5 Forgotten Horror Anime You Can Literally Watch on Crunchyroll Right Now

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Each October, people look for anime that will really scare them, often revisiting popular titles like Tokyo Ghoul, Attack on Titan, and Parasyte. But beyond these well-known shows, there’s a wealth of lesser-known anime that genuinely frightened those who found them. These series didn’t fade away because they were bad – they were simply unusual, slow-paced, or more thought-provoking than most mainstream viewers prefer.

I’ve noticed that a lot of horror anime take different approaches to being scary. Some rely on classic, old-fashioned frights, while others get under your skin with psychological unease instead of graphic violence. Luckily, Crunchyroll still has a good selection of older horror titles available, like Shiki and Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai, for anyone brave enough to watch them. These often-overlooked series – everything from monster movies and creepy collections of stories to deeply unsettling psychological horror – really show that you don’t need jump scares or gore to create a truly frightening experience.

Legendary Horror Meets Uneasy Animation in The Junji Ito Collection

Junji Ito has been terrifying readers for years with his unsettling horror comics. From spiraling nightmares to haunted objects, his stories twist everyday life into disturbing and grotesque scenarios, as seen in the Junji Ito Collection. While classics like Tomie and The Enigma of Amigara Fault are well-known, the anime adaptation has largely been overlooked. Adapting Ito’s unique brand of horror was a huge challenge, and though the animation was initially controversial, it now feels surprisingly appropriate. Its rough edges actually enhance the eerie, dreamlike quality of Ito’s frightening world. Each episode brings one or two of his short stories to life, ranging from twisted love stories to stories steeped in madness, inviting viewers to experience the artist’s bizarre imagination.

I’m a huge fan of the Junji Ito Collection, and honestly, some episodes – like “The Long Dream” and “Slugs” – are some of the creepiest things I’ve ever seen animated! Even the weaker episodes still stick with you. What’s brilliant is how it takes everyday feelings and twists them into something totally horrifying. Because it’s an anthology, it’s perfect for watching in bits and pieces, but trust me, once you finish, you won’t forget it. Not every story is a home run, but when it works, it perfectly captures that unsettling feeling of Ito’s artwork – making the ordinary feel deeply wrong. It’s not perfect, but this collection really gets at the psychology behind Ito’s work, and it’s genuinely crude, bizarre, and deeply disturbing – the kind of horror that really stays with you.

Monsters Are Just as Human as the Victims in Shiki

Initially, Shiki seems like a typical small-town mystery. When people in the peaceful village of Sotoba start dying from a strange sickness, fear takes hold, and a few determined doctors try to figure out what’s happening. But Shiki quickly twists this familiar setup into something much darker. What begins as a slow-burn mystery quickly transforms into a frightening story about survival and difficult moral choices. The truth is, the villagers aren’t dying from a disease – they’re being preyed upon by intelligent vampires, known as “Shiki,” who see humans as nothing more than a food source. This leads to a terrifying conflict over who has the right to live. As the death toll rises, the remaining villagers become desperate, and some resort to monstrous actions themselves. Shiki is particularly strong at exploring complex moral questions and blurring the lines between right and wrong.

Unlike many monster-driven horror stories, Shiki portrays creatures with deeply human motivations – loneliness and fear, not just hunger. This makes it difficult to decide who to root for, as every character believes they’re doing what’s right, and the resulting violence feels even more disturbing. Director Tetsurō Amino expertly uses slow pacing, silence, and a suffocating soundtrack to create intense tension. Shiki is a chilling gothic tragedy with haunting visuals and music that deserves to be rediscovered. It’s a remarkably human horror story within the anime landscape, often overlooked despite being a true masterclass of the genre and deserving of greater recognition than it receives.

Kagewani Is a Monster Show Told in Whispers

I’m totally hooked on Kagewani! It’s this amazing short-form horror series that does things so differently. Forget big explosions and cheap thrills – it feels like you’re hearing a creepy story whispered from friend to friend. Each episode follows this scientist, Sousuke Banba, as he investigates these terrifying creatures called ‘Kagewani,’ but the monsters themselves are rarely seen, and the explanations are always… incomplete. Honestly, that’s what makes it so unsettling! It starts as a series of standalone episodes, but slowly, it all connects to this bigger, mind-bending mystery involving some seriously strange human research and really ancient powers. The more Banba figures out, the more everything just… falls apart. It’s brilliant!

Instead of relying on jump scares or graphic violence, the anime Kagewani creates a haunting atmosphere through its simple, cutout-style animation and limited movement. The visuals, combined with unsettling sounds and a grainy texture, feel like watching an old, found VHS tape. This stripped-down approach is what makes the horror so effective, as the ambiguity allows your imagination to run wild and conjure up even more terrifying possibilities. Kagewani initially flew under the radar, but it’s a hidden gem on Crunchyroll for anyone seeking something truly different. It’s a quietly unsettling series that proves horror doesn’t need to be loud to be impactful.

Horror Turns into a Twisted Love Story in Angels of Death

I’m completely captivated by Angels of Death – it’s one of those horror anime that really gets under your skin! What’s so brilliant is it doesn’t rely on jump scares or typical monsters; the real horror comes from the messed-up people within this bizarre, multi-level building. You follow Rachel, this incredibly stoic girl, who finds herself trapped there with a floor full of killers – each one a truly disturbed ‘angel.’ Then there’s Zack, a total maniac with a scythe, and somehow, he becomes her only friend. They make this incredibly dark deal: if they both make it out, she’ll let him kill her. It starts as a desperate fight for survival, but quickly turns into something much deeper – a really haunting and strangely beautiful story about guilt, trauma, and what happens when faith gets twisted. The contrast between Rachel’s almost peaceful acceptance of death and Zack’s brutal way of life is just… captivating. Their whole dynamic feels both doomed and strangely lovely.

Angels of Death is a disturbing anime that blends psychological thriller with horror, feeling like both a gothic tragedy and a slasher film. It’s filled with both mental and physical terror, where each episode explores themes of sin and the killers represent the main character Rachel’s increasing desperation. The haunting soundtrack, mixing organ music with electronic sounds, creates a constant sense of dread. The anime delves into feelings of guilt and the strange solace found in hopelessness, all presented with a surprisingly cute art style. Though some viewers found the pacing and mood changes confusing, Angels of Death is captivating and stays with you long after you finish watching. If you’re tired of typical gore, this anime offers a slow-burn, unsettling, and surprisingly poignant exploration of the human psyche.

Yamishibai Proves That Old-School Storytelling Can Still Be Terrifying

Imagine if the classic horror anthology Creepshow blended with traditional Japanese folklore – that’s essentially Yamishibai: Theatre of Darkness. Each episode is a short, self-contained ghost story inspired by urban legends, presented in the style of kamishibai, a traditional Japanese paper theater. The animation is intentionally simple and flat, resembling paper puppets, giving the movements an unsettling, unnatural feel, almost as if the storyteller isn’t quite human. Though each story is only a few minutes long, Yamishibai manages to create a truly chilling atmosphere, often surpassing the dread found in much longer horror anime. Unlike many modern horror anime that rely on jump scares or gore, Yamishibai excels at creating subtle, psychological horror.

What sets Yamishibai apart is its unique pacing. It doesn’t rely on jump scares, but instead expertly builds suspense, leaving viewers both frightened and engrossed by the end of each episode. Over time, the series cleverly expands its lore, adding intriguing elements like cursed storytellers and haunted texts, which deepen the mystery. Each story, from tales of voodoo dolls to haunted apartments, taps into timeless fears that never get old. Despite quietly releasing new seasons for over ten years without much promotion, Yamishibai rarely gets the recognition it deserves. However, it remains a truly authentic representation of Japanese horror. If you enjoy classic, atmospheric horror that relies on suggestion and imagination, this show is a hidden treasure that still knows how to deliver a chilling experience.

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2025-10-21 23:40