If you’re in the mood for a scary movie during the Halloween season or simply get your kicks from dark, thought-provoking films, anime has plenty to offer. There are many different kinds of horrors in anime, from gritty gothic vampire flicks to grim zombie apocalypses.
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Horror is only made more potent when animation allows these horrific images and situations to stick in your head long after the film is over. Perhaps it’s the skittering movement of a creepy critter or the idea that something might be lurking in the dark that makes you feel unsettled. Here are the best horror anime films that will keep you awake at night.
8 Gyo
When The Fish Come To Shore
If you go deep enough into the ocean, you will encounter some of the strangest creatures imaginable. Now suppose that those fish had legs and could come ashore. This is the premise of Junji’s Gyo. The fish are swarming the streets and releasing a terrifying and intoxicating stench across Japan.
The Gyo film takes a few liberties with the source material. It swaps protagonists but also expands with some minor character drama as well. Seeing the fish come to life on screen is only part of the terror. This time, you can even hear this as they skitter across the floor. If you don’t like deep sea terrors and body horror, stay away.
7 Wicked City
When Two Worlds Join Together
Parallel dimensions are always a treat in horror. Sometimes they can be filled with sinister doppelgangers, but other times, they can be a home for monstrous creatures. Wicked City adds a twist to this scenario where Humans and Demons have been able to maintain some kind of peace between both worlds.
When this stability is threatened, secret agents called the Black Guard are called to order. These agents include Renzaburō Taki and his partner Makie. Little do they know that the status quo of peace might change for better or for worse, depending on the outcome of their mission. With plenty of Monsters on screen, this is a dark anime film from the 80s.
6 Empire Of Corpses
Can The Dead Ever Truly Come Back To Life?
If the world could reanimate the dead, there is a chance they might be used as part of the labor force. This is the premise of Empire of Corpses, which depicts an alternate reality where the famous scientist, Victor Frankenstein, has discovered a way to truly bring someone back to life.
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Of course, society doesn’t want to give these beings free will, so the method is replaced with Necroware. This gives a body an artificial soul with no way of communicating or thinking for itself. A century goes by and a medical student known as John Watson seeks to resurrect a dead friend. This leads him on a journey that has him cross paths with Frankenstein’s original plans and the ever-controlling British Secret Service.
5 Vampire Hunter D
Gothic And Unsettling
When Dorris, the daughter of a deceased werewolf hunter, is bitten by a 10,000-year-old vampire lord, she only has a limited time before she becomes one herself. In an attempt to save herself, she calls upon a mysterious vampire hunter going by the name of D. He then sets off on a quest to kill the vampire lord and prevent Doris from transforming.
This movie has everything you could want from a vampire anime. It has creepy monsters, a gothic look, and a vampire hunter with a few mysteries under his cloak. Vampire Hunter D is a fantastic film from the 80s that eventually spawned more OVAs and films that depict D’s adventures.
4 Seoul Station
A Prequel To A Massive Zombie Hit
Train to Busan is one of the most popular Korean Zombie films of all time. So if you’ve ever wanted to see how the outbreak spread from a different perspective, then Seoul Station will give you some new insights into how it all went down.
The story focuses on Hye-sun, who tries to survive the night ahead. However, there are more than just zombies who get in the way of survival. Meanwhile, her father and her boyfriend are searching for her as the outbreak only gets worse. The film ends approximately where the original one begins, with the zombies spreading all over South Korea.
3 King Of Thorn
When Infection Spreads
If you’re looking for a story that has cosmic horror elements, then King of Thorn won’t disappoint. In this film, a meteor lands in Siberia carrying what appears to be an alien virus. This virus soon finds its first victim and begins to spread all across the world. This virus is known for turning the infected into stone-like corpses.
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One hundred sixty humans are chosen to receive special treatment that could be the key to salvation. However, this goes terribly wrong as the facility and the surrounding area suddenly change just as the chosen enter the stasis beds. With monsters running amok, they must find a way to survive the disease and the horrors that hunt them down.
2 Bio Hunter
Biological Horrors Unleashed
Another anime film that deals with a deadly disease is Bio Hunter. This virus causes humans to transform into violent mutants that threaten those around them. This anime film from the 90s is a bloody good time that follows two scientists, Komada and Koshigaya, who hunt for a cure.
However, like in other anime, where the protagonist turns into the very thing they wish to destroy, the scientist Komada manages to control the effects of the virus. This allows him to use this new form as a power-up that lets him fight back the horrors on a more physical level. If you love body horror, monsters, and that feeling of dread that comes when someone gets devoured, you’ll enjoy this film.
1 Perfect Blue
A More Realistic Horror
If you’re looking for scares, you don’t always need to go into parallel worlds or even fight monsters. Sometimes, horrific events can take place in a more realistic setting. Perfect Blue follows the story of a J-Pop Idol who tries to move into the acting industry.
This decision causes one of her fans to become a stalker with deadly intentions. Soon, the people she worked with in prior productions started turning up dead. This makes her question herself, as evidence points to her being the killer. The film will keep you guessing as to who the true culprit of these murders could be while also making you fear for the protagonist’s life.
