Just because Halloween is over and the nightmare wave of winter holiday commercials has begun, doesn't mean spooky season has to be over.
And, what better way to keep that Halloween horror vibe going than by watching hyperviolent or depressingly dark anime. There are some modern titles from the last five or so years that are quite good, as well as relatively recent classics that will never quite be topped.
10 Modern: Devilman Crybaby
This is a modern reboot/remake of something classic, the Devilman series. This story, created by the famed Go Nagai, has been a cult classic since the '70s, and just recently in 2018, it became popular again with the Netflix exclusive series that people immediately ate up. The new version has a lot of differences from the original manga/anime, but it also adds a ton to the concept as well.
Devilman Crybaby is horrifying, dark, nihilistic, depressing, and yet at the same time it's also action-packed, hilarious, and a bit satirical. This is a perfect series for those who're still in the mood for demons, devils, and monsters, and it comes with an added bonus of an amazingly unique art style and some great animation.
9 Classic: Paranoia Agent
Paranoia Agent was that show that used to air late at night on Adult Swim and would creep out anyone who watched it so badly that they wouldn't be able to sleep. It has one of the most memorable openings of all time, an amazing concept for a "slasher" villain, and a pretty deep narrative once things are all said and done. But, it's creepy, really creepy, and it really dives deep into how society can make urban legends real. Paranoia Agent is one of the best "unsettling" anime of all time, and the Lil' Slugger is one of the best psychopaths to date.
8 Modern: Tokyo Ghoul: Re
This next one is a bit unfair since the first season of the show aired back in 2014. That said, Tokyo Ghoul: Re, the successor series, can stand on its own legs, though it's not recommend people watch it without watching the original Tokyo Ghoul first.
But, as far as spooky settings go, the concept of man-eating Ghouls who function relatively similar to Zombies and/or Vampires is terrifying, especially since they don't have any of the obvious weaknesses like sunlight. Tokyo Ghoul and TG: Re are both beautiful series that somehow make human-like creatures that eat humans for dinner relatable, and that's not something easily done.
7 Classic: Deadman Wonderland
Deadman Wonderland is the perfect blend of horror, wonder, and fantasy; this series has grotesque violence, blossoming love, and the classic Shonen tropes that people always eat up. Protagonist Ganta Igarashi gets framed for the murder of all his classmates and is sent to the Deadman Wonderland right in the beginning of the series. And, over time, he develops a relationship with Shiro, an oddball with some amazing quotes, and things go from there as they try to figure out the mystery behind Ganta's framing, Shiro's past, and the Wonderland as a whole.
And, as it goes on, things get more and more horrifying. It's not quite as supernatural as Devilman Crybaby, but it also functions as a relatively standard Shonen, so it appealed to a much wider audience by default.
6 Modern: The Promised Neverland
Upon first glance or even after the first episode, people might not know that The Promised Neverland fits snugly into the horror/thriller genre, It's a show about adorable orphans living the life on a farm. Quickly after the true plot has been revealed and the Grace Field House kids know they're being raised as livestock, the series goes from a comfortable slice-of-life show to a horror-thriller series with some of the best twists and turns anime fans have seen in years. There's a ton to this series' setting, and the manga is actually finished, so fans are hoping another season comes soon since season 1 is so short.
5 Classic: Soul Eater
Soul Eater is such a classic and likely fits the Halloween vibe best in terms of style. Anime enthusiasts can't think of many other series with as vibrant of an art style or such memorable character designs. Whether it's Death The Kid, Chrona (a constant source of cosplay), or even the obnoxious Excalibur, all of the characters in this series are uniquely memorable and so is the setting itself. In fact, creator Atsushi Okobo actually has another big series with an incredible setting currently airing called Fire Force.
4 Modern: Dorohedoro
Tokyo Ghoul has a bunch of people in costumes, and so does Dorohedoro to some extent. Only, for people that live in "The Hole" these aren't exactly costumes they can take off, it's their bodies. The people that live here are sadly at the whims of the magic users who pop in from time to time and experiment on them. But, unlike Harry Potter wizards, these mages spew black smoke from their fingertips with horrifying magical properties individual to them that range from turning people into mushrooms to messing with time travel.
Dorohedoro is dark, violent, horrifying, and disgusting, but it has this weirdly charming light-tone to it that has no business working as well as it does. It's one of the weirder anime ever made, but that's exactly what makes it so unique, though there are a few other shows relatively similar to it in tone.
3 Classic: Another
Another started as a novel, then was adapted into a manga, which eventually got turned into both an anime in 2012 and a live-action adaptation. The story of Another is its biggest draw and is worth experiencing, but it's a mystery series about the death of a student in a Japanese high school who appears to be the reason for the seemingly random deaths of students, faculty, and all those close to them.
Another is incredible for plenty of reasons, but the writing and the slow reveal of the mystery is one of its best aspects, and it's why it's still recommended to this day.
2 Modern: Japan Sinks: 2020
Japan Sinks: 2020 is fantastic, but it's also a hard watch. The story is told through the eyes of one family trying to survive as Japan goes through numerous natural disasters and is basically sinking into the ocean before their eyes. Each episode has some amazing imagery, a few charming moments where the family becomes closer through their shared adversity, but usually ends with some truly gut-dropping horror. It's an incredible series, but viewers can only watch it in chunks because it's just so sad.
1 Classic: Gantz
Gantz is a series that has such absurd levels of violence, degradation, and depravity that it's almost hard to recommend given the content. Yet, on the other hand, it has some of the most memorable Yokai designs, one of the best nihilistic narratives, heartwrenching writing, and some of the best action scenes from anything anime fans have ever seen.
The anime adaptation of the manga had two seasons. While that wasn't enough to cover all Hiroya Oka's story, it still adapted a fair amount. There is also a Netflix CG film that came out in 2016.