Top 10 Creepy Anime To Watch This Halloween

It’s that spooky time of year again! But if you’re anything like me, the thought of going to a Halloween party makes your blood run cold. The phrase ‘trick-or-treat’ leaves you shaking and quaking in your little boots. But you know what calms those fears of mine? Watching anime. There’s nothing better than hanging out at home with all the lights off while binging a spooky cartoon. Here are my top 10 recommendations for anime to watch this Halloween.

From the New World

From the New World is a coming-of-age psychological horror that follows Saki and her friends as they learn to control and use their psychic powers in the ‘new world’. Living in this utopia comes at a cost though, as children that cannot awaken their psychic powers are ‘spirited away’. Saki and her friends endeavor to uncover the mystery behind these abductions, all while fighting the Queerats — humanoid mole rats who have begun to attack human villages. It’s up to Saki and her friends to discover the shocking and horrible truth behind their ‘perfect’ society.

You should watch this if: you’re suspicious of the government.

Higurashi: When They Cry

Higurashi is a psychological horror anime based on the visual novel of the same name. The series follows Keiichi, a middle-schooler who has moved to a small country town named Hinamizawa. He makes quick friends with a group of girls in the town, but a creepy story about the town’s annual festival starts to drive him insane. People going missing and being murdered are common occurences after the festival each year and Keiichi is left wondering who his true friends are. Despite being almost 10 years old now, the pure shock-value of the suspense and gore in the series has kept it as one of the most well-known horror anime of all time.

You should watch this if: you think slice-of-life needs more knives.

Another

Another is a supernatural horror anime about Kouichi — a transfer student in class 3-3. His classmates warn him against befriending Mei, the girl with the eyepatch at the back of the class. The rest of the students treat her as if she doesn’t exist, but Kouichi, like all good horror protagonists, doesn’t follow this advice, and immediately tries to befriend her. In doing so, he discovers that a curse has befallen the class and the rest of the students believe it is Mei’s fault. The curse is a yearly occurrence and often involves the students of 3-3 and their relatives being killed in some… interestingly gruesome ways. Kouichi and Mei need to work together to find out how to defeat the curse so that nobody else is killed.

You should watch this if: you have an imaginary friend with an eye-patch.

Paranoia Agent

In the psychological thriller, Paranoia Agent, the people of Musashino City are being tormented by Shounen Bat. The faceless, young teen skates around on his rollerblades at dangerous speeds and beats people with a golden baseball bat. His first victim is a young character designer, who is suspected to be lying about the assailant. She is believed only by one of the characters she has created, a talking pink dog named Maromi. Only when more people are attacked by the boy do the police start investigating. Anyone that comes into contact with Shounen Bat begins to struggle with what is reality and what is a dream, including the police officers.

You should watch this if: you’re scared of the kids down the road.

School-Live!

Yuki loves being with her friends in the School Living Club. They participate in various activities including: gardening, cooking, taking care of their dog Taroumaru and playing hide-and-seek. The students in this club learn to live independently through studying and enrichment. There’s just one rule to follow if you’re a part of the School Living Club. You cannot, under any circumstances, leave school. Ever. Easy enough, right?

You should watch this if: you’ve ever thought you could survive the apocalypse.

Serial Experiments Lain

Serial Experiments Lain is a journey into cyberspace, and what happens when the boundaries between the internet and reality begin to blur. Lain is a technophobe who is dragged into the Wired when she receives an email from a deceased classmate. The Wired is a virtual world that people use to communicate (it’s the internet but ~ cool ~. Imagine if Twitter was VR). Soon after entering the Wired, Lain starts to struggle with her perception of reality, and the choices she makes are changing both the Wired and her real life. It’s up to Lain to keep a tight grip on her sense of self so she doesn’t lose it completely.

You should watch this if: social media is ruining your life.

Perfect Blue

Perfect Blue is another psychological thriller from the genius director, Satoshi Kon (Paranoia Agent). Mima Kirigoe gives up her career as an idol to become an actress, but after she makes this career change, weird things start happening. Ominous phone calls and faxes, a crazy stalker, and violent incidents follow her wherever she goes. On top of all this, her fans are outraged at her career change, which puts stress on those who are close to her. Mima starts to question herself as her perception of reality is warped and the world around her becomes a mere reflection of her dreams.

You should watch this if: you feel like having an existential crisis.

Mononoke

Set in a time where yokai and ayakashi roamed freely throughout Japan, Mononoke follows the Medicine Seller, a man who is a master of all things mysterious. He travels throughout feudal Japan in search of mononoke (spirits known for their tendency to possess humans and animals in an attempt to cause suffering and death). When he finds these spirits, the Medicine Seller will attempt to learn about them before finally slaying them so they can rest in peace. With bright colours and surreal animation, Mononoke may not be the first horror anime you think of, but it’ll be the last when you go to sleep at night.

You should watch this if: you’re scared of the man standing at the foot of your bed.

The Junji Ito Collection

Known as the godfather of horror manga, Junji Ito is famous for his ability to create fear out of the absurd. The Junji Ito Collection is a collection of animated horror stories based on the works of our favourite spooky mangaka. The series itself is a bit of a let down if you’ve read any Junji Ito manga. It’s hard to translate Ito’s special brand of horror from the page to the screen. But if you’re looking for a spooky scary show to watch this Halloween, The Junji Ito Collection has imagery so gruesome and terrifying that it will remain etched in your brain — even after you’ve gone to bed.

You should watch this if: you think your town is cursed. It probably is.

Theater of Darkness: Yamishibai

Yamishibai is another collection of horror stories. Each episode is only four minutes long, meaning you can watch the whole series in just under an hour. Every episode of Yamishibai begins with the Storyteller — a man in a yellow mask who gathers his audience at dusk to listen to his unsettling tales. The Storyteller uses kamishibai (a traditional paper-scrolling device used in street theater) to help tell his stories with visuals. The art style of the series uses the kamishibai style, which makes for an even more unnerving experience as the animation is intentionally choppy. The stories in this collection are all based on Japanese urban legends and include things like: The Grudge but in a photocopier, and a curse where you must laugh for 12 hours straight or you’ll die.

You should watch this if: you’ve ever played ‘Bloody Mary’.

That about wraps it up. Hopefully these anime won’t give you too many nightmares. Happy Halloween! Good night, sleep tight, and don’t look under your bed -- I’m watching anime and eating snacks there.