Mystery, Suspense, and Horror

Higurashi When They Cry

出典 : Amazon.co.jp

This is a mystery horror film about an unsolved case that takes place in a village in 1983. “The protagonist ‘Keiichi Maebara’ and his friends are trying to get to the bottom of it when they learn that every year on the day of a village festival called ‘Cotton Floating’, one person dies and the other disappears. This work is divided into “answer” and “solution” sections. The highlight of this work is not only the “answer” section, which has strong horror elements, but also the hot development of the solution section, which moves the story forward significantly. It has attracted attention for its unique characters and elaborate settings, and has been used in many other media such as comical rides, drama CDs, and live-action movies as well as anime. The original doujin game was released more than 15 years ago, but it is still a work that has many deep-rooted fans.

Shiki

出典 : Amazon.co.jp

The horror novel by Miyumi Ono is adapted into a manga by Fujisaki Ryu, known for “Foujin Engi”. This work is a further anime adaptation of the manga version. The setting is the village of “Sotoba”, which is surrounded by mountains and still retains the custom of burial. The story begins when a western-style house that does not look like such a small village is moved into the village. When the owner of the house moves in, strange things happen in the village at the same time. The number of unexplained deaths is increasing, and shadows of people who “should not be there anymore” appear at night. The story depicts the village being enveloped in fear, and the people struggling in the midst of it. The story follows the manga version, but the last part of the story is very close to the original novel, so it is recommended for those who have read the manga version.

Hell Girl

出典 : Amazon.co.jp

The urban legend that is whispered around the town is that there is a website called “Jigoku Tsushin” which can only be accessed by people who have a strong grudge. It is said that if you enter the name of the target in the Jigoku Tsushin, a girl with long black hair wearing a sailor suit will appear in front of your client. The girl’s name is “Enma Ai”. Ai, who resonates with human’s “grudges”, makes a contract with her client and gives her the method of “Jigoku-Shed”.
This is a revenge story about a grudge that cannot be judged by law and will never disappear. This work has been adapted for TV dramas, movies, and theatrical productions. Since the main theme of the work is “revenge”, it has a gloomy atmosphere even without the fact that it is a horror story, and it is also famous as a “depressing anime” that depicts the conflicts and anguish of the characters due to the setting of “the contractor himself goes to hell after he dies as compensation for clearing his grudge”.

Another

出典 : Amazon.co.jp

Sakakibara Koichi has moved to his mother’s hometown in Yomiyama City to take care of his lung disease. At his new school, he meets and becomes attracted to a mysterious girl ‘Mei Misaki’ who wears an eye patch, but he notices that his classmates treat her as if she doesn’t exist, which makes him feel uncomfortable. Koichi begins to wonder if she really exists. A tragedy happens to one of his classmates, and the “secret” of his class comes to light.
This school mystery horror film is based on the novel of the same name by Ayatsuji Yukito, one of Japan’s leading mystery writers. It has a reputation for its beautiful drawings and realistic BGM, and you can fully enjoy the atmosphere of a horror work.

The Lost Village

出典 : Amazon.co.jp

Thirty emotionally scarred men and women join the “Restore Your Life Tour” and their destination is Nanaki Village, a village rumored to have existed as an urban legend and not even on the map. The bus carrying the tour participants goes deep into the mountains, deep in the middle of nowhere, until it arrives at an abandoned village where they can feel the faintest sign of human presence. What awaits the participants, who were supposed to go missing and start a new life in the village, is an eerie cry, a mysterious phenomenon of disappearing people, and a strange monster.
Set in an uninhabited village with nowhere to run, the story follows the characters through their various struggles and conflicts, as well as the hidden secrets of the village. The story is a cross between a horror and human drama, and with the development of the mysteries calling for more mysteries, it is a work that makes you want to keep watching to see what happens next.

ARAGNE: Sign of Vermillion

出典 : Amazon.co.jp

Rin is a college student who moves into an apartment building built out of an abandoned factory in the suburbs. Rin witnesses a strange looking old woman being rushed to the apartment. A huge larva-like creature crawls out of the old woman’s arm. The more he investigates the insects, the more he learns about them, the more he realizes that there is a curse on the land where he lives.
This film is an anime feature film that was created by a creator named Sakamoto Saku, who directed, wrote the script, animated the film, and composed the music almost entirely by himself. The quality is so high that it is hard to believe that it was produced by just one person, and the creative visuals, music, and direction are a perfect match to enjoy a full-fledged horror story. It is especially recommended to those who like aesthetic and grotesque horror stories.