The leaves are falling, the green is going away. It is that spooky time of the year, it is time for Halloween! So of course here is our usual recommendations for good Halloween anime and manga for this lovely time of the year.

Halloween Manga

Berserk-

Berserk, oh man. If you havent read it, please start with the Golden Age arc, this will haunt your dreams for sure when you get to the latter chapters. While most the manga is not pure horror, the end pay off is amazing.

Uzamaki-

Do you like your horror with an odd spin. Well than Uzamaki is perfect for you! This manga is downright weird and will twist you up with its freakish visuals and good pacing. While it is strange, it is special and engrossing beyond what most could even imagine.

Gyo-

While a bit stranger than your average horror, Gyo does offer a good degree of creepiness that has left fans discussing it for years since its release.

For real though, this one is pretty dang odd. Like it leaves you just thinking ‘what’ many times while reading it.

Gantz-

Gantz is disturbing, it is a odd tale of aliens and how entirely horrible human beings are. It is not for the weak of heart. It is messed up.

Tokyo Ghoul-

Vampire creatures, cannibalism and tons of dark and gritty art. What about that doesn’t scream Halloween? The series isn’t a constant barrage of terror. But when it goes there it doesn’t hold back.

Naoki Urasawas Monster-

If you are looking for something with a bit less shock value and ‘mature’ content than go no further! Monster is a psychological thriller that doesn’t rely on jump scares or grotesque visuals. Instead it ops for legit real world creepiness.

 

Halloween Anime–

Vampire Hunter D: BloodLust–

Nothing says Halloween like Vampires and that is just what this beautiful anime movie is about. D is a Vampire Hunter is a strange and eerie movie that should be on everyones Halloween time watchlist.

Note- Try to avoid the first movie, it is not so good.

 

Berserk ( 1998 )-

Yes, Berserk is here once again! For this entry you should skip the first episode as it is just a pilot that does not mesh well at all. None the less, like the manga recommendation, the payoff for watching it all is amazing for Halloween.

Cowboy Bebop- Toys in the Attic/ Pierrot le fou/ The movie-

First off the Episode Toys in the Attic is just a hilarious parody of horror, it is worth the watch. There of course is another episode that creeped many people out with its just strange departure from the normal episodes,that episode of course being Pierrot le fou, the less said the better for this one. Last but not least is the fantastic Cowboy Bebop movie, it takes place on Halloween! I mean how perfect is that, it isnt scary but hey, there is lots of Halloween stuff in the film.

High School of the Dead-

Highschool of the Dead is one of those shows you almost can’t recommend…. It would have been a genre classic if it were not so dang skanky. Every couple years I go back and rewatch it and I think “holy crap there was this much fanservice?” So it gets a qualified recommendation if you can tolerate a near constant barrage of bouncing breasts, panty shots and butt shots at even the most inappropriate moments.

What’s interesting about it is the story unfolds during the initial outbreak and its centers on surprisingly competent and intelligent (or maybe more accurately not movie stupid?) teens as they try to band together, find their families and figure out how to survive .-Leon Evelake

Ghost Hunt–

The series sees Mai Taniyama a high school student who after inadvertently causing some damage to some equipment belonging to a paranormal investigator (as well as his assistant) is drafted to work for him to make it up. Now Mai works alongside a somewhat eccentric group of investigators and exorcists on cases ranging from fraud to possessions.

The series is fairly light a lot of the time but varies by arc sometimes it kicks into high gear with the horror unexpectedly or throws unexpectedly depressing Christmas episodes at you.-Leon

Naoki Urasawas Monster–

Yes there is an anime too! Filled with great visuals, wonderful voice acting and a ton of tension to bring you some nice unease!

Hellsing/Hellsing Ultimate-

Both series start out the same Series Victoria encounters and is saved by the vampire Alucard and ends up working with the Hellsing organization to fight vampires. The original Hellsing was produced before the comic finished its story and came up with its own later half. It’s less intense, less grotesque and less brutal.

Hellsing Ultimate follows the comic much more closely has much higher production values and is a much more extreme experience. The heros are more ambiguous and do some really unpleasant stuff and the fights are more gruesome. The final conflict in the streets of london is a hellish spectacle. It’s the show for people who think vampires have lost their edge in pop culture.

Both series actually have their strong points and interesting scenes it’s really a matter of what you are looking for. Either way if it’s called Hellsing Octobers a good time to watch it.-Leon

Castlevania

After the people of Wallachia burnt his wife at the stake Dracula promises one year’s reprieve before he ends the life of every single person in the land. Once the year’s time past he begins making good on his promise unleashing demons on the land. Amidst the horrors as the people are trying to figure out how to survive the demons at their walls and the corruption inside their cities, Trevor Belmont the last member of a disgraced family of monster hunters saunters into town.-Leon