Who would want to willingly disturb their psychological state? With the success of Silence of the Lambs and Mindhunter, psychological horror has been gaining prominence as a subgenre of horror. The goal of psychological horror is to simultaneously frighten and relate to the viewer by focusing on the characters mental, psychological, and emotional states. It is exciting to see these themes explored not only in western media but in anime as well. We have seen enough blood and gore in anime, but here are a few that will leave you questioning your sanity.
1. Psychopass
In the universe of Psychopass, set in a dystopian Japan, citizens’ affinity for criminal behavior is observed. Depending on the outcomes, they will either be arrested or executed. Psychopass follows protagonist Akane Tsunemori in this dystopian future, where she struggles with the idea of justice and rebels against it. An excellent sophisticated thriller to ease into the psychological horror genre.
2. Paranoia Agent
A young child on roller skates assaulting Musashino City people with a golden baseball bat is the premise of Paranoia Agent. The first victim of the attacker is thought to have staged the assaults. However, more and more people grow paranoid, and their perception of reality begins to change. Rumors and mob mentality, and how they can harm people, are explored in this anime.
3. Tokyo Ghoul
Kaneki Ken has a disastrous date with a female, who is the subject of Tokyo Ghoul. He is feasted on by the girl, who turns out to be a ghoul. An accident leads the ghoul to donate her organs to Kaneki, turning him into a human-eating one-eyed ghoul. Tokyo Ghoul is the anime you want to watch if you want to see intense violence and challenging discussions on who has the right to defend themselves.
4. Serial Experiments Lain
Lain Iwakura is transported into the technological world called Wired when she receives an email from a student who allegedly committed suicide. The lines between the technical and natural worlds converge in unsettling, dangerous ways. It examines the Internet and the mismatch between the public image that people hide behind and who they are. Serial Experiments Lain is highly prophetic for its day.
5. Another
Another is set in Yomiyama Town, where 15-year-old Kouichi Sakakibara joins class 3-3 at Yomiyama North Middle School and is instantly uneasy by the odd, dark atmosphere there. But he quickly learns that once unleashed, a terrible curse on class 3-3 appears intent on killing every single entity connected to it.
6. Happy Sugar Life
The plot of this anime revolves around Satou Matsuzaka, a high school student who appears to be nice but, in reality, is very disturbing. Satou is obsessed with the innocence of Shio, so she kidnaps her and creates a happy sugar life. Happy Sugar Life is very unsettling, mainly because of unreliable narration and the mental plot twists.
7. B: The Beginning
B: The Beginning is about a dangerous killer named Killer B who goes berserk and serves justice on his terms. Keith Flick, an experienced investigator, starts investigating killer B, discovering schemes involving corrupt organizations, domestic terrorism, and human experimentation.
8. The Laughing Salesman
In Laughing Salesperson, Moguro Fukuzou is a salesman whose objective is to assist people in filling holes in their souls. In reality, he frequently wrecks the lives of his clients if they fail to follow his specific instruction. The Laughing Salesman frequently downplays the nature of its horror, only to sneak up in the final minutes of the episode before it is too late.
9. Shiki
Shiki is a vampire-themed psychological mystery anime. Shiki transcends the typical vampire tale. It portrays the terrible story of surviving in a reality where good and evil are challenging to tell apart. The vampires refer to themselves as the Shiki. Abandoned by God and they now struggle to survive against the paranoia. Shiki investigates the line dividing humans from other creatures.
10. Death Note
Without Death Note, any Psychological Horror Anime list is lacking. Death Note represents all of the elements of an exceptional psychological anime. In Death Note, Light Yagami, a high school student, discovers a notebook labeled Death Note. Anyone whose name is inscribed in the Death Note can be killed as long as the face of the person is known. We see Light’s unrelenting quest to transform into the ‘God of New World’ with the Death Note.
