I’m a big Junji Ito fan, but I haven’t really found any good anime that come close to matching the creepiness of his manga stories, including that one Junji Ito anime series that’s out there. I think the closest I’ve seen is Mononoke, though honestly I haven’t seen a ton of anime, so maybe I’m missing something. I thought I’d ask to see what you all might suggest in terms of genuinely creepy/unsettling/dark anime movies or series, either similar to Ito’s stuff or whatever else you think is good.
Any suggestions?
Hopefully Uzumaki anime will be good. Unfortunately there aren’t that many good horror anime out there- especially with Junji Ito’s distinctive mix of the macabre and absurd. Imma just gonna parrot Mother’s Basement:
Higurashi: When They Cry is pretty decent horror anime, written by a former social worker. There’s stuff here that’s genuinely uncomfortable regarding abuse, so cw for that. Just don’t watch the more recent remake/sequels Gou and Sotsu.
Shiki is just Salem’s Lot set in Japan, but it works. Also, vampire’s as metaphor for capitalists and all that.
Gakkou Gurashi’s first episode is a masterclass in horror direction. Rest of the show, not so much, but it’s still pretty neat if you can stand the (albeit tame) lolicon pandering. Also, zombies as metaphor for labour under capital and all that.
The Promised Neverland… yeah, go in blind, if you can. And stop after season 1.
The Promised Neverland… yeah, go in blind, if you can. And stop after season 1.
Or read the manga! Though it becomes something completely different after the end point of season 1, it’s still good. But seconding the advice to pretend season 2 doesn’t exist, it’s really bad.
That Mother’s Basement video is great, and I agree with most of their points, though I think they could have gone further with industry practices/structure as a reason for lack of good anime horror. Seems like a lot of it comes down to the fact that animation studios are pressured to generate standard popular anime content as cheaply as possible, and straying from that standard format is avoided for being too difficult/expensive, though there are some standouts like Mononoke.
Shiki and Higurashi I’ll definitely check out. I haven’t heard of the other two mentioned, but I’ll look into those as well.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica certainly has Psychological Horror elements. its structured a lot like a mystery so beware clicking on this spoiler, it will take some reveals Away from the show. it’s Fucking Amazing although At The Time was pretty experimental and the animation funding is iffy at times. the writing is impeccable though. if you enjoy the show you have to watch Rebellion, just because it’s amazing to see what they do with an actual animation budget, and it also wraps up sooo many of the questions you’re left with for a much more satisfying ending.
spoiler
imagine… partriarchy as a force of nature/Trickster God that grooms (not sexual) girls, and that’s kind of where the horror comes from
I think “Another” pulls off a Final Destination type story line much more efficiently than anything else i’ve seen attempt it, but it’s still pretty mid at the end of the day, i have a soft spot for it though
i’ve never finished Paranoia Agent, but its directed by Satoshi Kon and is quite unsettling. because it’s Kon it’s a lot more respectful than the two above as well. would reccomend this one if you’re looking for something Think-y and Critically Well Done. it is the only TV show Kon did before his death (although he has a lot of movies)
overall though, i’ll say anime is not really well known for having a ton of super well done horror. both Paranoia Agent and PMMM aren’t really trying to be dedicated horror shows, and most of the ones that Are are known for being gore-fests, exploitative about female characters, etc. Basically it’s one of those genres that’s sadly very “anime” so you tend to have to look for psychological horror or other genre-fusions.
Anime isn’t really the best medium for horror since the cartoony designs make it hard to take seriously, but there’s a few standouts out there.
If you can get past the pretty wacky character designs, Shiki is very good. But I’m really not joking about the character designs, at one point it cuts from a pretty serious scene to a guy with blue hair and cat ears strolling down the street dressed like a disco star with a v-neck extending all the way down to his dick and I lost my shit lmao. But other than that, it’s probably the closest anime to actual horror with some pretty fucked up scenes and unsettling atmosphere throughout.
Devilman Crybaby is not that creepy per se, at the start it’s basically like some superhero series but with a lot of sex and gore, but Devilman is pretty famous for it’s incredibly upsetting and dark latter part. The manga even warns the reader not to read any further at one point lmao. But it’s a pretty divisive show, either you enjoy the fun gorefest and fucked up ending or you think it’s trash, either way it’s worth giving a try.
Paranoia Agent is also not exactly horror, it’s pretty much a bit of every genre out there, but the horror parts of it do manage to convey genuine dread and panic. It’s Satoshi Kon’s last completed project before his unfortunate death, and it’s very very good.
And speaking of Satoshi Kon, of course, there’s Perfect Blue, which is not just the perfect horror anime but maybe one of the most unsettling movies out there. There’s few movies that manage to be this creepy and fuck with the viewer to this extent.
Someone else mentioned Perfect Blue and that looks like something I’d like. I’ll definitely look into the other recommendations as well.
