It’s that time of year when fans of horror are gathering around to relax and watch some scary movies and shows. Unfortunately, the number of anime titles on that list may be lacking, mostly due to how little horror anime there actually is. There are plenty of anime with horror elements in it, like Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, but those are more action titles than dedicated horror series. Where is all of the good anime horror? In fact, screw all of this popular underwhelming horror anime like the Junji Ito Collection, where is all of the underrated horror anime?
Well, I wanted to throw out some recommendations for titles that definitely fit that bill of underrated horror anime that you may or may not have heard of. Anime is a fickle beast and while there are dozens of shows that release every couple of months and a handful of free horror anime to watch, some of the good ones are bound to slip through the cracks. Not only that, but titles that were released decades ago are often overlooked in favor of what’s new and exciting, so we’ll be sure to pay some respects to the classics as well. If you want some good scares this Halloween of the anime variety, here are a few recommendations for underrated horror anime you may not have heard of before!
RELATED: Jujutsu Kaisen Manga Chapter Release Date Schedule
Dark Gathering Is a Great Underrated Horror Anime
If you’re a fan of ghost stories, Dark Gathering has a lot of good tension and creative ghosts and ghouls to scratch that itch. The series involves a small group of friends, shepherded by a young girl named Yayoi, as they attempt to exorcise demons and ghosts afflicting locations and people. The series earns points for its dripping atmosphere and just how it commits to making sure that its ghosts are terrifying creatures. If you put this one on late at night, chances are you may be unnerved at how brutally these ghosts are punished for their crimes against the living. Plus if you want to watch it, it’s currently airing on HIDIVE, meaning new scares will be out leading up to Halloween! It’s been flying under the radar for most of this year, but it’s easily one of the best underrated horror anime in recent years.
Related: New Dragon Ball Anime Announced for 2024
Parasyte Is Like The Thing Meets They Live
A mix between The Thing and They Live, Parasyte is a series about a teenager named Shinichi who has an alien organism take possession of his arm after failing to fully assimilate with him. Because of this, he’s now aware of other alien parasites near him and their goal to fully assimilate humanity by any means necessary. While the second half of the show loses a bit of steam, the first half has some lovely little gruesome moments and a lot of existential horror as Shinichi comes to terms with his situation. The emotional moments hit pretty well here and body horror is juicy, making Parasyte a simple yet effective horror series.
Perfect Blue Is Better Than Black Swan
Directed by Satoshi Kon, Perfect Blue is a psychological horror movie about a young idol who is being stalked by one of her fans and is seeing hallucinations of herself wherever she goes. There are direct comparisons to be made to Black Swan, but Perfect Blue’s haunting atmosphere and paralyzing soundtrack elevate it above Darren Aronofky’s attempt at the same concept. It’s one of those movies that creeps into your mind slowly but surely but will leave an impression on you, even if the final scene isn’t exactly as wonderful as the rest of the movie. Perfect Blue put Satoshi Kon on the map, so give the late director the respect his first feature deserves and give it a watch if you haven’t done so.
Pet Shop Of Horrors Is the Original Underrated Horror Anime
Arguably the original underrated horror anime, Pet Shop of Horrors is a four-episode anthology series of sorts where each episode is able to tell its own unique and succinct story unrelated to one another. Each episode has a person come to the aforementioned pet shop and meet with its proprietor, Count D, who often sells them an animal that will help solve whatever problem they have. Of course, the pet shop has rules and if a client breaks those rules, then they’ll suffer the consequences. While it may not be the most creative in terms of setup, the individual stories all have a nice human element to them as they’re slowly twisted into something horrifying. These Faustian deals always have a price to pay and it’s engaging watching the punishments unfold onto people who may or may not deserve them. An oldie, but a goodie.
Related: The Exorcist is About the Horrors of Modernity
Zombie Land Saga Is a Wonderful Horror Comedy
Sometimes you want a horror comedy, and Zombie Land Saga is that in spades. It stars a group of young girls who were all killed in various different points in history and who have been revived by an eccentric music producer into zombies in order to turn them into an idol group. The zombie comedy is easily a highlight of the show early on, but the character drama also has a shocking amount of weight to it. While I was never scared while watching it, I definitely grew to love these little zombies and rooted for them to achieve their dreams, even if they’re consistently having to deal with their own rotting flesh and their body parts falling apart. Plus it has a feature film coming out soon! Zombie Land Saga is the definition of an underrated horror anime that you shouldn’t overlook.
If you’re looking for more Halloween watching, check out our picks for the most terrifying YouTube shorts.
