The spooky season is over, but thankfully there's some good horror anime to watch for those still craving the scares. While fans of the genre await the continuation of horror series that just ended, like Made In Abyss and Shadow House, they can at least indulge in many of the genre's classics that were produced over the past few decades.
Some of these refreshingly feature female protagonists. In fact, when looking at the line-up of anime that people consider the best in the horror genre, it's quite clear to see that most people's top choices are series with female protagonists.
10 Happy Sugar Life (2018)
Stream On Prime Video
Satou Matsuzaka, a young high school student, has never experienced love in her life. At least not until one day when she happens to wander upon a lost child. She takes in the child, cherishing it for the sweet emotions it brings to her otherwise bland world. And so to protect this, she swears to destroy anyone trying to take the child from her, be it by threatening them, confining them, or even murdering them.
Love can often be a demented thing, as often showcased by Satou Matsuzaka herself. This anime pulls no punches when making her the villain of the story, as she's a blatant danger to everyone around her. In that sense, Happy Sugar Life is unique, as similar anime usually go for a sympathetic route for their anti-heroes to make them likable to the viewers.
9 Hell Girl (2005 - 2006)
Stream On Crunchyroll (4th Season)
Ai Enma only has one duty, and that's executing the deaths of her clients' targets. In doing this, she uses her otherworldly powers to send her targets to Hell. However, in exchange, her clients sacrifice any chance of going to heaven when they die.
The perspective this anime goes for is purely from that of a spectator, as while Ai Enma enacts her clients' wishes, she shows only a dutiful manner to complete her mission. She's cold and inhuman as, despite her victim's pleas, she shows no emotion. This anime gives viewers a perspective of a mysterious anti-hero who they may find themselves rooting against.
8 Mieruko-Chan (2021)
Stream On Funimation
This series somehow turns something as terrifying as seeing ghostly apparitions into one of the best horror comedies of all time. Miko Yotsuya has started to notice strange things happening around her but, determined to have a normal high school life, she decides to ignore it all. However, things take a turn when these apparitions start harassing her best friend.
Miko Yotsuya is certainly the oddity in this anime, as she mundanely confronts horrifying figures that'd give even viewers nightmares. Her apathy serves as a source of comedy, as she is blatantly deadpan when facing whatever figures haunt her. But it's when her friend is in danger that she really shines, as despite her internal fear of the ghostly apparitions, she stands up to them for her friend's sake.
7 Another (2012)
Stream On VRV
Mix Final Destination and anime and the result is Another. Kouichi Sakakibara and Mei Misaki investigate paranormal happenings in their class as their classmates start dying. However, what they find is a curse and the only way to remove it is to kill the one person in class who is already supposed to be dead.
When viewers are first introduced to Mei Misaki, her suspicious attire and pale skin make it almost certain that she is the cursed spirit. However, as the series progresses with the gruesome deaths of her classmates, it becomes clear that she is the one who is the most concerned with solving the case, and she risks life and limb just to get answers.
6 Angels Of Death (2018)
Streaming On Funimation & VRV
Rachel Gardner's life was turned upside down when she woke up to find herself in a facility full of demented people. However, after having her emotions broken and her trust betrayed, she makes a deal with one such psycho in exchange for her life. The two venture deeper into the facility for answers, and hopefully, a way out.
This horror title shows that humans are the real monsters, as everyone in the facility has an aspect of them that makes viewers think "thank God they're locked up in here." However, in her escape, she resorts to methods she wouldn't have otherwise used and viewers watch her develop into the very things she's trying to escape from.
5 Blood-C (2011)
Streaming On Hulu & Funimation
In Blood-C, Saya Kisaragi, a fearsome monster slayer, is the last line of defense against murderous beings determined on slaughtering everyone in her village. The anime presents some of the scariest monsters in horror anime, as instead of mindlessly killing, they find joy in the suffering of humans.
The action is palpable, as Saya's skills are put to the test vy demented beings who show no shame in relying on underhanded tactics. Her sense of justice makes her an immediate fan favorite, as her selflessness to protect the village paints her as the most heroic being in the title.
4 School-Live! (2015)
Buy It On Amazon & Vudu
For the School Life Club, there's only one rule: all members must live their entire lives within the school grounds. Oblivious to the zombie apocalypse happening outside the school walls, Yuki Takeya lives in delusion, believing each day is perfectly normal, something the remaining survivors play along with, as they fear for her mental stability.
Yuki Takeya is the last beacon of hope in an otherwise doomed world, as her bright and cheerful nature serves as hope for her fellow survivors. In a way, she also serves as a relief character for the viewers as well -- useful, considering nothing weighs more on a mind like a favorite character potentially dying in a zombie apocalypse.
3 Future Diary (2011 - 2013)
Stream On Funimation & Hulu
In Future Diary, the protagonist is forced to compete in a deadly game as a god selects him and 12 other people to kill each other until just one remains. Unwilling to participate, his classmate, Yuno Gasai, partners with him despite being another competitor. However, her motives come into question when she starts to kill everyone and anyone who gets close to him, participant or not.
Yuno Gasai comes off as mysterious and straight from the beginning, her love for the other protagonist comes out of nowhere. Her efficiency with weapons like guns and blades comes into question, as well, because as far as the viewers are concerned, Yuno is just supposed to be a normal high school girl.
2 Elfen Lied (2004)
Stream On Prime Video
A Diclonius, a mutated homo sapien, said to bring about the destruction of mankind, escapes a government facility after enduring years spent being experimented on. In her anger, she kills dozens of people, tearing them limb by limb with her telekinetic powers. However, she also develops a split personality after suffering an injury on her way out.
The juxtaposition between a kind, lovely girl and a psychotic killer often lies as the root of the problem for most viewers. Because while they wish for happiness for the former, they come to realize that in order for the latter to be defeated, they must both be eliminated. It's a unique predicament not found in other anime, as the source of horror also happens to be a viewer's source of joy.
1 Higurashi - When They Cry (2006 - 2009)
Stream On HiDive, Hulu & Funimation
Things are not as they seem in the village of Hinamizawa, as every year during the traditional Cotton Drifting Festival, a dead body is found drifting in the river. As a newcomer, Keiichi Maebara is understandably shaken by this and he and his friends find themselves involved in the mystery as they discover the village's disturbing truth.
The perspective of this anime constantly shifts, but for the majority, it's the female protagonists who viewers will see the perspective of. Each of them possesses some tragic or dark past they're unwilling to let Keiichi know. Viewers will have fun piecing together the hints the anime constantly drops, and inevitably, they'll find out how the tragedy of the small village is tied together with each of their pasts.
Source:gamerant.com