Top 13 Horror Anime That Will Give You Nightmares - Or Chills At The Very Least

Horror as a genre has always been a hit or miss. It is also quite rare to find a truly horrifying story in Anime that is able to linger on with you and make you quiver in fear as you lie awake in your room. But fear not - or fear because that’s kind of the point here- for we have gathered 13 stories of this genre that stand a good chance of robbing you of sleep. In this list, you’ll find tales of the psychologically disturbing, the grotesque and creepy, and the suspenseful and eerie: you’ll find horror in all the facets it has to offer.

+Of Interest: Top 28 Most Terrifying Horror Manga Ever Created

+In no particular order:

1. Ghost Hound

神霊狩 - Shinreigari

“Sometimes the person who tries to keep everyone happy is the loneliest one.”

Ghost Hound or Shinreigari is a very unique horror anime that does not rely on jump scares or shock value. Instead, it focuses on a complex premise, using four characters' points of view for its storytelling. This anime is a bit of a slow burner, which is expected if you're familiar with shows such as Serial Experiments Lain and Texhnolyze since it has the same producer and scriptwriters. The story follows a mysterious event that has engulfed the old town of Suiten: there, three boys possess the mysterious ability to separate their spirit from their bodies.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Production I.G

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Sci-Fi + Mystery + Psychological + Supernatural

Average episode length: 23m

Number of episodes: 22

Number of seasons: 1

2. Corpse Party: Tortured Souls

暴虐された魂の呪叫-Bougyakusareta Tamashii no Jukyou

“To be killed by spirits, or to be killed by me. It’s all the same. Everyone is going to die anyway.”

Corpse Party Tortured Souls is one of the most dreadful anime you could watch. Based on a video game series and a manga by the same name, this one portrays some of the most violent and gruesomest scenes. Corpse Party follows the aftermath of a farewell ritual conducted by nine high schoolers; this has the unfortunate consequence of sending them to an alternate dimension where horrifying murders start to take place.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Asread

Trailer: Click here.

Genre: Mystery + Horror + Supernatural

Average episode length: 29m

Number of episodes: 4

Number of seasons: 1

List containing this anime: Top 16 Most Violent, Bloody and Gory Anime

3. Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories

闇芝居 - Theater of Darkness

“Goodness, how scary.”

As the name suggests, Ghost Stories is an episodic repertoire of old sinister Japanese Folklore and dark superstition. Each episode is four minutes long and follows a new story depicted in a theatrically dreadful art style.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: ILCA

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Dementia + Horror + Supernatural

Average episode length: 4m

Number of episodes: 104

Number of seasons: 8

4. SHIKI

屍鬼 - Corpse Demon

“If I was the protagonist in this story, I’m sure someone would come save me. It would be like a miracle. But I have no one to save me. There is no god who would grant me a miracle. I’m a murderer, after all. But I’ve done nothing bad. All I did was feed myself. If I hadn’t, I would have starved to death. Would it have been better that way? Am I evil because I didn’t let myself starve to death? Give me an answer, Muroi-san! I didn’t willingly become such a creature. But if I have a life, shouldn’t I treasure it? Is that a sin? Muroi-san! This is what it means to be abandoned by God.”

You will either love or hate Shiki. There are no in-betweens. This horror anime brings out true human dead and horror through its creepy and tragic scenes and plot. It tells the story of a remote village where a sudden epidemic begins to run rampant.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Daume studio (Shut down)

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Mystery + Horror + Psychological + Supernatural + Thriller + Vampire

Average episode length: 23m

Number of episodes: 22 + 2 Special extra episodes

Number of seasons: 1

List containing this anime: Top Dark Psychological Thriller Anime That Will Have Your Skin Crawling -[II]-

5.BOOGIEPOP PHANTOM

ブギーポップは笑わない - BUGĪPOPPU WA WARAWANAI

“When you have no dreams... when you can’t imagine a future, that means something in this world is flawed”

Boogiepop Phantom follows a non-linear style of storytelling, where episodes are divided into self-contained arcs. This anime is a complex psychological horror revolving around a mysteriously enigmatic entity known as Boogiepop, who is rumored among the students of Shinyo Academy to murderer people when they are in their prime.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Madhouse

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Psychological + Supernatural + Dementia + Mystery + Drama + Horror

Average episode length: 23m

Number of episodes: 12 (2000 series not 2019)

Number of seasons: 1

List containing this anime: Top Dark Psychological Thriller Anime That Will Have Your Skin Crawling -[II]-

6. School-Live!

がっこうぐらし！- Gakkou Gurashi!

“It’s sad that nothing can last forever, but I think it’s better that way.”

School-Live first comes off as a cute anime, but it is anything but. Instead, it is a psychological survival show that might scar you for life if you are not careful. We'll leave you with this little bit of plot so as not to spoil your viewing experience: Yuki Takeya loves her school so much that she does not ever want to leave it.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Lerche

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Horror + Mystery + Psychological + School + Slice of Life

Average episode length: 24m

Number of episodes: 12

Number of seasons: 1

7. THE PROMISED NEVERLAND

約束のネバーランド - YAKUSOKU NO NEBĀRANDO

“Is this place a farm? Are we all… food? No, it can’t be. Everyone found foster homes. And Mom… It was the usual, kin Mom, right? We were mistaken. That girl wasn’t Conny, right?”

The Promised Neverland is vastly a character-driven story also devoid of any outstanding gore or jump scare. Instead, it offers plenty of disturbing images and manages to create the creepiest atmosphere an anime can craft - at least in its first season because the second season is only scary because it’s so bad. The story centers around a group of orphans who discover the spine-chilling truth behind their ephemeral happy lives at the Grace Field orphanage.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: CloverWorks

Trailer: Link

Genre: Sci-Fi + Mystery + Horror + Psychological + Thriller + Shounen

Average episode length: 23m

Number of episodes: 23

Number of seasons: 2

List containing this anime: Top Dark Psychological Thriller Anime That Will Have Your Skin Crawling -[I]-

8. Happy Sugar life

ハッピーシュガーライフ

“I won’t let anyone stand in the way of my love. Even if it sends me to hell.”

Happy Sugar life also comes across as another traditional kawaii anime but has a very different reality. Here we meet Satou Matsuzaka, a high schooler with a kind and easy-going demeanor who lives alone with a Mio, a younger girl she loves. Satou is willing to cross every line there is so that nobody disturbs her 'happy sugar life' with Mio. Yes, the plot sounds very dumb, but hey, it works.

Studio: Ezo'la

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Horror + Psychological + Drama + Shounen + Shoujo Ai

Average episode length: 24m

Number of episodes: 12

Number of seasons: 1

9. Shinsekai Yori

新世界より - From The New World

“We ultimately fear what spawns from within us.”

Shinsekai Yori is set in a paradise-like world where the young 12-year-old Saki Watanabe finally awakens to her psychic power. While happy to rejoin her friends to learn more about her abilities, Saki is still curious about the children who were unable to awaken to these powers and starts investigating the rumors about cats abducting them. As she looks into their disappearance, she starts to uncover the truth about her society and the fate of her nonspecific friends. Here, the horror of the manga is more subdued; instead, it envelops itself in a menacing atmosphere full of moral dread and elevated creepiness.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: A-1 Pictures

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Drama + Horror + Mystery + Psychological + Sci-Fi + Supernatural

Average episode length: 22 Minutes 

Number of episodes: 25 

Number of seasons: 1

10.PARANOIA AGENT

妄想代理人 - MŌSŌ DAIRININ

“Prophetic Vision: To begin, a rabbit jumps behind the moon. What is it that the black rabbit sees on the horizon with his big red eyes? A fish on the land has trouble when he is stepped on by cows. The playful palace where the butterfly dances vanishes away. At twilight, the cows starts it by chance and the goodness continues. The golden fox grins at you. And Then…
”

Paranoia Agent is set in modern-day Tokyo, where rumors of a middle school Kid going around attacking people are becoming more and more rampant. Victims pile at the Police station, but none of them can even recall the face of the culprit. Full of chilling supernatural themes, this petrifying psychological horror is considered another masterpiece of Satoshi Kon.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Madhouse

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Mystery + Dementia + Police + Psychological + Supernatural + Drama + Thriller

Average episode length: 24m

Number of episodes: 13

Number of seasons: 1

List containing this anime: Top Dark Psychological Thriller Anime That Will Have Your Skin Crawling -[I]-

11. Mononoke

モノノ怪

“What I fear most is the knowledge that the edge of the world exists without Form, Truth, or Regret.”

Mononoke takes a different approach to the horror genre and chooses to cast itself in an eerie atmosphere full of pastel-colored undertones. The psychological effect that Mononoke has on its viewers is hard to describe. The anime makes use of simple horror elements like muffled voices, heart-wrenching screams, and jump scares but manages to rebirth these concepts through artistic renderings where dread and horror merge with beauty and wonder. The story follows a Medicine Seller named, Kusuriuri, who travels to exorcise monsters known as Mononoke.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Toei Animation

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Mystery + Dementia + Police + Psychological + Supernatural + Drama + Thriller

Average episode length: 22m

Number of episodes: 12

Number of seasons: 1

12. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

ひぐらしのなく頃に - When the Cicadas Cry

“You can never win if you’re afraid to lose so much that you refuse to put up a fight.”

Higurashi is by far the most horrific and uncomfortable anime you could ever watch: If you want to feel pure dread while watching an anime, this is it. This anime follows Keiichi Maebara, who moves to the quiet village of Hinamizawa. After quickly becoming friends with Mion, Rena, Satoko, and Rika, Keiichi enjoys his idle days in the remote town. But as fate might have it, the annual festival of Hinamizawa approaches, and Keiichi discovers a mysterious series of deaths that seem to happen every year in the village around the same time.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Studio Deen

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Mystery + Dementia + Horror + Psychological + Supernatural + Thriller

Average episode length: 24m

Number of episodes: 103+ specials

Number of seasons: 7

13. Another

アナザー

“Death isn’t kind. It’s dark and black and as far as you can see you’re all alone. There’s no one else.”

Another is an anime packed full of terror, blood, and extremely gory depictions of death. If, for you, horror is synonymous with gore, then look no further. The plot follows Kouichi, Mei, and their classmates as they get inevitably pulled into a series of murders that seem to surround their class.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: P.A. Works

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Mystery + Horror + Supernatural + Thriller + School

Average episode length: 24m

Number of episodes: 12

Number of seasons: 1

List containing this anime: Top 16 Most Violent, Bloody and Gory Anime