Who doesn’t like some horror thriller, so its time to revisit some of the best horror anime that will make you feel shivers and goosebumps.

Anime has a miscellany of terrors to delight you with. Since the start of anime horror was on a more popular genre than others. It has been enchanting viewers with haunting myths. Using original stories or making an animation of a horrifying manga, it has become the powerhouse for some of the most insane and unique storytelling. 

While there are almost hundreds if not thousands of good horror anime. I have ranked some of my favorites below. From thrillers to serial killers, psycho to supernaturals it contains everything.

10. Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai (2013)

9. Tokyo Ghoul (2014)

8. Devilman Crybaby (2018) 

7. Paranoia Agent (2004)

6. Parasyte (2014)

5. Hellsing (2001)

4. Perfect Blue (1997) 

3. Boogiepop Phantom (2000)

2. Higurashi When They Cry (2006)

1. Death Note (2006)

10. Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai (2013)

This anime is truly something else, although the episode is 5 minutes in length it doesn’t take away just how horrifying it is. It will surely stay in your head for a long time. For horror stories, I am a total nerd at listening to them at the campfire side, and which child isn’t afraid of the dark if you are any of the above you will love this series. But these stories are far more creepy than that you got to listen. This short animated series takes on multiple horrors from a suspicious phone call to the dangerous rural village but all in an interesting and full of twists. It has released nine seasons so far which are enough to keep you wide awake at night.

9. Tokyo Ghoul (2014)

It is a futuristic sci-fi horror and it is based on a manga written by none other than Sui Ishida it’s equally scary and full of action and gore. Our protagonist is just a normal student enjoying his mundane life lives in a world where humans are in constant threat by human-devouring monsters known as ghouls. As society and people come face to face with the reality of them they desperately waver to come to equal terms. One normal day he got dragged into the world of ghouls by becoming one and retaining his human self to keep his emotion in check. While protecting his loved ones and friends from what he has become.

8. Devilman Crybaby (2018) 

One of the most ballsy and ostentatious horror shows. It is not your everyday horror show that you get to see. Adapted by the famous manga Devilman written by Go Nagai. This violence-filled dark anime never let you escape the rottenness that is in its core. In this tale, Ryo and Akira, best friends, are swept into the bloody world of demons where the latter becomes a purported Devilman. The friendship that they had is on the verge of crumbling as they come face-to-face with all kinds of demons and chaos creatures. This hell of a friendship has one of the most ghastly endings that is hard to shake off.

7. Paranoia Agent (2004)

Based on the portrayal and idea that Kon couldn’t fit into his moviemaking, the paranoia agent series was developed. Paranoia as its name contains, means the thin curtain between reality and fantasy and the heavy burden placed by society. It begins when a young woman gets attacked by a young man with a golden bat in his hand. As a result of a similar incident in the city, a multitude of theories are soon sparked and spread through the city. The deeper they go into the case, the weirder it gets for these two detectives.

6. Parasyte (2014)

Parasite is one of the most engaging and interesting horror anime that is loved by many. Written by a mangaka Hitoshi Iwaaki, the story is about a 17 year Shinichi Izumi. His day-to-day life in Fukuyama is turned upside down after the invasion of parasitics aliens. The aliens target the heads of their prey but in the case of Hitoshi, his parasite took his hand hostage now Hitoshi has to share his body with a parasitic alien. They have to work together to survive other parasitic attacks.

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5. Hellsing (2001)

One of the best Vampire anime on our list, but when it comes to pure chaos and horror we have to stick to it. In an imaginary history of England where vampires run amok, the mystifying Hellsing organization is the only line of defense against this bloodcurdling creature to draw the line between vampires and humans. The Hellsing organization and its leader the daughter of the popular vampire hunter Van Helsing have an ace up their sleeve a vampire name Alucard.

4. Perfect Blue (1997) 

Written by one of the most famed writers Satoshi Kon who is a master in storytelling while he had multiple hits, his haunting psychological thriller Perfect Blue is one of the most famous and impactful films. After leaving her J-idol group with a decision to make her dream true of becoming an actress and singer her life took a turn for bad as her life begin to fall apart. The veil between her real and fantasy life begins to blur as she was stalked by a fan of her from back in the day as J-idol. A brilliantly written this is a true horror that one can relate to leaving you guessing until the very end.

3. Boogiepop Phantom (2000)

After a sudden appearance of a mysterious light in the sky, unordinary and unexplainable events begin to take place. In a straggle ensemble story, the character is well connected together by a folkloric figure known as Boogiepop. Rumored to be the synonym for death, the urban legends grow large over these denuded tales as an outbreak of brutal murder resurfaces the interest in the mythic Boogiepop. The episode is connected with an encircling mystery around it. With each episode as creepy as any other.

2. Higurashi When They Cry (2006)

This sinuous time loop takes on a folklore of horror and follows a young boy Keiichi Maebara who lives in an idyllic peaceful rural village on Hinamizawa. But the dark history and secrets stirring around that seem to be connected to a strange government project. As Keiichi becomes more and more intertwined with the mystery, things get dimmer and dimmer in this absolutely brutal tale. If you love, a fan of puzzling storytelling and mystery killing with a conspiracy twist you’ll love this series. While the original run of the show is pretty challenging to find, there is an easily available rerun that launched in 2020 currently available on an app known as “HULU”. If you are not satisfied with it you can watch the prequel remake that was released in 2021.

1. Death Note (2006)

The most classy and one of the most famous series. This granting wish horror introduces viewers to the unseen world of Light Yagami, a super smart, high-IQ teenager who made a strange life-changing discovery. Finding Death Note is a mysterious and supernatural book that has the godly power to grant its user the ability to kill anyone whose name he writes on the page. As the power takes over him he started to kill anyone that doesn’t seem worthy of living to him. This makes him the most terrifying anime antagonist of all time. But the perplexing and intelligent detective only known as L is determined to solve the unnatural killing that all leads to Light. A dark horror that stays interesting and engaging is truly deserving to be on the top of this list.

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