The Halloween season is in full swing and with All Hallow’s Eve a few days away, what better time than now to dive into some of the most terrifying anime that have ever been created over the years of the medium? From vampires to werewolves to demons, anime hasn’t been afraid to venture forth into the worlds of the creatures of the night, while also taking the opportunity to dive into psychological horror as well, which is definitely something we wanted to highlight within this list of haunted anime stories!
What is your favorite spooky anime series? What’s the scariest moment in all of anime? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and all things spooky!
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Jujutsu Kaisen
We might as well start off with the front runner for one of the biggest new anime of the fall season in Jujutsu Kaisen, which happens to center around battling giant monstrosities that go by “curses”. While the series has a set up that is synonymous to series such as Bleach and Yu Yu Hakusho, the monsters that we’ve seen Yuji take on so far have been some of the most ghastly in anime existence. If you’re looking for a new anime for the fall season that is packed with action and also has a hint of the macabre, Jujutsu Kaisen is definitely what you’re looking for.
Hellsing Ultimate
The story of Alucard and the organization named Hellsing is one of the most popular anime franchises ever released, and focuses entirely on the bloody battles of the vampire king and the enemies that stand in his path. While the original Hellsing is no slouch, Hellsing Ultimate is essentially the “Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood” to the original. Though Hellsing doesn’t seem to be returning any time soon, it remains one of the most iconic franchises in the world of anime when it comes to all things vampires.
Devilman Crybaby
Devilman Crybaby isn’t simply horrific thanks in part to the insane designs of the monsters that populate the series, but the anime itself is definitely one of the most nihilistic within the medium and ends on a note that will have you pondering the meaning of life while struggling with the events that just transpired. Science Saru, the animation studio responsible for this trippy entry, did a fantastic job of not only capturing the horror of the creatures that the protagonist Devilman must fight in a bid to save the world, but the energy of the world and its characters. Definitely one worth checking out if you don’t mind blood and psychological horror to boot!
Monster
Monster has no “monsters” that crawl through the night, but rather, takes a page from the likes of The Omen, following a surgeon who inadvertently saves the life of a man who is destined to become the “Anti-Christ”. With the anime series running over the course of seventy four episodes, Monster is definitely an investment but it is one worth taking the time to watch as the anime series remains one of the best horror series to ever be made within the medium!
Gyo
Junji Ito is about to make waves with the upcoming adaptation of his classic work of Uzumaki landing on Adult Swim in 2021, and while he had an anime series in Junji Ito Collection that translated a number of his short stories, we would be remiss if we didn’t push for fans to watch the feature length film adaptation of his creepy tale of Gyo. Gyo clearly isn’t a series but it makes the list simply due to our love of this insane story. Ito’s strength in horror has been not only his insanely detailed art work, but creating situations and scenarios that we’ve otherwise never seen before in the world of terror. Aquatic life growing spider legs and attacking the surface world certainly falls under the bill and as a bonus, this movie was produced by the same studio responsible for Demon Slayer’s anime!
