| I am an big fan of horror anime. But the things that thing that bugs me is that many horror anime don't really aim to be “scary” or just fall flat on trying to be. Which anime gave you goosebumps? Would really appreciate an answer! |
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| I'd say these two. https://myanimelist.net/anime/934/Higurashi_no_Naku_Koro_ni https://myanimelist.net/anime/11111/Another |
“Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” ― Mark Twain |
| I'd say give Yami Shibai a chance and Kagewani, though some episodes are obvious hit/miss I'd still say its worth checking out given its runtime or 4 min. and 7 min. respectively |
| Higurashi comes to mind. The first season was bone-chilling. |
| Stay Home and Wash Your Hands. Protect Yourself. Protect Your Loved Ones. Protect Your Community and Help Defeat Coronavirus. |
| Anime doesn't do that great with horror I feel, from what I have seen personally. I think the best horror anime I liked was that one based on a video game called corpse party. |
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| Horror doesn't need to be scary, if that is the case, then it's kinda like looking for jumpscares that overused so much now. Though, as everyone else has said, I would go with Higurashi too. |
| Higurashi and Shinsekai yori are among the best anime in history. If you specifically want a supernatural horror, it's harder question, Shiki is the only decent one I have ever watched. |
"The Slave is the have-not, the oppressed one with nothing to spare. But because the Slave is in that despairing situation, having nothing, it can kill the Emperor !" |
| Happy Sugar Life it's psychological horror if you want that. |
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| The Promised Neverland had some pretty intense jump scare moments. Try sitting in a dark room with a headset & big screen and seeing episode 1 for the first time. |
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| Another was probably the creepiest anime that I’ve watched, but I haven’t really found anything that’s that scary. There’s also Ghost Hunt and When They Cry. Those are the closest to what you are looking for that I can think of. |
| none. Anime horror is piss poor if I'm being honest and that's coming from someone who is a fukin pussy when it comes to that genre lol If I had to say, the 2 scariest (more like creepiest tbh) would have to be either Aku no Hana because of its overall atmosphere, or Higurashi. That or ep.6 of ef:Melodies lol |
 'On-Hold' is another way for a completionist to say 'Dropped' |
| Out of all the anime I've seen including horror the only one I've actually felt closest to being effective at the creeping dread and exhilaration aspect of horror has been the first season of Higurashi, which is a psychological horror with some body horror elements. But, you know, as someone who considers horror a favorite genre but doesn't actually find the vast majority of horror "scary" in the classic sense of the word, inside or outside of anime, I would say that I wish more people would come to realize there is a lot more to horror than inciting a personally experienced level of fear in the viewer. The purpose of horror to me is, as with any other genre, first and foremost to tell an interesting story worth watching. And I don't really like how horror has been bastardized in recent years to be taken to mean it must incite some personal visceral level fear at the sensory level, like make someone scream, have their heart race, or physically jump out of their seat or it's not doing its job. To me, if you want to experience that thrill, go on a rollercoaster or visit a haunted house. Hell, go skydiving, hunting or target shooting, or leave a few balloons scattered around the lights in your house. Horror, I would argue just as much so in anime and animation even if it's severely underutilized, is capable of putting out some of the best stories anywhere. Making someone scream or jump from a cacophony of loud jarring noises or surprise moments or faces is more of a collection of sensory stimuli. I tend to think most horror which resorts to falling back on it is painfully aware they don't have a greater story to tell and can't rely on the strength of their plot. If you want a horror anime that is most similar to a lot of live action horror films I've seen like 80s, 90s, and 2000s teen slashers, then watch Another, since it basically feels like the Final Destination movies, but I think that's a far cry from making it great. There aren't a lot of anime which ape Western styles of horror from the past 30 or so years. But as a horror fan from even before entering the anime world, most of those Western horrors are lazy and lacking interesting characters or ideas in their stories too. This is just an observation, but I've noticed over the years that all the horrors explicitly designed and marketed to scare viewers rather than on the strength of their story are all very weak. You might find more horror worth watching when you stop worrying so much about whether it's actually personally "scary" since this will vary among every single individual anyway and no one can possibly tell you something so intimate about your own response stemming from your own mind and nature in advance. But just as I can enjoy something listed as a comedy or including comedy in the genres without laughing once if the story and characters are still worthwhile, I can enjoy a horror even without personally being frightened or moved to being disturbed in that way, which I almost never am. And there's plenty of horror like that, which may make you think, wonder, or even cry before scream. That exists in anime too, even if it's still one of the most underdeveloped and neglected genres. So the best horror anime I've seen to date, As said, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (1st season) + Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (2nd season). First season is Mystery & Horror. Second season is more Mystery & Thriller/Suspense. First season has a very particular brand of horror that may be the only thing in anime which ends up scaring you in that sense. Shiki (Horror, Drama, and Thriller) Elfen Lied (Horror, Drama, and Romance) Kiseijuu (Horror, Sci-Fi, and Action) Happy Sugar Life (Horror Drama) Petshop of Horrors (Horror Mystery) Chika Gentou Gekiga: Shoujo Tsubaki (Horror, Drama, and Historical) Mononoke (Horror, Psychological, and Historical) Those are the ones (that I've seen and would recommend) which I would say are primarily horror, rather than just including horror as a secondary or subgenre due to horror elements but it not being the driving focus of the story (Berserk, Dorohedoro, etc.) Also, Another seems to have a somewhat mixed and divisive recent legacy but is very popular in some circles so you might like it, particularly if you like the type of Western slashers that have been out in theaters in the past few decades. |
WatchTillTandavaJul 18, 2020 9:17 PM
| Another Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror Itou Junji: Collection |
| Mushishi scared the hell out of me on couple of occasion. It's actually the only anime that managed to scare. The story behind Shiki is dark af, but scenes on the screen were meh. |
| I don't get scared from horror related anything, but if I wanted to suggest someone then I'd probably say any thing from Junji Ito, seriously, that guy makes some scary shit |
 I said keep your hands on the table |
810Teams said: I'd say these two. https://myanimelist.net/anime/934/Higurashi_no_Naku_Koro_ni https://myanimelist.net/anime/11111/Another Those two are more gory tbh imo. Not creepy or scary at all. Imo: - Shiki. Some scenes are actually creepy. The freaky hair style, empty eyes and black sklera gives a nice creep, lol. - Tasogare Otome x Amnesia It's mostly comedy ecchi, but the meat of the story actually quite creepy. The ghost's "evil" persona gave me quite the creep and her backstory is also kinda disturbing too. - Shinsekai Yori All through creepy atmosphere and world. It's a really well done story imo. Some scenes are really one of the creepiest in anime for me. |
 OTP: KidLaw | IzuKatsu | GureShin | EruRi | AoKi | See more!» My art » My translation » Doujinshi collection » Favorite Kurobas doujinshi  BISHIES X RAP |
| Perfect Blue is the only good horror anime. |
| As a different answer, try "Barefoot Gen". Not tagged as horror, but definitely is one, a war horror to be specific. I just watched it yesterday and it gave me nightmares. I think that'd be a good fit. |
| . . . |
| Like others have said, Higurashi is a good choice. Though i'd also recommend Shiki, Perfect Blue and Monster. |
  𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 - 𝘓𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭 |
| I'm surprised anyone is suggesting The Promised Neverland, when the Manga does a much better job of eliciting a sense of spine chilling horror. Manga, in general, does a lot better job of conveying horror elements than I believe anime ever will. When some elements of horror are left to your imagination, it will often do a much better job than whatever a company is trying to feed to you as being "the worst possible xx" [monster, ending, etc]. I suggest any of Ito's work re: manga. It's really easy to find horror manga vs. truly unnerving anime. Some of these are a little more esoteric/mixed bag instead of just straight horror. Madoka Magica Paranoia Agent Boogiepop Phantom Blood C GANTZ [gore] Elfen Lied [gore] Mnemosyne Dusk Maiden of Amnesia Sankarea Shiki [if you can look over the visuals..] Mononoke Baccano! Junji Ito Collection Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories Blue Gender Ghost Hunt TOKKO Monster Perfect BLue The Flowers of Evil Serial Experiments lain Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek |
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| The only one i can think of is Another and its not scary its just freaky. and I havnt watched Blood+ but i heard it was pretty freaky if you didnt watch you should go check it out |
| Don't fuck up the present, it's connected to your future! |
| None. But visual media in general isn't very scary to me because nothing can be as scary as the imagination - so books are really the only media that can work as horror for me. Although anime definitely ranks dead last compared to TV Series and Movies as far as scariness of visual media is concerned. |
| I probably regret this post by now. |
| Ghost Stories is really scary. They add much more creepy dialogue in the dub so I'd recommend the dub experience. I pissed my pants 10/10 |
| This anime shit is addictive |
| Watch Perfect Blue (a movie), its pretty scary or Shinsekai Yori if u want something more longer. |
| All weebs creatures of the galaxy, hear this message. Those of you who listen will not be struck by western animation. You will no longer know hunger, nor pain. Your Anime have come to lead you now. Our strength shall serve as a luminous sun toward which all intelligence may blossom. And the impervious shelter beneath which you will prosper. However, for those who refuse our offer and cling to their western animation ways… For you, there will be great wrath. |
| Another is genuinely scary, give it at least 3 episodes and you'll see. |
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| Ghost Hunt is the only scary anime I ever watch. The other one is Corpse Party. |
| Some horror stories fails because think that to horrorify the audience, you just need to force graphic content. While the secret is 1st you make them identify and care a bit with the characters, then surprise modafoca. Higurashi for example, just is like a comedy to me, because everything was made to be a simple excuse for GORE. Nothing more. |
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| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. There are others that successfully delivered dark eerie atmospheres such as Another, Shinsekai Yori and Shiki. |
Moony_SeaDec 10, 2022 11:51 AM
| 11037 |
| +1 to Higurashi and Shiki, together the best in genre. There are plenty of old horror themed OVA, so knowing a few of them probably is desirable for a genre fan. Roughly in order of my rating: https://myanimelist.net/anime/2354/Devilman__Tanjou-hen (whole franchise) https://myanimelist.net/anime/1556/Kikoushi_Enma (Go Nagai) https://myanimelist.net/anime/258/Hitsuji_no_Uta (existentialist vampires) https://myanimelist.net/anime/1384/Kyuuketsuhime_Miyu (Quiet Gothic) https://myanimelist.net/anime/514/Cossette_no_Shouzou (Akiyuki Shinbou) https://myanimelist.net/anime/1658/Karakuri_no_Kimi (Ninja) https://myanimelist.net/anime/300/3x3_Eyes (demons and road trip trough China) https://myanimelist.net/anime/2346/Koroshiya_1_The_Animation__Episode_0 (really sick) |
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| Horror was never appealing to me, but I used this thread as a try to change my mind. Watched Perfect Blue, and it's still not appealing. |
| Imagine how boring this world would be without Japan - a comment at youtube |
| It's rare to find actually scary anime horror, which probably comes down to the medium itself. It's not as much in the creepy category as movies because it's not as close to reality, nor as creepy as books because you don't imagine it. I think that's why many fall flat. That being said Ghost Hunt really scared me on several occasions, especially the second case. It's a shame that so few people mentioned it. Ghost Hound was also pretty good. Shiki wasn't that scary, but it was a good horror nonetheless. Same for Shinsekai Yori. Another is good at times, but it's pretty meme-y at others, but it was a fun watch. |
| I really don't get or relate to the mindset at all of those saying anime cannot be scary or is less scary by virtue of being animated; another version of cartoon. Fear and fright are concepts. They are ideas which can be conveyed. Why would something animated be less effective in conveying these ideas than live action? Because the animated figures aren't "real"? That doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever. By that same token, why would any book be frightening or any live action film or television show? They aren't "real" either. They're just ink printed on a page and something displaying electronically on a screen. It's not like they're flesh manifest in the same room with you that you can touch and smell. Live action and literary horror doesn't seem any more "real" or tangible to me than animated horror. All of them are just different ways of conveying ideas and concepts. It's up to your own mind to do the rest and translate them effectively getting to the root of what they're examining. All are probably dependent on how imaginative you are and how much of a chance you're actually giving them; be willing to open your mind and actually think. The onus is on the viewer or reader; the medium a mere conduit. CrimsonMidnight said: 810Teams said: I'd say these two. https://myanimelist.net/anime/934/Higurashi_no_Naku_Koro_ni https://myanimelist.net/anime/11111/Another Those two are more gory tbh imo. Not creepy or scary at all. Another is definitely more focused on shock value violence and surprise scares than plot or setting mood and atmosphere, especially in the latter half, which is what I didn't particularly care for about it. Higurashi however is a great deal more psychological and atmospheric than actually gory. The violent scenes in Higurashi all have purpose and aren't just random or for shock, and it's unfortunate that it seems like most people's exposure to or awareness of the series stems from a lot of internet videos from the mid-late 2000s on just cutting all the violent scenes together as if there isn't a great more to the story involving its writing, characterization and themes rather than just the acts of violence which probably comprise 1% of its runtime. I feel like people who only like and hype up Higurashi online at the very shallow level, for its depiction of violence alone, have sadly ruined the reputation and popular awareness of this anime for everyone else. It's really regrettable. |
WatchTillTandavaJul 24, 2020 1:40 PM
| The only anime to successfully "scare me" (more so just made me really disturbed and anxious) was Perfect Blue. It was an amazing movie in my opinion. |
| I don't know what Japan think about the "horror" genre in general , I feel like they are aiming more on making me feel disgusted than scared , the amount of blood ect is unnecessary , what can make an anime scary for me is the story and haw the characters interact with each others , I didn't whatch higurachi so the only anime that made me feel a little bit scared is "another"... |
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