Anime can’t be scary? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that! We show you the best horror anime with an immersive story that you can’t get enough of.
Horror can have different facets and most of them go beyond “jump scares” – which don’t work that well in anime anyway. Nonetheless, we have here 5 anime that delve into different realms of horror that will at least leave you with a sense of trepidation…
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
Alternative names: When they cry, when the cicadas cry
Other genres: mysteries
Episodes: 50 (completed)
Stream available on: Amazon Prime (S1), Aniverse (Prime Video Channel)
Keiichi Maebara has moved to the small, quiet village of Hinamizawa with his family. A village that attaches great importance to community and the maintenance of traditions. As he becomes friends with the other children in the village, he learns more about the tutelary deity “Oyashiro”, who is said to have saved the village several years ago and at the same time caused a tragedy.
As the Festival of the Deity approaches, Keiichi gradually learns more and more details about the village’s past and begins to see his friends in a whole new light…
What to expect from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: The horror in Higurashi doesn’t announce itself directly, but always happens quite suddenly. A sometimes funny, almost silly scenario suddenly begins to tip over and what was just a friendly meeting ends in a horrible bloodbath.
“Higurashi no Naku Koro ni” and the sequel “Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai” together form a cruel but also exciting story with the search for the solution of an ominous mystery that repeatedly involves the protagonists in terrible deeds. You shouldn’t be put off by the children as protagonists – it ultimately helps the horror of the series a lot.
Another
Alternative names: /
Other genres: mysteries
Episodes: 12 (completed)
Stream available on: Currently only available for purchase
Young Kouichi has missed the first month at his new school due to an illness and is late in class. He immediately feels attracted to his classmate Mei, a girl with an eye patch. But no other student in the class seems to react to Mei – as if she weren’t even there. Kouichi is warned by his classmates not to keep getting involved with them and learns the dark truth behind their classmates’ ignorance.
As Kouichi and Mei unravel the mystery behind the class, more and more tragedies unfold around the class, leading from one horrific accident to the next…
What to expect from Another: Another starts off quite shallow, but then picks up speed quickly. In large parts, the story is more like a crime thriller, at the end of which the riddle is solved – even if it seems to have supernatural origins. Although the anime was only released in 2012, it is already considered one of the “horror classics” because it combines many genres well and simply offers a gripping, well thought-out story.
See the next page for more spooky anime.