The Scariest Anime Series to Watch During October

Do you feel yourself shivering? Shaking like the leaves? Perhaps its the autumn wind, brought forth by October. Or … the seasonal chill comes with the media company you keep! As Halloween draws nearer, we tend to gravitate toward the horror genre. But that doesn’t mean you have to leave behind your usual faves and go full-on ghouls and gore. There are many genre-blending series out there to satisfy every television craving. And a lot of those series are anime!

Presented in Japanese with English subtitles, or sometimes dubbed over in English, these animated series are perfect for spooky season. Below, discover your next late-night watch. But be warned … these images and descriptions are not for the faint of heart. Unless you like fainting from fear. No judgement here.

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The Summer Hikaru Died

The Summer Hikaru Died just wrapped its 12-episode run on Netflix. Set in a mysterious rural village, the show follows best friends Hikaru and Yoshiki as they navigate loneliness and belonging. While there’s plenty of body and ghost horror, the show’s deeper themes and messages revolve around the horror of loving and being loved in a place that doesn’t always accept outsiders. Hikaru’s summertime trip to a mountain brings with him a slew of impurities. Meanwhile, he struggles to keep a big secret — emphasizing an exploration of what makes a monster versus a human.

Dripping with gorgeous art and animation, The Summer Hikaru Died utilizes flashing lights, crackling VCR textures, and unsettling sounds overlaying disturbing visuals. At times, the show is also extremely heartfelt. These emotional moments make the creepy scenes even more upsetting, because the audience relaxes too much into the slice-of-life setting. But that’s the point: It captures the insidious fear that follows people, especially queer people, through mundane experiences.

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Jujutsu Kaisen

What if you could go to school to study sorcery? In Jujutsu Kaisen, high school students gain techniques to fight and learn curses. These aren’t exactly magical spells, however — these are living malignant entities forged from cursed energy. Humans’ negative emotions, like anger, depression, hatred, et cetera, leave traces that eventually become these horrifying antagonists. Some curses are capable of speech. Others make terrible noises. All of them pose immense threats to humanity as well as the sorcerers charged with stopping them.

Yuji Itadori, alongside iconic allies like Megumi, Gojo, and Nobara, hone their skills to combat literally world-ending threats. But Yuji also has a high-level curse living inside him — and threatening to take over his body each time Yuji gains more power. When other sorcerers hear this, they turn against Yuji, creating a compelling narrative which forces us to question who are the real allies and enemies.

If you’re interested in the biggest, most horrible events of Jujutsu Kaisen, you can catch the compilation film of the latest major arcs. Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution – The Shibuya Incident x The Culling Game Begins hits theaters December 2025 in the United States.

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Chainsaw Man

Chainsaw Man has some of the most interesting lore in anime history. Essentially, a Devil’s strength is proportionate to how many people fear it. The Gun Devil, for instance, remains one of the series’ top antagonists due to the nature of global gun violence — and how those weapons terrify millions worldwide. Other Devils play into generic horror genre tropes, like the Zombie Devil, or Blood and Bat Devils. Even the Angel Devil, who reduces your lifespan if you touch him, adds to the show’s pulse-pounding atmosphere.

Denji himself has a Chainsaw Devil’s heart, so he can transform into a monstrous, rampaging version of himself. This horror anime is mostly action, then, because of how many epic fight sequences you can get from a dude with a chainsaw head and bladed arms. But the scares don’t stop with the Devils. Many characters are morally bankrupt and brutally selfish, making Chainsaw Man almost painful to watch as they constantly betray and hurt themselves and each other.

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Demon Slayer

Fair warning — Demon Slayer is not just scary. It’s also devastatingly sad. In the pilot episode, we follow Tanjiro Kamado. He lives a simple, happy life with his family in the mountains. Everything changes when they’re all slaughtered … and his sister, Nezuko, turns into a demon. Forced into a new role as both Demon Slayer and older brother, Tanjiro balances his commitment to Nezuko while training to defeat all demons. His adventures are paved with grief, fury, and good intentions that often end with bloodshed.

After four episodic seasons, Demon Slayer is finishing its run with a feature film presentation. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle concludes the awe-inspiring dark fantasy as our heroes face their final, deadliest foe: the King of Demons himself. Infinity Castle is playing in theaters now (though if you’re in Japan, you’re lucky enough to have watched it already via Crunchyroll). No spoilers, please! Now that would really be scary…

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Black Butler

The protagonist of Black Butler is a young earl named Ciel Phantomhive. He is compacted to a demon, Sebastian, who acts as the boy’s butler, bodyguard, and mercenary. Ciel and Sebastian embark on many fantastical adventures throughout Victorian England. They combat creepy dolls and circus masters, grim reapers, angels, and even werewolves. The writers often seamlessly blend the fictional elements with historical aspects or events from the time period.

With all those monsters and mayhem, the scariest part of Black Butler is actually the human depravity. Revealed early on, we understand Ciel’s small frame and demonic contract are because wealthy cult members burned down his home before kidnapping Ciel. They starve Ciel and trap him in a cage until he appeals to Hell. Throughout the series, Ciel aims to avenge his parents and reclaim his traumatic past. His journey is beautiful, but also tragic, sometimes comedic, and largely heartbreaking.

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Death Note

What’s scarier than corrupt men in power? Corrupt men in power who have the power to kill and completely get away with it. Death Note features a young man named Light Yagami who calls himself Kira after meeting a Shinigami and inheriting his Death Note. The Death Note notebook allows its user to write a name and type of death on its pages, and then that death occurs — no true killer, no crime. As Kira starts to play God, his plans overtake all reason or rationale until he wants to rule the world.

A detective named L pursues Kira while partnering with Light. This twisted, psychological, toxic relationship is massively compelling. But it’s also horrifying. L and Light attempt to outsmart and outmaneuver each other at every turn, often using other characters as pawns in their game. Meanwhile, the Shinigami Ryuk plots his further meddling in the human world … with disastrous consequences. It’ll keep you hooked from start to finish.

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Have these anime series shocked, surprised, or even scared you? If not, do you have a scarier pick to share? Bring it on! Let us know your October watch list at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network. And as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!

Stir up the spirits and face the monsters within … Spooktacular has been unleashed once again!

Put the EEK! in geek during Sideshow’s Spooktacular 2025, a celebration with ghastly giveaways, deathly deals, eerie exclusive perks, and more. Join us from October 23 – October 31 by visiting side.show/spooktacular and don’t forget — sleep is for the weak!