'The Summer Hikaru Died' and 4 Other Best Horror Anime Titles, Ranked by IMDb
After some of these titles, you won't want to turn off the lights.
For thrill-seekers, we've compiled a list of five horror anime worth checking out, not just on Halloween, but any day.
Unlike Hollywood projects, Japanese animation scares in a different way: it rarely relies on cheap jump scares and bloody puddles. Instead, these titles feature a lingering atmosphere, psychological nightmares, and terrifying family secrets.
5. 'Angels of Death', 2018
IMDb Score: 6.5/10
Rachel wakes up in a strange building, unable to understand how she got there. While trying to escape, she encounters Zack, a serial killer who wields a scythe.
This initial encounter quickly develops into a pact: in exchange for helping Zack escape, he agrees to kill Rachel when it's over.
As the anime gradually reveals the fugitives' pasts, a psychological thriller about trauma, guilt, faith, and the value of life emerges beyond the simple reach-the-exit format.
4. 'Dark Gathering', 2023
IMDb Score: 7.2/10
Keitaro is drawn to spirits. After a traumatic incident in his past, he tries to distance himself from people and the supernatural. His childhood friend, Eiko, helps him return to life by offering to tutor him and introducing him to her cousin, Yayoi.
Yayoi isn't just a gifted child – she has the same otherworldly sensitivity as Keitaro. Unlike Keitaro, Yayoi isn't afraid of ghosts, she seeks them out on purpose. Her goal is to find the spirit that took her mother's soul.
Instead of quiet pursuits, the trio now travels to haunted places, capturing dangerous entities and gradually amassing an arsenal from the spirits they capture.
3. 'Hell Girl', 2005-2006
IMDb Score: 7.4/10
The plot revolves around a legend about a website that becomes accessible at midnight. On this website, you can send a message about someone you hate.
The Hell Girl, Ai Enma, then appears and offers a deal: she'll send the offender to Hell, but the person who sent the message will also go there upon death.
Almost every episode is a standalone story about a person who has been pushed to their limits and must decide whether to take such a desperate step. Through these stories, the anime explores various forms of cruelty, such as bullying, betrayal, and social pressure.
2. 'The Summer Hikaru Died', 2025-...
IMDb Score: 7.9/10
Yoshiki and Hikaru are teenagers who grew up together. Their quiet life changed when Hikaru disappeared in the mountains and returned home under mysterious circumstances. Yoshiki realizes that Hikaru is now someone else.
Yoshiki can't convince himself that everything is okay, yet he's unable to let go of this Hikaru because he's too attached to him.
As Yoshiki struggles to accept his new reality, strange and frightening events begin to occur in the village.
1. 'Parasyte: The Maxim', 2014-2015
IMDb Score: 8.2/10
The plot begins with a mysterious phenomenon: alien organisms appear on Earth and invade human bodies, taking control of their brains. Shinichi is lucky – the parasite doesn't reach his brain and remains in his right hand.
Rather than the typical struggle for control of the body, an odd coexistence emerges between them. It's a forced partnership where they both try to survive and understand each other.
Against this backdrop, a much larger story unfolds as the parasites gradually integrate into society, hunt, and adapt.
