I've Watched Loads of Horror Anime: Here Are the Only 3 That Are Actually Scary
Tired of horror shows that don't scare you? These three definitely will.
A significant layer of Japanese culture is devoted to the topic of horror: there are ghosts and werewolves, body horror movies, and weird, surreal horror films like The Ring. Anime, of course, is no exception to this tradition.
The range of genres is wide, from stories about familiar evil spirits like vampires to adaptations of folklore. We've chosen three truly terrifying anime series for thrill-seekers that will give even seasoned horror fans the creeps.
1. Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories, 2013-…
Every day before sunset, a mysterious old man in a yellow mask appears on the playground. He sets up a paper theater in front of the children and tells them short scary stories based on myths, rumors and urban legends.
The episodes are only 5 minutes long, and they are concentrated, atmospheric horror stories. What makes this anime unique is the intentionally primitive animation. The jagged movements of the characters and the abrupt changes in the frames look alarming, and while watching, it's easy to feel like a child listening to the story of the creepy narrator in a mask.
2. Another, 2012
Misaki was the life of the party. When the girl died under unclear circumstances, it was an unbearable pain to her classmates, and they continued to pretend that Misaki was still with them. After the girl's death, one of the students died mysteriously every month.
But the students found a way to stop the series of deaths: if they ignored one of the students for a whole year, no one else in the class would die. 26 years later, Koichi enters the same school and immediately notices the strangeness and coldness that hangs over the place.
The kids here still believe in the curse and seem to avoid their classmate, Mei Misaki. But Koichi doesn't know anything about the school rules and starts to make friends with Mei. As soon as he talks to her, the children start to die bloody deaths one after the other.
3. Junji Ito Collection, 2018
This is an anthology based on the works of manga artist Junji Ito, who can be called the Japanese Stephen King. This is a series of short horror stories about terrifying monsters, alternate realities and supernatural events.
The defining feature of this anime is the monsters. In each of the 24 stories, the characters encounter a variety of supernatural creatures that look like the product of someone's sick imagination. Suspense is heightened by the special drawing style, with sharp shadows and muted colors.