Horror is anextremely popular genre in entertainment and media. Some of the most well-known films are horror films, and attractions like haunted houses are always popular. The idea of horrific, supernatural beings beyond basic human reckoning is a thought that is both haunting and enticing.
RELATED:Great Anime For Slasher Horror Fans
Techno-horror is a subgenre of horror that revolves around science fiction concepts. While technology and scientific advancement is beneficial to both our daily lives and civilization as a whole, it also has the potential to be extremely terrifying, especially if it goes out of control. Here are the best anime that fall under the category of techno-horror.
8Terra Formars
In an attempt to terraform Mars to make it livable for humans, scientists send several organisms, including cockroaches, to the planet in order to make it habitable for life. 500 years later, several attempts to reach Mars have ended with the crew members dead. It is eventually discovered that the roaches have mutated into giant humanoid monsters termed “terraformars,” and are rampaging not only on Mars but on the planet Earth as well.
Terra Formarsisanother example of scientific endeavors turning badly. The terraformars are horrifying in visage and strength. While the humans come up with their own ways to fight against them, they are still terrifying to encounter.
7Vampire Hunter D
In a world where nuclear war has destroyed much of civilization, vampires reign supreme in a world full of horrific monsters and cyber-creations. Doris Lang, a human woman, is attacked by the vampire Count Magnus Lee, so she hires the mysterious D to kill him before she becomes a vampire herself.
While Vampire Hunter Dmight seem like a gothic supernatural series, it is in fact a science fiction saga of vampire killing where bio-engineered monsters stand side-by-side with mythological monsters. This film is a great watch for fans of both science fiction and horror, and should not be missed.
6Serial Experiments Lain
Lain Iwakura is a rather quiet young girl who lives a normal life when she recevies an email from a supposedly decased classmate named Chisa Yomoda. Chisa claims that she had not died, merely given her body up to become a part of the virtual world called the Wired. Lain soon becomes embroiled in the world of the Wired herself, sparking a series of events between a number of separate characters.
Serial Experiments Lain is one of the more bizarreand avant-garde anime series out there, and it is truly unique. The series is highly philosophical, and asks questions about life and reality in the technological world.
5Psycho-Pass
In the far future, Japan is governed by the Sybil System, a computer network that scans the brains of all living humans to check their potential for committing crimes. Akane Tsunemori is a rookie inspector working to apprehend criminals according to the judgments made by the Sybil System, while searching for a criminal mastermind who is invisible to the System’s calculations.
RELATED:Will Psycho-Pass Ever Get A Fourth Season?
Psycho-Pass is set in a dystopian world where technology has an overbearing reach over everyday people’s lives. While the series is not technically categorized as horror, the way in which technology is used in this anime is certainly terrifying.
4Gantz
While attempting to save a homeless man, Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato are hit by a train. However, instead of dying, they are teleported to a mysterious place where they are charged with killing horrific monsters and aliens in exchange for points.
Gantz is bothan exciting action and a terrifying horror series. The monstrous aliens that Kei, Masaru, and their allies must fight every mission are truly terrifying, and deaths are certain to occur whenever a battle happens. While the anime does have its flaws, its ability to create terrifying and haunting situations is undeniable.
3Ghost In The Shell
In a world where most of humanity has exchanged their flesh and blood bodies for cybernetic ones, Major Motoko Kusanagi spearheads the investigation of a case surrounding the “Puppet Master,” an enigmatic being that has an unknown goal.
RELATED:Should You Watch Ghost In The Shell: SAC_2045 Season 2?
While Ghost in the Shell is not a conventional horror story, its philosophy towards technology is certainly one of cautious fear. The Major’s fears over whether she remains human despite having replaced most of her bodyencroach on psychological horror, and the way that the Puppet Master affects the memories of those they hack is also unnerving.
2Paprika
In the future, a device called the “DC Mini” allows others to view people’s dreams. Doctors Atsuko Chiba and Kosaku Tokita plan to use the DC Mini to help people get over their psychological traumas and disorders by exploring their dreams. However, the theft of one such device causes a surge in people behaving strangely, forcing Chiba and Tokita to search desperately for the thief.
Paprikaisone of Satoshi Kon’s most famous films, and it deftly explores the horror of invasive technology with no forms of restrictions. The DC Mini is capable of both benefitting society and harming it, showing the double-edged sword of technology in the modern era.
1Akira
After World War III destroyed the city of Tokyo, Neo-Tokyo is now a lawless city full of corruption and gang violence. Kaneda and Tetsuo are young leaders of a biker gang when they encounter a strange elderly-looking child in the road. The event sets off a chain of events regarding a secret experiment taking place under wraps.
Akirais the most iconic cyberpunk anime film of all time, with a focus on the horrors of human experimentation. The progression of Tetsuo’s transformation into a vicious monster that abuses his new-found psychic powers is horrifying, and the terrors of being faced with a monstrosity created by man is truly a haunting thought.
