If you're looking for a new horror anime to watch before Halloween, here are some suggestions based on the types of scary movies you love!
The Halloween season is a big time for fans to revisit classic horror media to prepare for the year's festivities. From watching movies like John Carpenter's Halloween to playing the Resident Evil games, there's plenty of horror out there to get people in the Halloween spirit. As such, there are tons of anime out there for people looking for something spooky to watch. Of course, with the amount of anime out there, it can be difficult to know where to look and what show will best fit the type of horror you love most. There are numerous subgenres in horror because of the different fears people have. So, the best way to know where to begin is to start with what you're familiar with. Knowing the kind of horror movies you like can help narrow down searches and help you find that next anime gem.
The Perfect Anime Horror For You Based on Your Favorite Scary Movie Type
Here are some of the best horror anime to get you started based around the types of horror movies that you love most!
Slasher Movies: Watch Another
For fans of horror movies like Friday the 13th and Halloween, the perfect anime to watch for spooky season is Another. In fact, most viewers will realize that it's actually pretty similar to the Final Destination franchise in concept. The series follows a cursed classroom in the town Yomiyama with a spirit that doesn't know that they're dead. Due to the paranormal imbalance, students begin to die in different (and gruesome) ways one-by-one. Another is a stylistically-unique series because of how well it handles its suspense. Viewers never know who will die next, and there's an overarching mystery to keep viewers engaged. This is the perfect horror anime for those that want a body count in their scary stories.
Paranormal/Occult Movies: Watch Corpse Party: Tortured Souls
2009's Paranormal Activity brought renewed interest for ghostly happenings in horror movies, so Corpse Party: Tortured Souls is absolutely perfect for fans of this subgenre—if they can handle some heavy violence! The miniseries follows a group of school students as they're transported to a supernatural realm haunted by the ghosts of the past. As they explore, the spirits become more aggressive and threaten their chances of finding a way home. This series is based on the JRPG video game of the same name and has garnered a reputation for being one of the most ultra-violent anime ever created. It's certainly not for the faint of heart. However, if disturbing imagery is something you can handle, this is a fascinating ghost story with clever twists and turns that will keep viewers engaged through its short four-episode runtime.
Vampire Movies: Watch Shiki
Children of the night will get a real kick out of this unique anime revolving around vampires. Shiki explores the town of Sotoba where mysterious deaths begin to happen. After a girl named Megumi Shimizu goes missing, she's found with bite marks on her before supposedly passing away from what appears to be anemia. This leads to the local hospital realizing that something more supernatural is at play with the possibility of vampire-like creatures called Shiki walking among them. This anime is a fascinating look at a different kind of vampire for those that want to extend beyond the traditional Bela Lugosi-fare. While there aren't necessarily bats and wooden stakes, there are enough familiar vampire tropes for fans to sink their teeth into.
Alien Movies: Watch Parasyte
Sci-fi horror fans may find a new favorite series with Parasyte. Taking a page from John Carpenter's classic 1982 film The Thing, the show reveals that aliens have begun taking over and latch onto the human brain to hide from the non-infected. However, one high school student named Shinichi discovers that one of these parasites has taken hold of him ... but just his hand. With the two having to coexist, they work together to take on other parasites so that they can both continue to survive. This series uses its visuals in such a clever way that it's impossible not to find some joy in it. The transformation sequences use body horror in the best ways possible while delivering some treats for action fans.
Zombie/Undead Movies: Watch School-Live!
Japan has created countless anime with the popular undead creatures, but none have been quite as unique as School-Live! Luring viewers in with an opening segment that outright lies to the audience, this series follows a group of girls living at the school going on countless misadventures. The catch? It's told from the perspective of a girl who's had a mental break and believes that everything is fine when everyone is really the final survivors of the zombie apocalypse. This series does an amazing job subverting the typical zombie narrative present in most anime and giving its own spin to make it really standout. Plus, it has just the right amount of emotional moments to make it worthy enough to be up there with Night of the Living Dead.
Horror Comedy Movies: Watch Mieruko-Chan
For the not-so-bold that prefer humor with their horror, Mieruko-Chan is the perfect substitute. Following a girl name Mieruko who can see horrifying spirits, the show takes viewers on a pretty humorous journey as she tries to work around her power and not make it known that she can see them. The humor is incredibly funny while injecting some horrifying imagery for the ghosts that make it a must-watch for those that don't want to see something that will upset them too much.
Where to Watch Horror Anime
All of these shows can currently be bought on physical media with a few available through streaming services like VRV and Crunchyroll. Some can be a bit harder to come by, but they are certainly worth seeking out. There's an abundance of horror anime out there, and these are just a few of the anime classics.