Psychological Horror is one of the more underrated genres when it comes to anime, but that doesn’t mean there is any shortage of good titles out there. These anime blend the blood & gore of horror with the complex storylines of psychological thrillers giving us some of the best entertainment.
If just like me, the coming of summer means binging on horror on sleepless nights for you, then we got you covered at MyAnimeGuru. We’ve curated a list of the 15+ Best Psychological Horror Anime Ranked for you to get yourself some scares.
Psychological Horror is not for everyone, but those who like it, love it for its unique blend of mystery as well as its capacity to scare the audience with very humane yet shocking themes.
So without wasting any time let’s get into this list of best Psychological horror anime
List of Best Psychological Horror Anime
This list will be based on the overall popularity of the anime, how scary the action gets, and how compelling and thrilling the storylines will be in addition to the likeability of the cast.
17. Monster
Episodes – 74 | Year – 2004
Monster tells the story of Dr. Tenma, a prominent heart surgeon, who is in a dilemma of whether to save a young boy or the mayor of his city. Choosing the boy cause he came first, he operates on him against the wishes of his boss.
But he didn’t expect that the very boy he saved would go on to become a killer of unprecedented levels and the obligation to end what he started fall on Tenma. Now it is up to him to stop the monster he gave rise to in one of the best psychological horror anime.
16. Yamashibai: Theatre of Darkness
10 Seasons ( 10 x 13 Episodes) | 2013-2022
Every day, a man comes on a bicycle and tells traditional Japanese horror stories. These mysterious stories told by an equally mysterious man on warm summer evenings give kids both thrills and chills.
Each new story is equally scary and the way the man in the yellow mask tells them has a sense of foreboding to it. After all who won’t get scared of traditional scary stories told by a strange man? It is easily one of the best psychological anime.
15. King’s Game
Episodes – 12 | Year – 2017
Nobuaki Kanazawa is a loner at his new school and doesn’t want to get close to anyone from his class. But there is a reason behind that, as something that happened at his former school made him cut himself from others.
This changes when he opens up to them during the sports festival, but his newfound joy comes crashing down when the whole class gets a message from someone called King. Everyone thinks it’s a prank, but Nobuaki knows that a death game is about to start.
It is one of the best psychological horror anime.
14. Elfen Lied
Episodes – 13 | Year – 2004
Kouta and Yuka find a young girl washed up on the beach and decide to take her. This girl who is incapable of talking and functioning as a normal human is named Nyu and is taken care of by the duo.
What they don’t know is that she is a horrible killer with psychic powers and is a failed Gov experiment. It’s only a matter of time before the killer awakens in one of the best psychological horror anime.
13. Blood-C
Episodes – 12 | Year – 2011
It follows Saya who while clumsy is very kind and is loved and admired by her classmates and her father who is the shrine priest. But one day her simple life gets complicated when mysterious monsters suddenly appear in the town.
Now as the shrine maiden, she is tasked with getting rid of the monsters even if it costs her life. Can Saya manage her simple life while hunting monsters by the night? Find out in one of the best psychological horror anime.
12. Parasyte -the maxim-
Episodes – 24 | Year – 2014
Space parasites have invaded Earth and have infected humans, modifying them into flesh-eating monsters armed with grotesque physiologies and weird weapons. Shinichi is one of these infected, but luckily for him, only his right hand was infected.
Can Shinichi get back control of his hand and save humanity from these monsters who can hide as regular humans? watch one of the best psychological horror anime to know more.
11. The Promised Neverland
Episodes – 23 | Year – 2019-2021
In an orphanage secluded from society, dozens of small kids, study, play and live their best lives. Their only caretaker is a lady they address as Mama. The kids continue to live and play as siblings without any worries about life.
All of this changes when one day Norman, Emma, and Ray discover the reality of their situation. After this, it’s a race against time to save themselves and escape from the orphanage. Can the trio save themselves or will this be their doom in one of the best psychological horror anime?
10. Mononoke
Episodes – 12 | Year – 2007
Mononoke follows the mysterious medicine seller Kusuriuri on his travels and he saves the people of Feudal Japan from the strange happenings of the Mononoke or otherworldly spirits, interfering with the world of the living.
He slays these Mononoke once he has uncovered its form (Katachi), the truth behind its appearance (Makoto), and the reason for its unusual behavior (Kotowari). It is easily one of the best psychological horror anime.
9. xxxHolic
Episodes – 37 Episodes + 1 Movie | 2006-2009
Watanuki Kimihiro is a young man troubled by a strange affliction. He can see spirits and all sorts of other supernatural phenomena, something which he finds extremely bothersome and wants to get rid of.
One day plagued by some spirits, he is compelled to enter a certain house where he finds Yukiko, who claims that she can help him on the condition that he works at her shop, which provides services to people by granting their wishes.
Can Kimihiro get rid of his problems, see in one of the best psychological horror anime.
8. Ghost Hunt
Episodes – 25 | Year – 2006
Mai Taniyama is a regular high-school girl who likes to tell ghost stories along with her friends. One day she hears about the old school building which is supposed to be haunted and decides to give it a visit. There she notices a video camera and accidentally breaks it.
The owner of the camera is a Ghost hunter Kazuya who was hired by the school to investigate the ghost rumors. Now Mai as a penalty for breaking the camera has to work under the narcissistic Kazuya and solve the mysteries of the school. One of the best psychological horror anime.
7. Boogiepop Phantom
Episodes – 12 | Year – 2000
There is an urban legend popular among kids. It is about an entity that has the power to elevate people from the pain and problems they are suffering. This entity is also referred to as the ‘Angel of Death” and is called Boogiepop.
People think it is simply a legend, but it’s real. It was linked to a series of grisly murders 5 years ago and now its name is surfacing again and people who doubt its existence are out for a rude awakening. It is one of the best psychological horror anime.
6. Paranoia Agent
Episodes – 13 | Year – 2004
A serial attacker nicknamed ‘Lil Slugger’ is attacking people randomly throughout the city with a bent baseball bat. This has caused widespread paranoia in the city and everyone is on high alert for when they might become targets themselves.
2 policemen are investigating the case when they eventually learn that this is something far bigger than they had imagined, in one of the best psychological horror anime.
5. Hell Girl
Episodes – 90 (4 Seasons) | Year – 2005-2017
It is rumored that somewhere on the internet there is a website where the disgruntled can post their grudges. This site can only be accessed at midnight and once you share the name of your tormentor, they’ll be dragged to hell by the Jigoku Shoujo.
Little is known about this girl, other than that whoever gets help from her will have their soul transported to hell once they die. To know more watch one of the best psychological horror anime.
4. Corpse Party: Tortured Souls
Episodes – 4 | Year – 2013
A group of 9 students decide to stay late after school to bid farewell to a friend who was relocating. In an attempt to make sure their friendship lasts forever, they perform the Sachiko Ever After ritual using charms, not knowing these charms are connected to an alternate world.
This alternate world is inhabited by the heavenly host academy, a school that was demolished years ago after a string of gruesome murders there. And this school stood at the very spot where these students’ current school is.
Now trapped in an alternate dimension with vengeful ghosts of the murder victims, these students must find a way to survive or be dammed forever in one of the best psychological horror anime.
3. Higurashi: When They Cry
Episodes – 26 | Year – 2006
Keiichi Maebara moves to the small town of Hinamizawa and lives a peaceful life with his new friends who all seem to be nice people. However, appearances can be deceiving, and after a murder happens in Hinamizawa and everything changes.
This incident leads, Keiichi to distrust those who he saw as friends and realize there’s something sinister going on behind the scenes. After these horrific events happen one after another and Keiichi has to somehow survive. One of the best psychological horror anime.
2. Shiki
Episodes – 22 | Year – 2010
In a hot summer, a family moves into a small village occupying a villa nearby. Once this family comes, strange things start happening in the village, with people going missing and a strange disease spreading throughout the village.
Hundreds die, and those who survive have something much more fearsome to deal with. The village doctor and the Shrine priest are the only ones who can stop this mayhem, but will they?
1. Another
Episodes – 12 | Year – 2012
As Kouichi Sakakibara goes to a new school, he notices a terrifying atmosphere in his new class, as well as a secret that none of them will discuss. The lovely Mei Misaki sits in the center.
Kouichi is immediately captivated by her mysterious aura, but he soon realizes that no one else in the class is aware of her presence. Soon after his arrival, the Calamity begins, claiming the lives of numerous pupils. One of the best psychological horror anime.
Conclusion
So folks this was our list of the 15+ Best Psychological Horror Anime (Ranked). This list takes into account some famous names as well as some hidden gems and underrated choices to give you as much variety as possible.
If you feel like we missed something, please tell us below, and if you liked it consider following us for more interesting content in the future. Till next time.
Source- Anilist
