10 Anime That Will Truly Terrify You
10 Anime That Will Truly Terrify You
Top 10 Nightmare Fuel Anime Deaths
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Anime That Will Truly Terrify You. For this list, we’ll be looking at anime that is sure to not only make you jump; it will also haunt your dreams. Which anime gave you nightmares? Let us know in the comments!
#10: “Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories” (2013-)
Japan is well-known for its many urban legends and myths. In “Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories,” a number of these spooky tales are told through the kamishibai style of storytelling. In each episode, an elderly man in a yellow mask recounts a handful of these stories to children on a playground. Some of these short-short stories are great for a quick scare, while others are genuinely horrifying. Since most of the tales have become well-known throughout Japanese history, the series will also teach you about its lore and culture. From ghosts to a disturbing taxidermy museum, you’re bound to get shivers down your spine.
#9: “Happy Sugar Life” (2018)
How far would you go to protect your own happy sugar life? In the case of Satō Matsuzaka, you may commit murder. Satō has not had an easy life, and when she meets the adorable Shio Kōbe, she decides to adopt her. Satō is so in love with Shio that she’s willing to take down anyone who she perceives as a threat to her relationship. Their relationship is downright toxic, and it’s Satō and many of the other characters' behavior that makes the series so disturbing. Sick, sad life would be the more appropriate title.
#8: “Woman Who Stole Fingers” (2010)
Sometimes the most pertifying moments can happen within the blink of an eye. This four-minute short, which is made up of charcoal-like sketches to add to its eerie tone, follows a young boy and his mother who have a very sweet relationship - until the son’s fingers turn into worms and slither away from him. Naturally, this isn’t very comfortable for the little boy. Made all the more unsettling due to the absence of dialogue or music, the short is an interesting commentary on overprotective mothers, “Woman Who Stole Fingers” has a very different take on what makes a happy ending.
#7: “The Flowers of Evil” (2013)
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Poor Takao just wants to read Charles Baudelaire. Alas, one day, he impulsively decides to steal the gym clothes of his crush. Unfortunately, another girl catches him in the act and blackmails him into a contract where he’s forced to do whatever she tells him. The series is not drawn traditionally; instead, the director used rotoscoping because he felt that the manga was so close to real-life. While some anime fans didn’t like the final look, the style actually adds another crepey element to the mix. It’s a twisted character study in the vein of an Alfred Hitchcock film and not to be brushed aside.
#6: “Parasyte” (2014-15)
Not to be confused with a certain academy award winner, “Parasyte” takes place in an idyllic Japanese town…until body snatching aliens appear. These creepy crawlies can take over a human by scurrying through any open orifice. When one of the parasites fails to enter high schooler Shinichi, it attaches itself to his arm and gains independent sentience. Surprisingly, both he and the parasite keep their own personalities. Together, they team up to battle the monsters threatening his loves. The series questions what it means to truly be a human, which is a concerning enough thought by itself without adding in mutating murder machines from outer space.
#5: “Another” (2012)
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The worst news you can receive as a transfer student is that your class is cursed. That’s what happens to Kōichi. Though he should have known things were wrong from the get go - a mysterious classmate who always wears an eyepatch, the class carrying on like a dead student is still alive. Major red flags. And then the killings start. While “Another” does have some horrifying moments, it’s also an unpredictable puzzler that will keep you on your toes. You don’t know who is going to get done-in next, and how they're going to meet their gruesomely creative end.
#4: “Midori-ko” (2010)
It took the director 13 years and approximately 30,000 drawings to complete. The result? A dystopian thriller that will creep you the hell out. Drawn in Sepia tones, each frame is composed of ghastly images. The film itself follows a vegan living in an apocalyptic version of Tokyo. She creates a “vegetable baby” that is designed to end the neverending famine. Unfortunately, everyone wants to eat the veggie before it can be harvested. The film’s trippy visual style only adds to the strangeness of the story. At times, you may not be able to fully understand what you are looking at, which somehow, just makes things worse.
#3: “Devilman: The Birth” (1987) & “Devilman: The Demon Bird” (1990)
If you go to a club and people start transforming into demons, it’s probably time to go home. Or if you are Akira, fuse your soul with a demon and become a hybrid on the warpath. Devilman goes on to try to save his fellow man in a wry commentary on superheroes, one that doesn’t skip out the graphic content. Both OVA’s delve into Akira’s suffering as he contends with the monsters in the hearts of mortals as well as Hell’s minions. There’s death, there’s torture, and none of it is quick and clean. Despite being made over 30 years ago, the films are far more terrifying than you would expect.
#2: “Perfect Blue” (1997)
It goes to show that fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. After leaving a J-Pop group, Mima decides to pursue a career as a serious actress. Unfortunately for her, one of her fans is not happy about her career change and begins to stalk her. Between the stresses of being stalked, taking roles she doesn’t want, and the danger that comes from social media, Mima slowly starts to lose her grip on reality, with her warped perspective making it impossible to discern between fictional and actual danger. The fact that all the horrors presented mirror modern day life is beyond unsettling, and somewhat prophetic.
#1: “Higurashi: When They Cry” Franchise (2006-)
Hinamizawa is an idyllic countryside village. Children play together during the charming Watanagashi Festival. Everything is fine and dandy - except for the fact that from the years questionable deaths keep happening. The franchise follows a group of kids as they try to solve the village’s longest held mystery - only to end up completely corrupted by it. The series is not for the faint of heart - with multiple time loops allowing for each member of the cast to either lose their lives in a vicious manner, or become the monster of the story and go on a killing spree. Yeah, not exactly a pleasant slice of life.
