With grotesque characters in frightening worlds dealing with horrifying situations, the bizarre and scary potential of anime generated by computer software is unmatched.
So, without further yapping, let’s discuss some of the most popular yet nightmarish horror anime series and movies.
35 Horror Animes You Should Never Watch Alone!
35. Memories
- Season: 01 Movie
- Studio: Madhouse Studio 4° C
- Watch: Amazon Prime
A psychological movie divided into three parts each focusing on cerebral high rather than violence and gore like other horror stories.
Memories is a set of terrifying science fiction-based stories that raise concerns about modernism.
The plot encompasses three arcs; magnetic rose (a mystery of distant space), canon fodder (a boy’s obsession with firing canon), and stink bomb (a guy on the run as his toxic odor kills those around him).
34. The Curse of Kazuo Umezu
- Season: 01 Movie
- Studio: Indie movie.
- Watch: YouTube
This horror anime is the perfect watch for those looking for a gore ghost story. The anime has two arcs with one thing in common i.e. paranormals are not to be messed with.
The story comprises two parts; one of them entails the story of a girl working on her unexplained fear and spiraling herself into something sinister and complicated.
Whereas the second part is about a thrill-seeking friends group exploring a haunted building for fun. And as we all know this never ends well!
33. Laughing Target
- Season: 01 Movie
- Studio: Studio Pierrot
- Watch: Anime Planet
Laughing Target is a lethal combination of horror, violence, love triangle, jealousy, and dark magic. The story may appear lighter because of the soap opera-type jealousy arc but nothing makes people scarier than jealousy.
The protagonist; Yuzuru, is living his best life with the person he loves; Satomi. He is so immersed in his happily ever after that he forgets about Azusa; his betrothed.
This psychological horror anime entails a girl proclaiming the love of her life by eliminating her rival via her demonic powers.
32. Wicked City
- Season: 01
- Studio: Madhouse Japan Home Video
- Watch: Amazon Prime
It is one of the most oddly splendid horror animations where there are creatures with large fangs, demons turning into spiders, and gut-wrenching gore scenes. The story is about human and demon worlds trying to co-exist.
The primary focus of the anime is a truce between humans and demons which has successfully maintained peace for ages. But as the truce is reaching its end, many forces are determined to exploit its renewal.
It is a captivating story but a word of advice; this show is not for faint-hearted ones as it contains extremely violent scenes with an adult theme.
31. Vampire Hunter D – Bloodlust
- Season: 01 Movie
- Studio: Madhouse Movie
- Watch: Amazon Prime
The anime depicts a thrilling story about one of the most sought-after vampire hunters that go by the name “D”. D has been given the task of bringing a girl back from the den of a vampire.
When a young girl from a well-off family is kidnapped by Count Magnus (a notorious vampire), her father seeks the help of D. The anime has really well-executed action scenes between D and the minions of Count Magnus.
It seems to be a simple story of a feud between a vampire and a hunter. But is the story as simple as it seems or there lies some hidden truths?
30. Belladonna of Sadness
- Season: 01 Movie
- Studio: Mushi Production
- Watch: Amazon Prime
Belladonna of Sadness entails an excruciatingly painful story with an assault and a weirdly captivating revenge arc.
The storyline of the anime takes place in medieval France. It is the story of a woman that was wronged by society and her husband and is now hell-bent on getting her revenge.
She makes a deal with a demon to get unnatural powers that will promise her the perfect revenge she yearns for.
29. Seoul Station
- Season: 01 Movie
- Studio: Next Entertainment World
- Watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime
When it comes to thriller-horror anime, zombies can not be overlooked. So here is a nail-biting anime that takes place amidst a zombie apocalypse.
Like any other zombie storyline, Seoul Station also has a mysterious outbreak that spreads faster than wildfire. But what makes it more intriguing is how the authorities handle the outbreak and how the homeless people are considered the trash of society.
The anime portrays the grotesque reality of humans that is more sinister than the zombie apocalypse.
28. Perfect Blue
- Season: 01 Movie
- Studio: Madhouse
- Watch: Amazon Prime
This one is a psychological horror anime movie that encompasses serious issues such as modern obsession and the toll fame takes on one’s mental health.
Perfect Blue is the story of Mima; an aspiring singer with a huge fan following, her life choices, and how her fans react to those choices. With all that, an obsessive stalker arc adds more spice to the story.
When Mima decides it’s time she gives up on her “innocent idol image,” her fans didn’t receive it well. But things got serious and darker when an angry fan began stalking and threatening her. Will Mima be able to handle all this?
27. King of Thorn
- Season: 01 Movie
- Studio: Bandai Namco Filmworks
- Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation
A complicated story of yet another viral pandemic but this time it ain’t zombies, it’s Medusa i.e. people affected by the virus turn to stone. The scientists freeze the victims’ bodies to stop the virus from spreading and find a cure in the meantime.
But when the victims regain their consciousness they find the world covered in thorns and weird creatures roaming around. The world no longer seems the way they remembered it.
How long were they unconscious and what exactly happened is a mystery that unfolds as the story proceeds.
26. Bio Hunter
- Season: 01 Film
- Studio: Madhouse
- Watch: Amazon Prime
The movie is based on the ridiculously rapid spread of a virus turning people into violent blood-sucking monsters.
Two molecular biologists and demon executioners combine their knowledge to find a cure and eradicate the already infected ones. But now it’s not so simple; the infection has spread to one of them.
And so begins his inner conflict as he struggles to not only tamp down his growing demonic nature but also use it to rescue the lives of those around him.
25. Corpse Party – Tortured Souls
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 04
- Studio: Asread Co. Ltd.
- Watch: Crunchyroll
This is a story of some friends bidding farewell to each other. But overwhelmed with emotions and wishing to stay united forever, they perform a ritual “Sachiko Ever After.”
What these innocent minds didn’t know is that the ritual would teleport them to Heavenly Host Elementary School which only exists in the alternate universe and was demolished ages ago after a series of murders.
Now, the students are trapped inside Heavenly Host Elementary School with vindictive souls, they must find a way out of this misery before they become part of these damned souls.
24. Blood – C
- Seasons: 01
- Episodes: 12
- Studio: Production I. G
- Watch: Netflix, Funimation, Prime.
This is the 2nd story of the horror anime series “blood” but is not associated with the 1st story, hence, it can be watched as a stand-alone.
Blood-C is a spooky horror anime with an action element that revolves around a paradoxical creature called “Elder”. The protagonist of the anime is a girl named Saya Kisaragi, an outstanding swordsman in the town.
She was raised firmly by her father with the sole goal i.e. fighting the “Elder” who feeds off of human blood. She will and has slayed every entity that disrupts the peace of her little town.
23. Resident Evil – Infinite Darkness
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 04
- Studio: TMS Entertainment Co. Ltd.
- Watch: Netflix
It is a Japanese-American original Netflix series that is the perfect blend of gore, horror, and mystery with a zombie-based plot. The anime is inspired by a video game called “The Resident Evil Series”.
The plot revolves around a tragic viral attack on the White House, which is being investigated by the male protagonist Leon.
And a peculiar drawing by a refugee, which is being studied by the female protagonist Claire, with mankind on the verge of crumbling.
22. Hellsing Ultimate
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 10
- Studio: Satelight Madhouse Graphinica
- Watch: Netflix, Crunchyroll
In the dark of night, creatures lurk that are the biggest nightmare for those who stumble across them. Hellsing Ultimate is a psychological horror anime featuring elements of evil and darkness.
Primarily, the story portrays two sides; the 1st of inhumane creatures that are a threat to humanity and 2nd of an association by the name of “Hellsing” which was established to destroy these creatures.
The story gets more captivating as the ultimate weapon used by Hellsing is none other than Alucard, a dhampir who stood against his kind.
21. Paranoia Agent
- Season: 01 + Movie
- Episodes: 13
- Studio: Madhouse
- Watch: Netflix, Crunchyroll
A story about a serial killer referred to as “Lil Slugger” who attacks people with his baseball bat is one of the most unnerving, psychological horror anime to ever exist.
The cold murders are somehow associated with a dog plushy named “Maromi”. The story is dark and violent and is not for faint-hearted people.
The series Paranoia Agent is filled with unsettling and filthy moments, and, like any other murder mystery, it leaves breadcrumbs left, right, and center for viewers to unravel the mystery, which is what keeps viewers captivated.
20. B: The Beginning
- Season: 02
- Episodes: 18
- Studio: Production I. G
- Watch: Netflix
This is another psychological horror anime that will satiate every horror mystery freak. The anime was set in an advanced technology universe. The peace of this world comes crumbling down as a notorious serial killer commonly known as “B” emerges.
To arrest B, an investigator named “Fredrick” was hired. While investigating, he came across a strange teenager who possesses some supernatural abilities and is a demihuman.
This teenager promises his allegiance to the police to catch B. But can this teenager be trusted? Is he really an ally to the police?
19. Ayakashi – Samurai Horror Tales
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 11
- Studio: Toei Animation
- Watch: YouTube
This is an anthology series encompassing three horror stories, each one of them is a piece of art, creepy enough to give you nightmares. The story comprises Yotsuya Ghost story (a Japanese legend), Goblin Cat, and Goddess of the Dark Tower.
As the name suggests, the anime depicts the stories of a Samurai. The first one is about betrayal by the husband and revenge of the woman even in death.
The second story is about the vengeance of a cat demon against a family, and the third one is about the forbidden story of a goddess and a human.
18. Boogiepop Phantom
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 12
- Studio: Madhouse
- Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Funimation
Urban legends provide the best material to create a spooky story to haunt its viewers. Here is another promising Urban legend-based horror psychological anime by Madhouse.
The anime encircles a legend about “Boogiepop” who appears as a dark pillar in the middle of the night. Whoever is unlucky enough to come across this phantom has their days outnumbered.
In the beginning, the people of the town don’t seem to take this legend seriously and laugh it off until a group of high school students claims to witness the Boogiepop and begin to die mysteriously.
17. XXXholic
- Season: 02
- Episodes: 42
- Studio: Production I. G
- Watch: Funimation, Amazon Prime
This beautifully horrified animation is the story of a guy capable of seeing spirits and a mysteriously sketchy woman capable of granting people wishes.
The protagonist of the anime despises his ability to see spirits; he is scared and anxious. One day, on his way back home, he is again disturbed by spirits and is forced to take shelter in a small house.
Here he stumbles across the weird realm of a woman who claims to be capable of taking away his ability. The only catch is that he needs to work at her gloomy store as a source of payment.
16. Mushishi
- Seasons: 02 + Movie
- Episodes: 47
- Studio: Artland
- Watch: Funimation, Crunchyroll.
The story has a spooky vibe and is chock full of jump scares. The term “Mushishi” describes those who research “Mushi,” the most basic form of existence devoid of any meaning or such.
The only thing Mushi knows about is survival and will not hesitate to hurt anyone in the way who stands in their path. Any shape or phenomenon can be acquired by Mushi (a rainbow, etc.) and this makes them more dangerous and unpredictable.
Ginko; the protagonist of the anime has sworn an oath to learn about Mushi and defend people against them.
15. Corpse Princess
- Seasons: 02
- Episodes: 26
- Studio: Feel Gainax
- Watch: Funimation, Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll
It is a psychological, thriller, and violent anime series action theme. The story also entails dome mysteries and black magic that give it a horror touch.
It is a story about a girl who was turned into a “corpse princess” against her will to destroy other corpse princesses.
The only thing she wants is to take her revenge and eliminate all corpse princesses to diminish the notion altogether and to prevent others from the misery she went through.
14. Higurashi – When They Cry
- Seasons: 02
- Episodes: 39
- Studio: Studio Deen
- Watch: Netflix, Funimation, Crunchyroll.
A Japanese murder mystery with multiple arcs, top-notch spookiness, and paranormal events. This series encompasses many mysteries, odd events, and thrilling twists. A story of trust and betrayal with the element of horror.
The protagonist of the story is a guy who is visiting the town for the annual carnival but came across weird facts about disappearances and murders in the town.
To add to things, his friends are getting sus too. Can he trust anyone in this bizarre town?
13. King’s Game – The Animation
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 12
- Studio: Seven
- Watch: Crunchyroll, Prime
There is nothing scarier than being a part of a death game regulated by a mysterious legend. The story is about 32 random high school students chosen for a death game and tasked by a person named “King”.
The tasks need to be accomplished within 24 hours. Those who fail are sentenced to death. Naturally, the students didn’t take the game seriously. But Nobuaki (protagonist), from his experience, knows better and tries to warn his classmates.
Now with their lives at stake, each student is trying to survive the game. The story gets more complicated and appetizing as the game proceeds and tasks get harder.
12. The Lost Village
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 12
- Studio: Diomedéa
- Watch: Crunchyroll
This is a psychological horror anime with a deep plot and needs the active attention of viewers for the story to make sense.
The story is about a group of 30 individuals who wish to start fresh and live a peaceful life in a land that is said to be a perfect destination in urban legends.
But are those legends true? Has their beautiful dream turned into a nightmare? Upon arrival, the group discovers that their dreamland is an abandoned wreck where shadows lurk in the woods and people disappear mysteriously.
11. The Future Diary
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 26
- Studio: Asread
- Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation
The Future Diary is psychological-thriller survival game anime and, like Squid Games, these too add an unpredictable ‘spice’ to the story.
This anime game involves 10 contestants who compete against each other to become the successor of a deity.
The story’s protagonist is a student who has a habit of writing a diary on his mobile but one day to his surprise, he finds strange things in his “digital diary”, and to make things creepier, they did happen IRL. Will he be able to survive this game?
10. Highschool of The Dead
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 12
- Studio: Madhouse
- Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation
Yet another zombie arc, HighSchool Of The Dead has a typical zombie plot with strong survival and gore elements.
The anime entails graphic violent scenes and is sometimes hard to stomach. The plot revolves around a high school student and nurse who are trying to survive this tragedy.
As the story unfolds, there are a lot of ups and downs, betrayals, and allegiances. Among all this mayhem, the protagonists save a girl and are now finding ways to reach the Elementary School cautiously as it is considered the safe zone.
09. Hell Girl
- Seasons: 04
- Episodes: 78
- Studio: Studio Deen
- Watch: Prime, Netflix, Crunchyroll.
Hell Girl is an ominous-themed horror anime about a mysterious website that becomes available to all at midnight for those who have vindictive agendas against someone.
This mysterious site is approached by people who have grudges and want to condemn their enemies to hell.
However, revenge seekers should dig two graves since the site ensures their revenge to be taken at the cost of the revenger’s soul getting condemned to the lowest pits of hell.
08. Umineko When They Cry
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 26
- Studio: Studio Deen
- Watch: Crunchyroll
A strangely alluring story with a thin line between reality and fantasy. Umineko is about a wealthy old man on his deathbed wanting to meet Beatrice (a golden witch he fell in love with) one last time.
The man had been immersing himself in black magic despite his poor health. When he finally found a way of resurrection. He decided to bring her back to life on the day of the family reunion.
But on reunion day, a typhoon hits the island and strange events begin to happen, followed by a series of murders. Are these mishaps related to the resurrection of Beatrice? Watch now to find it out!
07. Parasyte
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 24
- Studio: Madhouse
- Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Prime
If you are a horror anime junky, you must have come across “Parasyte”. The anime portrays the story of a high school student Shinichi Izumi who was attacked by a weird space parasite, “Migi.”
The parasite takes control of people’s minds and has the ability to change the shape of their body parts in order to kill others. As a result, the series is filled with gruesome murder scenes and parasite fights that will leave you terrified!
Furthermore, the anime shows Shinichi’s regular duels with gangster fellows as well as some romantic relationship moments with his lovely girlfriend Satomi Murano.
06. Ghost Hunt
- Seasons: 01
- Episodes:
- Studio: J. C. Staff
- Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation
While hunting and unfolding mysteries are always fun, hunting with a horror element is just a treat for adrenaline junkies. The ghost hunt is a story about a research center that investigates paranormal activities.
The story mainly encompasses a girl named Mai who is dragged into this world of horror due to a mistake she made unknowingly. Mai, being the curious cat that she is, was examining an abandoned school and interrupted the ghost hunt by paranormal inspectors.
The spookiness of the plot builds as Mai is forced to be a part of this ghost-hunting group to make up for her mistake.
05. Castlevania
This is another adrenaline fix for horror junkies and gore hounds as the story revolve around the most infamous creature “Dracula”. Castlevania’s story begins with a revenge Arc where Dracula and his team are unleashing hell on the city to avenge his dead wife who was burnt upon inaccurate charges of witchcraft.
On other hand, the citizens sought out a hunter named Trevor to stop these supernatural creatures. And Trevor along with Alucard and his magician friend; Belnade fights against Dracula.
The violent fights between the trio and Dracula (or his army), sudden plot twists, and surprising backstories of Dracula, Trevor, and Alucard are what keep the viewers hooked. And the exquisite animation is just the cherry on top.
04. Shiki
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 22
- Studio: Daume Co. Ltd.
- Watch: Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, Funimation.
Shiki is a horror psychological anime that, like any other vampire tale, is plotted around mysterious deaths. It was released around the time when vampires bedeviled both media and literature along with youngsters’ minds.
The sun rose at Sotoba village, as usual, Megumi Shimizu; a vibrant girl went to meet her new neighbors but never returned. The disappearance was not taken seriously until it was followed by more bizarre incidents of disappearances and deaths.
These deaths are being contemplated by the doctor (protagonist) named Toshio Ozaki, who at first, believes that deaths are due to a pandemic but later on realizes that the real culprits behind these deaths are vampire-like creatures called “Shiki”.
03. Another
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 12
- Studio: P.A. Works
- Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix
Another is a horror, murder-mystery anime which revolves around Koichi Sakakibara, a transfer student at Yomiyama Middle School, and a gloomy young girl with an eyepatch named Mei.
This is one of the eeriest and most violent stories where there are a lot of mysterious deaths and unusual events surrounding the students of class 3-3.
And because of its plot, Another is also referred to as “Final Destination – The Anime” where the deaths are bound to happen, sooner or later.
02. Death Note
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 37
- Studio: Madhouse
- Watch: Netflix, Crunchyroll.
A thrilling and psychological horror anime about two people; Light from the human world and Ryuk from the realm of the dead have one thing in common, their belief that their worlds are rotten.
One day, Ryuk, for his sheer amusement drops his “death note” on earth and Light stumbles across it. The first rule is that any name written in the book will meet his end. Unexpectedly, Light uses this frightening power positively and tries to eliminate all evil beings from the world.
But the plot takes a darker turn as Light’s righteousness turns into a god complex. He became obsessed with transforming the world according to his ideas of right or wrong. Is he eliminating evil from the world or becoming one himself?
01. Deadman Wonderland
- Season: 01
- Episodes: 12
- Studio: Manglobe
- Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation
Deadman Wonderland is another gruesome, horror but rare story anime series that is highly adored by viewers. It is a story about a young man called Ganta Igarashi who witnesses a bizarre creature covered in blood and wiped out his whole class but left him alive.
However, he was accused of that massacre and authorities have detained him at the infamous private prison Deadman Wonderland, where prisoners are put through harsh gladiatorial fights for the entertainment of paying visitors.
Now Ganta must find the true culprit of the massacre to get out of deadman wonderland. But before that, he must survive this hell and its deadly “games”.
Deadman Wonderland – US Trailer [HD]
If you’ve made it this far, we sincerely hope you like the shows and the gruesome horror movies we’ve recommended and come to recognize them for the works of art they truly are.
For more entertainment, check out 35 Best Anime On Crunchyroll Ranked From Good To Great!
