Anime are known for pushing the viewers towards the edge of their seats irrespective of their genre. They entertain the audience every time and thus rule millions of hearts. Today I’ll list the best horror anime, so please hold your heart firmly before watching them.
The list is going to have a variety of anime ranging from Psychological horrors to fantasy horrors. Horror genre is great because combines extremely well with others, so be glad as I list all the combinations. Let’s begin!
25. Paranoia Agent
This anime is for all those who love psychological thrillers. The anime has many creepy moments, which adds a touch of horror to it. People fear a guy who flies on his rollerblades and beats them with baseball bats.
The guy is infamous as Shounen Bat. People are afraid of him, and there is no information regarding him. The two detectives start investigating the case but finding the guy seems impossible.
At the start, you’ll find the anime similar to cliche detective anime, but the plot twists will change your views. You will be forced to think about the compelling story as the suspense begins to grow more and more.
24. Corpse Party: Tortured Souls
It is one of the most entertaining horror anime on the list. The story revolves around nine high schoolers. They believe in performing a ritual to remain friends forever. When one of their friends decides to leave the school, they all decide to perform the same ritual.
When they say the charm, they find themselves trapped in another dimension. It is then revealed that the charms are connected to a mysterious school of the other dimension. The group of friends plans their escape, but won’t it be impossible in the presence of ghosts?
To know whether the school students will survive, prepare to watch it.
23. Dusk Maiden Of Amnesia
Seikyou Academy is believed to be haunted, which is why it intrigues a girl named Yuuko. She starts her investigation of the paranormal activities in the academy. It is revealed that the ghost is of a lady who died in the school’s basement.
Yuuko is joined by a ghost-seeing boy named Teiichi. The duo works together to find the mysteries of the academy. The anime is fiull of horror scenes every here and there. You can also expect a bit of comedy, which makes the anime more entertaining.
22. Serial Experiments Lain
This is one of the most terrifying anime that revolves around technology. The way the author portrays the use of technology in a horror and exciting way is simply award-winning. Lain is the main character whose life flips upside down when she starts receiving mysterious emails from her classmate Chisa.
You might be thinking, what is the big deal with it? Well, the problem is the classmate who sent her emails is supposed to be dead because Chisa committed suicide. Lain finds herself trapped in the mystery more and more.
To top it off, some mysterious men start following her wherever she goes. This perfectly tells us how technology can be dangerous. If you like stories related to the horrors of technology, then you will love this one.
21. Angels Of Death
The anime will spellbind you right from the very first episode. The story revolves around a girl named Rachel who finds herself alone in a hospital. She runs from the doctor who wishes to take her life.
She is saved from a boy named Zack, but things get thrilling when Zack is revealed to be a psychopath. Each floor of the building is filled with mysterious people who want to kill Rachel.
Surprisingly, Rachel doesn’t want to live either; therefore, she asks Zack to kill her. The duo makes a deal that Zack will kill her only if she helps him find an escape from the building. This anime will effortlessly force viewers to the edge of their seats.
20. Shiki
There is supernatural, horror, mystery, and thrill, so watch it bravely. The story revolves around the once peaceful town of Sotoba. With time, things changed, and the town remained no more peaceful after the sudden death of a girl.
After her death, the death toll started rising, and the reasons were unknown. Therefore, a doctor named Toshio investigates the reasons behind the mysterious deaths. He teams up with some teenagers, and the group sets out on the missing to investigate the deaths.
Things get thrilling when they find their answers. The anime has a lot of twists, and revealing anything else will spoil your suspense. Therefore, my friends, watch at your own risk!
19. Higurashi, When They Cry
Keiichi’s life takes a new turn after moving on to the village. There he makes a few friends and starts liking his new life. One day, things changed when he heard the stories of people going missing mysteriously.
The stories of murder disturbed him as he found them related to the annual festival as they link to God. When he tries to question his friends, they refuse to answer him. The anime is full of suspense with thrilling events. Follow Keiichi on his journey to find the reason behind the murders!
18. Mononoke
This one is a different story that follows the life of a medicine seller and his search for the spirits called Mononoke. He travels from one place to the other and exorcizes these spirits. However, exorcizing them isn’t easy because the MC must know their true form and other details.
This is Japanese Classic horror, so you can expect the anime to be worth watching. The good thing about this one is that it offers a collection of stories. Each story has different characters but medicine seller keeps appearing in all of them. The sound, direction, and art of the anime compliment each other the best.
17. Blood C
This is one of the most mysterious and suspenseful anime on the list. Till the end of the anime, one can’t guess what’s happening. The story is unpredictable. Saya Kisaragi is the main lead and an average college student.
During the night, she goes hunting monsters. Her encounter with some monsters makes her curious for some answers, and things start becoming confusing for Saya. It is thrilling and scary to see her slaying monsters.
Its mystery and suspense will keep you spellbound throughout the story. Overall, the visuals and character design of the monsters are creepy, giving it a horror touch.
16. Death Note
Ending crime from the world is nearly impossible, but Light finds a mysterious way to do so. One day, he finds a book that can kill anyone if one writes anyone’s name on it. Of course, it sounds unbelievable; therefore, Light experimented to find the truth.
However, he was shocked to see the person dead. The MC realized he had a valuable asset; therefore, he started with his own way of serving justice. The mysterious murders caused havoc in the world, and Investigations began.
Light was a genius, so to find him entered another genius Lawliet, aka L. The duo’s mind games and plans against each other are worth admiring. The mystery, supernatural, and Psychological elements of the anime make it thrilling, which will give you horror vibes.
15. Parasyte The Maxim
This is one of the best horror anime on the list that I can bet you will enjoy watching. The story revolves around Shinichi Izumi, a student. His world was peaceful before the entry of aliens. The aliens were parasites who came on a mission to rule the human world by infiltrating their brains and controlling them.
While everyone was falling prey to them, Shinichi was lucky because the parasite became part of his hand instead of the brain. The parasite has to follow Shinichi’s orders, and the duo goes to save the world from chaos.
Shinichi’s bond with the parasite is entertaining, and it’s great to see the duo showcasing their abilities. The monsters, action, and art make it the best horror anime!
14. The Promised Neverland
The promised Neverland follows three orphans Emma, Norman, and Rey. They are geniuses in their orphanage. One can notice something is fishy right from the very first episode of the anime. All the students are tattooed and are never allowed to cross the gate.
Isabella is their caretaker, and she is everyone’s favorite. She looks after the kids; apparently, nothing is mysterious except that after a few months, one orphan gets adopted. The mystery is soon revealed when one of their fellows gets adopted.
When she was on her way to leave, Emma and Norman found that she had left her toy in the house. To return it to her, the duo secretly cross the gate to find it the most horrific event of their lives.
They see the horrific sight if a monster eating the girl’s dead body. Emma and Norman run for their lives and keep the sight a secret. They plan their escape, which is a challenging task. This anime is very much similar to Stranger Things. If you liked that season, you’d enjoy watching The Promised Neverland.
13. Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen has baffled the viewers with its fascinating characters, magic, and action. Fans are absolutely in awe watching the main characters winning their hearts. The anime’s protagonist is Yuji Itadori, whose life changes when he becomes Sukuna’s vessel.
The latter is feared for being the king of curses. However, Yuji’s action paved the path for his return. To stop him, the handsome and entertaining Satoru Gojo enters the scene and vows to make Yuji his student.
He teaches him jujutsu so that he can master his powers. There is only one way to kill Sukuna: to kill his vessel. This point proved intriguing and kept its viewers glued until the last episode.
Other seasons are expected, but only the first season has been released. It’s full of action, fantasy, and adventure. If you are okay with violence and thrillers, this will entertain you.
12. Tokyo Ghoul
Ken Kaneki is the story’s main character whose life is no less than a living hell. His relationship with her girlfriend, Rize, flipped his life upside down. Rize betrayed him as she was a ghoul disguised as a human. Had he not met her, hadn’t he turned into a half-ghoul, which made his life tougher than ever.
He was forced to feed on flesh as it was apparently the only way for them to survive. Ken finds ways to survive, but getting used to this new life is far more difficult than expected. As a human, he was a kind, shy boy, but life transformed him into a badass guy.
His character development has been commendable throughout the series. It’s awesome to see him turn into a fearless badass guy that can go extremely violent. The anime has many scenes where one finds one’s heart pounding. You might find the first season boring, but trust me, it does get better with time.
11. Uzumaki
If you like mysteries, then be glad you have found them. The anime is full of suspense right from the start. The story’s main character is Kirie and her boyfriend, Shuuichi. The duo relatives that their fathers have been acting weird lately.
Before they could find the reasons, many people in the town started going crazy. People get obsessed with spiral shapes, anything spiral will make them act strange. The mystery is revealed at the end where one learns what and why it is happening! If you like reading, you can read its manga because it is scarier (at least for me).
10. Ghost Hunt
School life is incomplete without ghost stories; Ghost Hunt is all about these stories. The story revolves around a student named Mai who loves to discuss ghost stories with her friends. The center of their discussion is the school’s abandoned building.
To investigate the stories, the school’s principal invites a psychic researcher Kazuya. Along with his assistant, he starts investigating the mysteries. However, Mai creates problems in his work by breaking his camera and injuring the assistant.
This makes Kazuya angry, and he hires Mai as a punishment. The duo works together to solve the ghost mysteries.
9. Ghost Stories
I bet we must have heard ghost stories about our school once in our lifetime, right? Sometimes they come out to be true, and other times they are made up. Somehow the same is the case with Satsuki and Keiichiro.
Their lives become messed up after the death of their mother. After her death, the duo moves to their hometown, where they join a new school. The school was famous for ghost stories.
At first, they consider them mere rumors but later realize that the existence of the ghosts is real. They make new friends and fight the daily troubles created by the ghosts. There is mystery, suspense, supernatural, and thrill.
There will be many miners where you won’t be able to tolerate your laughter. Horror comedy is a great combination, so you are gorgeous to love this one.
P. S A friendly piece of advice: watch the anime in dub.
8. Ajin
Ajin are famous as immortals who are evil and can cause harm to people. Therefore, whenever they are found, it is a must that they should be arrested to avoid any danger. Kei Nagai is the main lead and a student aspiring to be a doctor.
He has little to no concern regarding Ajin, as he completely ignores listening to them. Little did he know that his life was going to be completely different. One day, an accident turns him into an Ajin, which makes him curious and surprised.
This is one of the craziest stories I have watched so far. If you are also ready for the manga, then it would be amazing to read it first. Trust me, you’ll love it!
7. Boogiepop Phantom
It’s a short horror anime that promises to entertain the viewers till the end. The story revolves around a city where murders began years ago, yet no one takes them seriously. Multiple stories are made up regarding them, and the center of the discussion is a girl named Boogipop.
Whoever meets her never comes back! Each episode has a different theme, making it even more interesting to watch. Each episode is linked to the other, and all the questions are answered with each passing episode. It’s one of the most different anime on the list.
6. Ghost Hound
The anime follows the mysteries of the town of Suiten. People’s lives are getting chaotic day by day. Some are seeing wired visions, some are having disturbing dreams, while on the other hand, spirits are roaming here and there.
Tarou is our main character who has a traumatic past when he was kidnapped. He can’t seem to forget it because the memories appear in his dreams. The story is complex; therefore, you can’t easily guess what’s happening.
The starting episode gives a thrilling vibe, and the creepy soundtrack doubles the thrill. Ghost Hound offers it all if you want psychological, thriller, horror, or supernatural.
5. Attack On Titan
Don’t tell me that this anime needs an introduction? AOT has been the most popular anime of this decade. If we talk about horror, then many moments will give you goosebumps. The main genre of the anime is action and mystery.
BUT trust me, dude, once you see the giant Titans running after people, you’ll forget everything! The story is set in a world feared by Titan. People live under the protection of walls.
The story begins when the titans invade the peaceful town and starts eating humans. This was the time when our main character Eden Yeager lost his mother. The thrilling view of her mother in the mouth of the titan changed the boy’s life.
The story progresses, and multiple twists unfold. The anime is full of mysteries, and the story gets as unpredictable as one can imagine. If you still haven’t watched this one, don’t waste more time.
READ ALSO: BEST ACTION ANIME
4. Danganronpa
Have you ever found yourself in a situation with no escape? This anime will change your views because it has introduced one of the scariest choices. Makoto Naegi is the main character whose life gets a 180-degree turn after joining an elite school.
Things start getting mysterious soon after he steps into the school. Naegi finds himself opening his eyes in a classroom where certain others are in a dilemma like him. Finally, the suspense ends when their teacher asks them to kill their classmates, as it is the only way to escape.
They will have to stay here forever if they don’t kill anyone. Secondly, the murders should be done in a way so that no one can find the criminal. The anime will effortlessly keep you glued till the last second. I hope you’ll find it one of the best horror anime.
3. High School Of The Dead
The story revolves around Takashi and Rei. Their once peaceful lives became messed up after the sudden outbreak of the walking dead. These flesh-eating monsters attacked the MC’s high school.
During their attack, Takashi loses his friend; he had to kill him to protect others. It was one of the most heartbreaking sights. With the story’s progress, Rei and Takashi add new members to their team and fight the monsters together.
Each of them has something special than the other that helped them survive. The group of heroes tries to find the solution to the ongoing problem while struggling to survive. If you like action, thriller, and horror, then trust this is one of the best horror anime.
2. Hell Girl
One should never do bad to others; this anime thrillingly teaches this lesson. The story’s main character is Ai Enma, aka Hell Girl. She helps the people take revenge by sending the target to hell.
To contact her, one must wait for midnight and then access a mysterious website. However, there is a problem, those who seek Ai’s help to send their target to hell must end up in hell themselves after their death. Each episode brings something new, and the story becomes spellbinding.
1. Another
It’s one of the best horror anime I have watched so far. The plot twist was really good, making me binge-watch the show. Yes, it’s that good! The story follows a high schooler Sakakibara who joins a new school where he finds himself interested in a girl named Mei.
The girl herself was mysterious, and no one in the school wanted to talk about her. Many even claimed that she didn’t know her. With time, the story starts getting mysterious as it is implied that only Sakakibara could see her; however, that is not the case.
People ignored her on purpose, and whoever tried to say anything about her died suddenly. The deaths toll started increasing, which made everyone worried. Whether Mei is the protagonist or the antagonist, a human or a ghost, you’ll have to watch it to know!
Have a good watch, my lovely fellas! XD
READ ALSO: BEST ANIME TO BINGE WATCH
Frequently Asked Questions
Paranoia Agent, Tokyo Ghoul, Another, and Attack On Titan are some of the darkest anime.
Ryuk, the cursed spirits, and almost all the titans are the creepiest.
There are plenty of them and the most popular ones are Another, Hell Girl, and Ghost Stories.
Conclusion
Finally, we are done with the list of best horror anime. All of them have something that makes them different. Some are famous for their creepy art and sound, while others are popular for their thrilling stories.
All of them will spellbind you throughout. You just need to start! Tell me your experiences if you have already watched the anime mentioned above! For more anime news, be friends with Anime Fleek!
