13 of the Best Horror Manga From Junji Ito and Others

The new Netflix anthology Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre has propelled the already popular manga horror maestro to a growing audience of fans. Part of what makes Ito's work so powerful is the quality of his striking black-and-white images. But it is his understanding of phobias, existential dread, and the terror of the unknown that makes his work truly horrifying. Here are some of the must-read Junji Ito books.

• Uzumaki—Kurouzu-cho, a small fogbound town on the coast of Japan, is cursed. According to Shuichi Saito, the withdrawn boyfriend of teenager Kirie Goshima, their town is haunted not by a spirit but a pattern.
• Tomie—Murdered again and again, Tomie always comes back for more. A femme fatale with long black hair and a beauty mark just under her left eye, she can seduce nearly any man, and drive them to murder.
• Gyo—Something's rotten in Okinawa. The floating smell of death hangs over the island. A strange, legged fish appears on the scene. So begins Tadashi and Kaori's spiral into the horror and stench of the sea.
• Shiver—An arm peppered with tiny holes dangles from a sick girl's window. An idol hangs herself and balloons bearing the faces of future victims appear in the sky. Ito hand-picked the nine stories for this best-of collection.
• Smashed—Thirteen chilling tales, presented by the master of horror. Deadly, secret nectars, hellish haunted houses, and doomed people stuck in one place. Welcome to a world with no escape from nightmares.

More like Junji Ito

If you've already devoured everything by Japan's defining horror mangaka and you're looking for more from the world of horror manga, here are some suggestions.

• The Drifting Classroom by Kazuo Umezz—In the aftermath of a massive earthquake, a Japanese elementary school is transported into a hostile world where the students and teachers are besieged by terrifying creatures and beset by madness. (Volume 1 and Volume 2)
• Tokyo Ghoul series by Sui Ishada—Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way—except their craving for human flesh. Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter changes him forever.
• Blood on the Tracks by Shuzo Oshimi—Seiichi's mother loves him very much, and his days pass with placid regularity. Until one terrible summer day, that all changes.
• Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki—They arrive in silence and darkness. They descend from the skies. They have a hunger for human flesh. They are everywhere.
• Berserk by Kentaro Miura—Guts is a man on a mission as he crosses the land and slays beasts. He brandishes a hyperbolic blade and his adventures are soaked in blood and corpses.
• Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama—In this post-apocalyptic sci-fi story, humanity has been devastated by the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans.
• Gantz Omnibus Vol. 1 by Hiroya Oku—Ordinary Tokyo citizens resurrected from death by a mysterious black orb, the Gantz team is conscripted to fight in a game that promises release from the game . . . or oblivion.
• Another by Yukito Ayatsuji—In his new school, Koichi Sakakibara learns that he has been placed in the cursed Class 3, haunted by a vengeful spirit responsible for gruesome deaths of the students.

Ready to get scared? Let us know if we've missed any of your favorite manga horror.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon