A fantastic way to watch horror as a kid — that you definitely didn’t hear from this website — is anime. Parents won’t suspect these beautifully animated stories for kids to hide some of the most messed-up stuff you can imagine, but we all know that they sure can. Let’s look at the best outings in the horror genre that we got by the hands of Japanese Animation.
Elfen Lied
Elfen Lied has arguably the most famously gruesome opening in the history of anime. The series never reaches those all-time gory heights again, opting instead to create a very heartwarming narrative where the evil monster loses their memory and becomes the nicest creature on earth. The true horror of Elfen Lied lies in the constant fear of wondering if the beautiful tale will once again turn bad, because the first episode does a great job of showing just how bad things can turn out. Sadly, the Elfen Lied anime doesn’t tell the whole tale we see in the Manga, but it’s still absolutely worth your time and tears.
Parasyte
Alien invasion stories are as common and old as the government’s attempts to keep them quiet, so there must be something special about Parasyte to earn it various series, live action adaptations, and even a spot on this list.
Parasyte rules because it shows the story of an average Joe who has to contend not just with seeing his world invaded by the slickest and scariest alien lifeforms to ever (dis)grace the world of anime, but also with being partially infected by one of these lifeforms himself. The uneasy dynamic is awesome, but so are the scares and the action scenes.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
As far as vampire-themed properties go, I’d rank Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust as one of the best out of any medium. Yes, it’s up there with Bram Stoker’s Dracula and much better than whatever Blade movie you like the most. It features some of the most original art and best animation I’ve ever seen, and does a surprisingly good job of creating a badass vampire hunter main character who’s not all style over substance.
Bloodlust is a sequel of sorts to Vampire Hunter D, a much inferior outing that you can luckily just skip over if you want to see this one.
Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories aka Yami Shibai: Theatre of Darkness
Yami Shibai boasts one of the most peculiar art styles out there, seemingly going all in on the classic harmless kid’s coloring book style, though it’s only using that to get your defenses down to later hit you with a gut punch.
Yami Shibai features the best ratio of time spent/horror out there, as most episodes are very short, each serving almost like a quick shot of adrenaline. Best of all, there’s no shortage of small horror shots as there are already 12 seasons and counting.
Boogiepop Phantom
Boogiepop Phantom is the perfect name for a horror anime because it lures you in with a goofy name, then gets you with a spooky one. Just like a great jump scare! Jokes aside, the anime itself is just as good as its peculiar name. A strange beam of light, serial killings, monstrous superpowers, and an ancient ghost that may or may not be behind it all. Boogiepop Phantom uses a peculiar story structure that makes it both a great anthology that you can digest little by little, or something you can binge if you have a strong enough stomach.
Monster
Though it features a very traditional animation style, Monster is one of the most unique anime on this list. A very somber take on the genre that never betrays its calm pacing in favor of quick thrills.
What Monster intentionally lacks in jump scares, it more than makes up for with psychological horror. Monster invites players to go for a deep dive into the psyche of one of the vilest characters in the history of anime and manga, and they’re likely to never forget about it.
Gantz
As far as wild takes on sci-fi horror go, it’s hard to beat Gantz. It tells the story of a bunch of unlucky few who die and then somehow wake up to be forcefully employed by the titular Gantz to go on increasingly deadly missions.
Whereas most other anime would feature characters that would relish the opportunity, the characters in Gantz realistically have a lot of trouble dealing with what their lives have turned into. Gantz feels like an adaptation of a game that should exist.
Unfortunately, the series ends before telling the entire story present in the Manga, but I assure you that this half-trip is more than worth the full ticket price.
Berserk
Berserk, the original, not the awful series from 2015, remains one of the staples of anime. It features the grand scope that the best anime adaptation of Lord Of The Rings would require, and also small scale drama worthy of the great masters of old. Still, at its heart, Berserk is a tale of horror about how the idea of great power gets to corrupt even larger-than-life men. Berserk is one of the best horror stories ever told because it features great visual horror as well as some of the deepest personal horror you’ll ever encounter.
It’s important to note, however, that Berserk does get too extreme with its themes and imagery at some points, and I say that not to hype readers even further. Viewer discretion is certainly advised.
Pet Shop Of Horrors
Do the eyes of Count D, which you can see even behind her hair, make you uneasy? Well, then you should really give Pet Shop Of Horrors a try, as there’s much more where that came from. Though rather short at only four episodes-long, this anthology about a possibly cursed story with a very interesting owner is very likely to entertain anyone who loves animals, and to scare straight anyone who doesn’t treat their pets like they should.
Mononoke
Please do not accidentally start watching this thinking you were about to watch Princess Mononoke. Though both are amazing and feature brilliant animation, this one will plunge viewers into a much darker world.
Mononoke tells the story of a healer of sorts, one who will heal the world by facing actual demons. Mononoke offers a “healthy” mix of regular and psychological horror, the latter which is greatly boosted by the series’ very peculiar art style. Though far from the scariest entry on this list, Mononoke is the perfect example of true horror hiding behind pretty pictures.
