Zombie fish, people. What more do we need to say? Gyo centers around a group of youths caught in the midst of a terrifying zombie apocalypse. Only, these zombies are looking a little more… amphibian than usual. Yes, after polluted waters mutate Japan's fish population, the once sea-bound creatures take to the streets on their newfound legs to wreak havoc! During the chaos, our main character, Kaori, is trying to reconnect with her partner before the deadly salmon tuna roll zombie gets to him!

Joking aside, Gyo (in spite of its concept) is still a horror movie and features some absolutely grotesque body horror. After being infected, the human body bloats to near twice its size before turning a disgusting shade of green. Gas is then expelled from the body from every orifice you can imagine, tainting the air with a thick and cloudy smog. If you've grown tired of traditional zombie horror movies, Gyo might be just what you need to reignite that fading love of the genre!

Moving right along, here we have another zombie horror anime; this time with the more traditional brain-sucking humanoids we all know and love. Seoul Station is a prequel to the world-renowned hit "Train to Busan". If knowing that alone does not pique your interest enough to check it out, allow us to convince you further. Seoul Station follows the lives of several people BEFORE the zombie apocalypse seen in Train to Busan. Here, we see the build-up and eventual collapse of society through several different perspectives.

Suk-Gyu is separated from his daughter after a zombie outbreak hits downtown Seoul. Determined to reunite with her at all costs, he must traverse a zombie-infested landscape. Meanwhile, his daughter Hye-sun, is a sex worker and finds herself thrown into chaos after a fight with her "boyfriend". Train to Busan is an amazing Korean movie and up there with Squid Game in terms of worldwide fame. Without spoiling too many details from either of the pieces, Seoul Station follows the lives of a group in old-school zombie madness. Seoul Station does not try to fix what isn't broken and whether it be the terrifyingly unique art style used to create the work, or the suspenseful narrative keeping you engaged, Seoul Station is a must-watch for any zombie lover

While not in the format of a traditional feature-length film, Memories is a thoroughly chilling anthology from the mind of Katsuhiro Otomo (the creator of the Akira manga). The movie is separated into three distinct acts, each telling a unique story. While these stories vary in levels of fright, they all present equally scary and unique concepts that will have you either laughing at the absurdity or cowering behind the sofa trying to escape the toxic fumes of "Stink Bomb's" main protagonist, Nobuo, who inadvertently murders people with his terrible gas!

Memories, similar to other work by creators like Junji Ito, prefers to delve into psychological horror as opposed to jump scares or gory violence. What sets Memories apart from a traditional thriller seen on the big screen is a level of detail in the artwork that can only be represented through the medium of anime and manga. Some of these set-pieces get weird; especially in Magnetic Rose. The care given to creating the interiors of some of these space-houses boggles the mind. Memories is great for a quick scare in between trick or treating sessions. Be sure to check out one of the stories and, hopefully, you'll be scared enough to continue watching!

Paprika may ruffle some feathers appearing on this list but it can get pretty dark at times. The story follows the creation of a device known as the D.C Mini which can be used to enter a person's dreams. The device has many uses such as exploring the consciousness of hardened criminals but, after the invention is stolen, Atsuki Chiba must do all she can to put a stop to this villain exploiting the D.C Mini to induce nightmares.

Paprika is an exploration of the inner workings of the human condition. The nightmare sequences can get very avantgarde and one look into the parade scene will tell you all you need to know about how crazy this movie gets. However, it not only leans into its absurdity but utilizes it expertly to convey the message of the creator. Dreams can get weird at times and they often are rooted in the subconscious mind. Dreams bring forth things we repress throughout our lives and often, these thoughts are more terrifying than any ghoul or ghost. Check out Paprika for a scintillatingly deep horror flick!

Set in 19th-Century London, Empire of Corpses examines an alternate history in which corpses are reanimated to conduct manual labor. We have to excuse the cast of Empire of Corpses for doing something that will almost certainly lead to a zombie apocalypse. After all, they have no zombie movies with which to warn them! As you may expect, the corpses revived begin to turn on humanity. It turns out that only the body is summoned from the underworld while the soul remains perished. However, one body is resurrected with its soul still intact. It's up to this corpse (who luckily happens to be a scientist) to teach John Watson everything he knows about this technology and help him find a cure.

Yes, another zombie movie but Empire of Corpses' unique Victorian setting makes for an interesting concept. We've all seen zombie films set in the modern-day where all it takes is a rollout of tanks to stop the invading forces. However, what are these pre-turn-of-the-century people supposed to do about the unstoppable juggernaut that is a zombie outbreak?! Check out Empire of Corpses for a unique take on the zombie genre with great animation, a great narrative, and great horror!

Karura Mau Movie captures the lives of two sisters, Shoko and Maiko Ougi. As seemingly normal high school students, they spend a majority of their time doing regular teenage activities. However, a remainder of their time is spent exorcising evil entities. The two sisters are powerful exorcists from the Karura temple and with their combined abilities, the girls are able to see and banish these spirits back to their proper place. Facing an array of scary supernatural beings, watch the girls take on these foes, all before the next school day!

Karura Mau Movie has all the elements of a scary horror, including zombies, gore, historical Japanese occultism, evil spirits, and exorcisms. In addition to these eerie aspects, the film is complemented with a lot of action sequences between the girls, other accompanying characters, and the countless monsters that all appear super evil and gross. Although the old school animation can be a bit unappealing compared to the newer stuff on this list, definitely give Karura Mau Movie a shot, it’s pretty creepy.

The setting of this film begins in a dark forest, as two men and their hounds exit their vehicle to commence a hunt. As the hounds take off, the men are suddenly startled by the sound of one of their hounds in pain, reaching it too late. Curious to find out what happened to their hound, the men pick up again. Maneuvering the forest, the hunters discover a restaurant with a sign notating, “Please do come in. Those who are young and plump are especially welcome.” Unbothered by the message, they enter the restaurant. As they check out the various attractions within, they are once again startled by a noise. “Please understand that this is a restaurant of many orders.” As the hunters venture deeper into the place, they realize that they are being hunted themselves. How will they escape? Watch and see if they do.

Chuumon no Ooi Ryouriten is a short film that contains a well-developed storyline. This very simplistic approach, combined with classic monochromatic animation, definitely gives off creepy vibes. Additionally, each scene and picture is accompanied with very dramatic instrumentals; intensifying the most climatic moments as well as offering brief periods of calmness…very brief periods (lol).

Another short film, Muramasa starts off with this message: “A man with arms which can kill people like puppets is not aware that he himself has already become a puppet.” Very mysterious! What can it mean? Incorporating distinguishable components of the Japanese culture, we see the silhouette of a proud samurai warrior. We also hear the sounds of classical string and wind instruments, in addition to the therapeutic chanting of monks. On his journey, the samurai notices a straw dummy with a sword embedded in its body. The samurai takes the sword, admiring its strength and beauty. However, his sensei notices something ominous about the sword, looking on with disapproval. Within a short amount of time, the samurai and the sword are bonded, turning him into a terrible, destructive force.

Although less than nine minutes long, Muramasa shares a dreadfully frightening idea: sometimes, the lust for power and ambition can blind one’s sense of value and purpose. Principally, the way of the samurai was founded on such ideals as Buddhism, Confucianism, Shinto, and Zen, and recognizes such qualities as honor and loyalty. However, our samurai’s fidelity was misdirected, leading him down a path away from this essential philosophy, and resulting in his transformation into a monster himself.

In the anime film Wicked City, two universes coexist, although very few know of its existence. One dimension is Earth and the other is called the Black World, a place where the supernatural reside. For many centuries, Earth and the Black World have been able to maintain peace and harmony with a special treaty in place. However, as a significant amount of time has passed since these terms were negotiated, opponents of this treaty from the Black World have made it their mission to do what they can to prevent this peace and unity from taking place once more. As such, to put an end to this conflict, the moderators and defenders of both worlds, the Black Guards, are tasked with making sure this treaty is instituted again.

Wicked City takes a traditional approach to the ever-popular theme of “bad guys versus good guys”, and mixes it well with the supernatural and a little hint of romance. As Wicked City contains some mature sexual content and violence, please be forewarned that some scenes are a bit more extreme than expected. Moreover, the small cast of characters really complements the storyline. With a majority of the events unfolding in the night, some may have heard that this is the time when the monsters come out to play.

Countless rumors surround a mysterious town. Ghosts, disappearances, demons, no one knows for sure what has happened there. Otokoyo is a secret game the people in the town used to play…it’s a game of hide and seek. Sometimes, the streets are illuminated and turned into a maze-like setting, with only signs to guide the way. When the signs light up “O, to, ko, and yo”, you will be able to exit, arriving at Otokoyo Square. At the square, seven children greet you, and this is where the game really begins. So put on your fox mask and get ready for what’s to come.

This film is reminiscent of a time when many of us may have ventured off into a location rumored to be haunted. Kakurenbo takes the kid’s game of hide and seek and boosts the anxieties of being found to a million percent! With some of the characters starting off strong and cocky, this quickly turns, as many of them are continuously startled, jumpy, and completely on edge. Furthermore, Kakurebo has hair-raising elements identical to western horror films, such as creepy, little girl laughter, colossal beasts, and various figures emerging from and vanishing into thin air.

In the anime film Ajin Part I, we discover that humans and Ajin co-exist. Appearing very much like humans, the only factor that sets them apart is the fact that once they die, they can revive themselves instantly. With this immortality, not much else is known about their species other than the government’s regulation on their existence, taking them into custody to ‘study’ their nature. Additionally, many recognize Ajin as creatures that are subhuman. Our main character is Kei Nagai, who appears as your normal high school student, until one day, he emerges from a fatal accident that should have claimed his life. From this, news has traveled globally and Kei has found himself on the run. Moreover, Kei discovers that there are more Ajin in existence than he once expected.

In the wise words of Hermione Granger, “Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself.” This couldn’t be truer once the world was exposed to the rise of ajin living among humans. Although some ajin are kind and harmless, the scary nature of fear often drives people to commit acts that are dangerous in order to preserve the general population. Even though both species could have continued to co-exist, revolutionary figures that have decided to use their ajin ability in a negative way, i.e. summoning their black ghost residing in their subconscious, set the tone for an “us versus them” environment.

Probably one of the scariest things is being locked away for a long period of time, in the hope that you and several others can help find the cure for a viral epidemic. This is what partially happens in the anime film Ibara no Ou, or, King of Thorn. As the world is swiftly succumbing to the deadly virus Medusa, a girl named Katsumi has been selected, along with 160 individuals, to be stored in a Cold Sleep Capsule Center. With a positive prognosis being very slim, the participants have nothing to lose, falling into a slumber and hoping to wake to a new and cured world. However, the worst is yet to come, as Katsumi comes to an era where creatures and monsters have devoured all of what they have known. From this, we watch these ancient survivors outlast this strange, new world.

King of Thorn is popularly recognized as a modern rendition of “Sleeping Beauty with a twist.” The beginning of the film starts off on a pretty dark and dramatic note. When it all appears as if everything is under control because someone steps in and says “we have the cure!”, we are surprisingly mistaken, as everyone later on emerges into hysteria and chaos. Wondering how our interesting and dynamic group of characters will survive another apocalypse, we are then sadly reminded, and perhaps a little terrified, about how we would react to something like this IRL.

The year is 1966. Blood: The Last Vampire follows Saya, a 14-year-old girl who hunts down Teropterids, creatures that bear a similar appearance to vampires and demons, and can only survive by consuming human blood. Being the best in the game, Saya is given a new assignment: to go undercover as a student at a high school located within a military base. Her objective is to eliminate all of the creatures disguising themselves as humans.

As Blood: The Last Vampire is only 48 minutes long, character development is not as present as we would like, but it does make up for it by including a ton of action scenes. Bundled with a lot of violence, blood, and mutilation, Blood: The Last Vampire is a film likely to fill your dreams with horrific nightmares. Furthermore, Saya isn’t your average, cheery 14-year-old in a school uniform, but a tough, badass cookie!

The story revolves around the infamous vampire hunter, D, who during a time when society has not overcome the differences between humans and vampires, has been accepted because of his success in capturing vampires. Once again, D is called upon to rescue a woman named Charlotte Elbourne who is from a very high-class family. At the request of Charlotte’s father, offering a generous bounty, D takes on the job to bring her home, dead or alive. As D competes with other bounty hunters, he encounters various twists and run-ins, challenging his and their own strengths and weaknesses.

Vampire Hunter D holds a classic and timeless storyline found in many horror films and literature, surrounded in dark animation and mysterious characteristics. However, what separates this film from many others are the countless action scenes tied into the array of sci-fi, vampires/supernatural, and cowboy/western themes. In keeping with the traditional scary creatures, it also incorporates modern elements and breathtaking graphic animation.

Perfect Blue is a story about Mima Kirigoe, a famous J-pop idol who wants to leave the music industry, and get her big break as an actress. Being such a huge mega star, Mima has some difficulty on this path. Wanting to create a new image and shedding her old persona, she takes on a role in a crime-drama series, which proves to be more than she can manage. Adding more to her troubles, Mima has to deal with a psycho stalker, a bashing website that documents her most intricate details, murders, and the success of CHAM! without her. Slowly losing it, Mima is having a rough time distinguishing what’s real and her fantasies.

There’s a Japanese proverb that states, “Fear is only as deep as the mind allows” and that’s the really scary part. Perfect Blue includes so many plot twists, it’ll leave you wondering, “How did they think that up?” It also includes a busy storyline that is bound to keep you intrigued and fixated. Utilizing such a unique design to convey Mima’s psychological breakdown, Perfect Blue is both mystical and twisted at the same time. Essentially, we rate this at number one because of its realism; where a seemingly simple decision can somehow go off target, consequently deteriorating one’s mental and emotional state. Overall, the author does a fantastic job depicting this descent. Additionally, Perfect Blue contains a lot of detailed violence, nudity, and sexual scenes.