It’s the Halloween season, and that means it’s the perfect time to watch shows and movies with some sort of monster or horror themes, including anime. Granted, anime, unlike Western media, doesn’t typically make things themed specifically around Halloween, but either way, there’s no shortage of stories that are perfect for the season.
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Whether it’s stories that play into classic horror themes or add a new take on classic mythology, anime has plenty of stories with enough scary elements to make them perfect for binging on Halloween. A few anime like that especially stand out, and anyone looking for a good scare would be remiss not to give them a try.
7) Ghost Stories
In Studio Pierrot’s Ghost Stories, Satsuki Miyanoshita moves to her mother’s hometown after her untimely passing and discovers that she was once an exorcist who sealed away deadly ghosts. Said ghosts are now gradually being freed due to urbanization, and with her mother’s Ghost Journal, it’s up to Satsuki and her friends to exorcise the ghosts and protect the town.
While the original dub of Ghost Stories is a passable horror anime, Ghost Stories‘ infamous gag dub turns it into a hilarious black comedy that’s essentially the anime equivalent of South Park. That takes away much of the horror elements, but overall, it’s perfect for anyone who wants a more lighthearted monster story to watch on Halloween.
6) Soul Eater
In Bones Film’s Soul Eater, monsters exist and are a constant threat to people, especially witches, and under the guidance of Lord Death, students of the DWMA hone their abilities as Meisters and living weapons to defeat them and prevent the birth of a Kishin, with both parties bringing out the most in each other by harmonizing through soul resonance.
Soul Eater has a fairly campy take on horror that’s more akin to The Nightmare Before Christmas, but it still gets in a few scares with its monstrous villains, and even occasionally with the heroes. Add in the great writing and even greater action and animation, and Soul Eater is an amazing series to watch, regardless of the season.
5) Dandadan
Science Saru’s Dandadan stars Momo Ayase and Okarun, a pair of teens who awaken to supernatural abilities after an encounter with spirits and aliens. Unfortunately, that incident left Okarun without his genitals, thus sparking a quest to turn Okarun back to normal that, oddly enough, also sees a romance develop between Momo and Okarun.
Dandadan consistently utilizes its gorgeous animation to effectively convey the horror elements of its story, even those that don’t involve monsters, and with its great writing and thrilling action, it’s always enjoyable to watch unfold. All of that has led to Dandadan becoming something of a modern masterpiece, and with Dandadan season 3 in development, there’s plenty more in store.
4) Parasyte
In Madhouse’s Parasyte, alien parasites came to Earth one night and turned their hosts into bloodthirsty monsters who feed on humanity. By pure chance, Shinichi Izumi’s parasite, Migi, only possessed his right hand, and together, they’ll protect Shinichi’s home from the evil parasites, all while Shinichi repeatedly has to grapple with the slow decline of his humanity.
Not only does Parasyte perfectly play into the themes of body snatcher stories and the existential dread that comes with it, but it also has plenty of gore from start to finish that always looks incredible with the great animation. Add in how generally mature the narrative is, and Parasyte is a horror series unlike any other.
3) Dark Gathering
In OLM, Inc.’s Dark Gathering, Keitaro Gentoga wants to put his supernatural abilities behind him and be a normal college student, but that changes when he meets Yayoi, a girl with similar supernatural abilities who drags him into her mission to capture and enslave violent spirits to prepare for battle against the spirit that stole her mother’s soul.
From start to finish, Dark Gathering never failed to deliver some of the most horrifying monster designs in modern anime, and the direction, whenever it was on point, always used that to emphasize its gore and scares without fail. Add in the surprisingly strong writing, and Dark Gathering is an underrated classic every horror fan should see.
2) Higurashi When They Cry
Studio Deen’s Higurashi When They Cry stars Keiichi Maebara, a boy who makes a new group of friends after moving to the small country town of Hinamizawa. Not long after, though, Keiichi learns that the town is haunted by a string of murders and disappearances, and unfortunately, Keiichi and his friends all get involved in the worst of ways.
Despite its inconsistent animation and visuals, Higurashi When They Cry’s strong writing, insane plot twists, and perfect handling of jump scares and gore have made it one of the most iconic horror anime a person could watch. The recent sequel is very controversial and probably not worth watching, but fortunately, the original series is still an endearing classic.
1) Hellsing Ultimate
Hellsing Ultimate is an OVA series that serves as a reboot of the original Hellsing anime from 2001. Similar to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Hellsing Ultimate is a far more straightforward adaptation of its manga, the series squarely adapting the conflict between the Hellsing organization and the evil army of Nazi vampires known as Millennium.
Not only does Hellsing Ultimate have far stronger writing than the original anime by virtue of following the manga, but its gorgeous visuals make every episode a pure visual spectacle, especially when it’s depicting gore and other horrifying visuals. Few anime are better to watch than Hellsing Ultimate, and that’s especially true for anyone looking for a good Halloween anime.
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