15 Must-See Horror Anime Movies, Ranked

Creating terror with animation means that you aren't limited to our concept of reality. In anime, the body can be bent, stretched, and ripped apart using excruciating and fantastical methods that can only be realized via hand-drawn or computer-generated images. Films such as "Vampire Hunter D" and "Wicked City" realize horror anime's grotesque potential, creating hellish worlds where women become spider demons and eat men alive. Old tropes and well-tread creatures such as zombies are given facelifts and realized in new, repulsive ways that can't be replicated by actors in front of a camera.

There's going to be a lot of gore on this list, especially from director Yoshiaki Kawajiri, who is known for his uncanny ability to create disgusting, sexual creatures with depraved desires. Animation lends itself perfectly to body horror, after all. But that isn't all that the world of horror anime has to offer; there are plenty of haunting ghost stories and psychological thrillers that will appeal to fans more interested in the supernatural side of the genre.

Gothic horror lovers, get ready, because "Empire of Corpses" is the anime for you. This 2015 film takes place in an alternate version of 18th century England. In this timeline, corpses are regularly reanimated using a technology called Necroware. They're then used as laborers; they don't think, feel, eat, or need to be paid. They're a perfect new labor force. 

However, it's rumored that Victor Frankenstein has a machine that can reanimate not only bodies, but souls, too. These corpses would no longer be shells of people, but fully resurrected human beings. Scientist John Watson is chosen to go on an expedition to retrieve Frankenstein's notes and find a new way to bring back the dead. 

"Empire of Corpses" is a quintessential steampunk adventure, full of homages to other prominent historical and literary figures, including "The Brothers Karamazov" and Colonel Frederick Burnaby. But it's also deeply emotional and upsetting, as Watson reflects on his own motivations for wanting to resurrect the dead and what it means for a corpse to have real autonomy over its body. "Empire of Corpses" deals with some downright chilling themes that provide a whole new perspective on the story of "Frankenstein."

This animated short film by Tatsuo Satō is a surreal, trippy tale about grief and the deep bond between siblings, all represented by anthropomorphic cats. Nyatta is a young male cat who loves his older sister, Nyako, who is very sick. One day, while playing in the bath, Nyatta accidentally drowns and sees Nyako walking with Jizuo, the patron saint of dead children. He grabs her and, after a game of tug-of-war, they split Nyako's soul in half. When Nyatta is revived, he gives Nyako her soul back, but it is incomplete. So, they must embark on a journey through Hell to find the other half and make her whole again. 

The short's gorgeous animation makes "Cat Soup" a contemplative sensory experience — there's no dialogue here to help guide the viewer through the story. Instead, it is up to the viewer to actively engage with "Cat Soup" and really fall into the journey alongside these two cats. But don't let that whimsical aesthetic fool you; "Cat Soup" is full of jarring imagery and violence, which is all the more shocking when it happens to animated cats.

There are two "Vampire Hunter D" films, and sadly, the original 1985 film is often overshadowed by its 2000 remake. But there's a lot of value to "Vampire Hunter D," including some gnarly monsters and death sequences that recall early Japanese animation. D is, in fact, a vampire hunter, but he's more than that; he's a dhampir, or a half-human, half-vampire. D wanders a post-nuclear landscape where vampire nobility, demons, and mutants rule the land. He's hired by Doris Lang to save her from Count Lee, a powerful vampire noble who wants to make her his new blood-sucking bride. 

Begrudgingly, D takes on the assignment to save Doris from a tortuous fate, but it won't be easy. He must face a legion of monsters, each more powerful than the next. Did I mention that he also has a parasite in his left hand that manifests as a human face that keeps telling D to drink human blood? "Vampire Hunter D" was marketed as a "dark future science-fiction romance," and while there are moments of extreme gore, much of the film moves at a slow pace, focusing on building out the world's lore. That lore isn't always clear, but the film is still a visual feast for any gorehound.

"Memories" is a sci-fi horror anthology from the mind of Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of the manga series "Akira." But this isn't just Otomo's project; it also comes from Satoshi Kon, Kōji Morimoto, and Tensai Okamura, all of whom had previously worked under Otomo. 

The first story, "Magnetic Rose," is directed by Morimoto and written by Kon. It follows two engineers who discover an abandoned spaceship full of decadent furnishings and slowly unravel the mystery at the vessel's core. Next, there's "Stink Bomb," directed by Okamura and written by Otomo, about a man who takes the wrong pill and gives himself toxic farts. Yes, there is quite a tonal shift between stories. 

Finally, there's "Cannon Fodder," directed and written by Otomo, about a young boy who dreams of becoming a military officer and firing cannons against a seemingly nonexistent enemy. These three unrelated films come together to create three very different imaginings of the future, and yet are united by gorgeous animation and thoughtful writing. These horror tales are psychological and haunting, focusing more on the cerebral experience of terror than visceral violence.

Yeon Sang-ho's 2016 animated film "Seoul Station" is the official prequel to the Korean zombie hit "Train to Busan." It takes place right at the beginning of the zombie pandemic, as the disease is just spreading across the country. Hye-sun is sex worker living with her deadbeat boyfriend Ki-woong, who pimps her out for money. She's stuck in a vicious cycle of trauma and abuse, and is fed up with her life. After an explosive argument at the titular Seoul Station, the two are separated by a zombie outbreak. Meanwhile, Hye-sun's father Suk-gyu is searching the city for his estranged daughter and finally crosses paths with her boyfriend. 

"Seoul Station" has a classic two-groups-split-up-during-a-zombie-attack structure, but it doesn't feel tired here due to the gorgeous animation and the political commentary about Korea's treatment of its unhoused population. Squatters are among the first victims of the virus, never taken seriously by authority figures and regarded as unimportant by society at large. While zombie films may be overdone, "Seoul Station" provides a breath of fresh air to a well-worn genre, particularly as it renders it through the lens of animation.

Satoshi Kon left us an indelible swan song with 2006's "Paprika," his last feature before he died in 2010. Unlike "Perfect Blue," which features a psychological hellscape, "Paprika" is a psychedelic journey through dreams that addresses the terrifying malleability of the human mind. 

Dr. Atsuko Chiba is using a device called the DC Mini to illegally access the dreams of her psychiatric patients. By assuming her dream persona, Paprika, Chiba enters people's dreams to better analyze their subconscious. But, of course, such power is easily abused, and scientists with evil intentions steal the device and infiltrate unsuspecting minds, and manipulating people into killing themselves. Chiba dives into a world of colorful dreams to keep it all from oozing into the real world. 

No written description can truly capture the jaw-dropping beauty of the film's animation, nor its reliance on dream logic (Kon isn't interested in making this film easy to understand). Christopher Nolan's 2010 "Inception" took quite a bit of inspiration from "Paprika," replicating a physics-defying hallway sequence and other pivotal scenes. But nothing compares to the power of animation. Kon rises to the challenge with this film, making something truly special.

Eiichi Yamamoto's 1973 film "Belladonna of Sadness" is a heart-wrenching revenge masterpiece about a scorned woman who yearns for any type of control. In medieval France, Jeanne and Jean are newlyweds basking in the glow of a new marriage. However, it's sadly short lived when Jeanne is sexually assaulted by a baron in a ritual ceremony. Despite it being a tradition, Jean can't handle it and abandons Jeanne. In her despair, Jeanne is offered powers by a phallic demon who guarantees revenge on those who have wronged her. 

What ensues is a never-ending struggle for Jeanne to regain bodily autonomy; her status as a woman damns her to a life of torture. Jeanne's body undergoes several transformations as she tries again and again to become a more powerful being, her flesh metamorphosing like a perverse butterfly. "Belladonna of Sadness" is an agonizing but strangely alluring watch thanks to psychedelic animation that represents violence against women in the abstract instead of in excruciating, realistic detail.