In the anime world, horror genres are the rarest. Anime is much more famous in other genres like action, thriller, romance, comedy, comedies, etc. It’s difficult to represent the intensity of an animation whose motive is to scare the audience, which is why making an anime that’s pure horror isn’t that simple. Still, the existence of horror anime holds a special place in the anime world.
10 Best Horror Anime of All Time
Table of Content
10. Corpse Party: Tortured Souls (2013)
Corpse Party: Tortured Souls
- Corpse Party: Tortured Souls is based on a horror survival game called Corpse Party.
- It is a great horror anime, and the plot is very strong, and with every episode, it becomes more and more profound and disturbing.
Some of the students of Kisaragi Academy, which is built over Heavenly Host Elementary School, whose horror tales are well known in the town, gather in the school at night to bid farewell to a friend and perform a sort of ritual for them to remain friends forever.
Because of the rituals, the students get trapped in the other dimension of the school with the spirits. The students must work together to escape or join the spirit world forever.
- Its IMDb rating is 6.3/10.
9. Mushi-Shi (2005)
Mushi-Shi (2005)
- Mushi-shi is an adaptation of the award-winning manga Mushishi by Yuki Urushibara.
- The series premiered on October 23, 2005, but went on hiatus on March 12.
“Mushi” are the creatures that possess some natural powers and can transform into anything from plants to rainbows or any non-materialistic objects. Some of the people know about the existence of mushi, and they are known as mushi-shi. Most of them are mushi experts who travel to understand these creatures.
Mushi-shi travels across the towns to find these creatures and to learn more about them. Each episode is about the struggle of finding them and the encounter with their weird supernatural powers. So what are mushi, and why do they exist? This is the question that a “Mushi-shi” ponders constantly.
- The IMDb rating is 8.5/10.
8. Serial Experiments Lain (1998)
Serial Experiments Lain
- Serial Experiments: Lain anime won the prize at the 1998 Japan Media Arts Festival.
- The IMDb rating of Serial Experiments Lain is 8.1/10.
Lain Iwakura is an introverted and shy 14-year-old school girl. One of the girls, Chisa Yomoda, from her school recently committed suicide, and now some of the girls, including Lain, are receiving mail from the dead girl, Chisa. Lain talked to her through mail and found out that Chisa was trapped in these wires. This series is a roller coaster of emotions; it goes deep into psychology, which is thrilling and scary to watch.
7. Ghost Hunt (2006–2007)
Ghost Hunt
- The IMDb rating of Ghost Hunt is 7.4/10.
- It was aired between 2006 and 2007 and consists of 25 episodes.
The Shibuya Psychic Research Centre investigates supernatural occurrences all over Japan. Kazuya Shibuya, a 17-year-old who is president of the Shibuya Psychic Research Centre, was called by a principle of a school that is quite famous for ghost stories. Mai Taniyama, one of the students at this school, later comes in contact with the investigator, works with him, and starts to learn about the ghost hunting profession. This series is more scary than the other ones on this list.
6. Boogiepop Phantom (2000)
Boogiepop Phantom
- The IMDb rating of Boogiepop Phantom is 7.3/10.
- It aired from January 5, 2000, to March 22, 2000, and it has 12 episodes.
Boogiepop is an urban legend whose stories related to murders are popular in the town. Five years ago, a string of grisly murders shook the town, and now the rumours have begun once more. People tell and share with each other the stories of their encounters with the boogiepop, but no one believes that it really exists. Each story finds a way to connect with the other ones and try to unravel the story of boogiepop.
5. Dark Gathering
Dark Gathering
- The IMDb rating for Dark Gathering is 7.3/10.
- This TV series has 25 episodes and premiered on July 10, 2023.
Keitarou Gentouga has a strong spiritual presence, due to which spirits are attracted to him. A traumatic encounter with a spirit caused his right hand to be cursed. The event caused him to become a shut-in, leaving him with very poor social skills. Slowly, Keitarou is starting to socialise because of his childhood friend, Eiko Hôzuki.
Keitarou becomes a private tutor, and his first client is Eiko Hôzuki’s cousin, Yayoi Houzuki. She can see the spirit world because of her two pupils in each eye. Her parents were killed in a car accident, and since then, she has been seeking vengeful spirits to exorcise. They both help each other and fight the spirits. This series has a kind of spooky vibe to it, due to which it is considered a one-time-watch anime series.
4. Death Note (2006)
Death Note
- The IMDb rating for Death Note is 8.9/10.
- Death Note is one of the world’s most famous classic anime.
Death Note is known for its popularity. It is about the world of humans and the realm of gods, which are getting rotten by brutal murders, petty thefts, and senseless violence. A book with magical power falls from the world of gods to the human world and can kill anyone whose name is written in this note.
A high school student named Light Yagami found out about this note and decided to punish all the criminals and bad people on his own. This anime is a mixture of thrill, horror, and suspense; in my opinion, everyone should watch it once in a lifetime.
3. Hellsing (2001)
Hellsing
- Hellsing was based on Kouta Hirano’s manga of the same name.
- The IMDb rating for Hellsing is 7.7/10.
A small town is haunted by the ghouls. Vampires kill people and turn them into ghouls. To put an end to this, the leader of the Hellsing organisation, Sir Integra Fairbrool Wingates Hellsing, chose his most powerful asset, a vampire known as Alucard, to kill the ghouls. Alucard is a heroic person with a pistol in one hand, fighting against supernatural things.
A female got injured during the ghoule attacks, and Alucard gave her two options: die like a human or fight them as a vampire. From there, the series becomes more interesting, as it was her decision. While Sesa struggles with the fact that she is no longer human, she still fights to survive. This series really did a great job of scaring the audience. This is a must-watch anime series.
2. Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai (2013)
Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai
- The IMDb rating of Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai is 7.1/10.
- Seven seasons are available for the Yamishibai TV series.
Kamishibai is a traditional paper-scrolling device that is used by old men to narrate the ghost stories in the town. He appears at noon with a yellow mask and narrates ghost stories based on myths and urban legends of Japanese origin.
As compared to other anime series, its animation is average, but the story line is quite good. Each story he narrates is more terrifying, more appalling, and more sickening than the last ones. This series is all about horror-related emotions.
1. Perfect Blue (1997)
Perfect Blue
- Perfect Blue is an adaptation of the 1991 novel Perfect Blue.
- It is an animated movie that made its world premiere at the 1997 edition of the Fantasia Film Festival.
- The IMDb rating of Perfect Blue is 8.0/10.
After leaving the J-Idol group to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress, singer Mima Kirigoe’s life changed drastically. She performs a rape victim role in a crime drama series and poses naked for magazines, due to which her demand as an actress increases. To add to Mima’s growing fame, an obsessed fan who is incapable of accepting that Mima has quit being an innocent idol begins stalking her.
From here, the past of Mima starts haunting her, and the series gets dark. It is a psychological thriller that goes deep in your mind and forces you to think about it.
Conclusion
Animes are highly regarded for their complex scripts, storytelling, and incredible characters. If you’re fond of horror anime, this article is for you. From Corpse Party: Tortured Souls to Perfect Blue, this article lists the top 10 horror animes of all time.
FAQs
Who has the most horror anime?
Perfect Blue is among the most thrilling and horrifying animes you must watch if you’re a fan of horror anime.
What is a dark anime?
Dark anime can be referred to as thrilling and horrifying anime that have compelling stories and powerful characters that keep the viewers captivated.
Who is the scariest person in anime?
Mad Peirrot, featured in ‘Cowboy Bebop’, is considered one of the scariest characters in the anime world.