Sometimes things are better left as they are, for when changes come about, they aren’t always for the better. As for Makoto, Taro, and Masayuki, traveling to Suiten, the Unseen World; a world parallel to the real world and inhabited by the likes of ghosts, only snowballs into further complications as malevolence bubbles underneath the surface. Now, with spirits making their way over to the real world, the time left to unravel the mystery behind this occurrence is dwindling fast and placing everyone at risk in the process. ‘Curiosity killed the cat’ are words to live by, and Makoto, Taro, and Masayuki turn those words into gold here on episode 4. Wandering through an old abandoned hospital can be a thrill worthwhile, but not always for the better. When these three travel through its corridors, something about its lack of fear-jerking elements makes the place all the creepier. As they aimlessly circle around, the absence of life almost transcends the atmosphere outside of reality. Empty beds, hollow walls and decrepit stairs. You could almost hear them taunting their every step. Thus making it time that this curious trio high tailed their way out of there once things start to escalate. Unfortunately, it might already be too late.

Looks can be deceiving. As is the case with Amu Hinamori; a student at Seiyo Elementary. Holding a high reputation, Amu is quite different underneath her false façade. Eager to become the person everyone believes she is, Amu makes a hopeful wish to be reborn as her “would-be” self. Well, her dream just may have come true, as three Guardians, Miki, Su, and Ran appear the following day. With these Guardians set to make Amu’s wish a reality, personality changes and new abilities make this road to her new self a bumpy one. After being recruited by a counsel of students possessing their own Guardians known as “the Guardians”, Amu inevitably gets pulled into a world like she’s never seen before. There is more to ghost hunting than proving their existence. Ghosts have a history, and sometimes their stories are worth being heard. When The Guardians go snooping through a haunted mansion, they initially encounter everything that would make this seem like a stellar amusement park attraction. With Amu hollering at every corner, it’s not fear that makes episode 34 of Shugo Chara! such a great addition to our list, but eccentrics. Chasing after a supposed ghost, the trio stumble across Kuuta, a now fading Guardian. A moment of sentiment poured into the pool of comedic horror gives this spooky mansion adventure a unique flavor amongst the rest, and certainly makes it one worth tuning in to.

Exiling ghosts from their own haunted schoolhouse can come back around full circle; and in Ghost Stories, it already has. Dealing with the loss of their mother, siblings Satsuki and Keiichirou Miyanoshita get spiraled into a new life after moving into their mother’s hometown. Initially ignoring claims of their local school being haunted, these two quickly come to discover that the reality behind the rumors is much more real and vicious than they’d come to believe. When Satsuki and Keiichirou run into the old schoolhouse in search of their cat at the kick start of episode 1, they immediately struggle to protect themselves from one strange occurrence after the other. This building is haunted to the core, and that’s a fact. Feasting on its prey until they finally break and become part of its long rap sheet, it’s as if there is a never-ending supply of frightening ghouls at its disposal. So much for it being the “old” schoolhouse, as with each passing episode, another paranormal presence makes itself at home. Making sure that the excitement of this haunted building never gets old at all.

Suddenly realizing that phantoms have long since lived alongside humanity is certainly the revelation of a lifetime; a scary one at that. Thanks to a brain infecting virus, people in the world of Myriad Colors Phantom World become capable of seeing these paranormal creatures, and as the generations pass by, they are able to use special abilities to fight against them as well. Haruhiko Ichijou, Mai Kawakami, and not-so-evil phantom Ruru; better known as Team E from Hosea Academy, use their abilities to entwine their daily lives with the Phantom World. In a mystical environment such as this, things are bound to get interesting. Cats are evil; this we already know! So what does that make an old mansion rumored to be filled with them? The eeriness that loomed around just the storytelling of the cat mansion at episode 7 could be enough to rile a person up. Now with talk of phantoms, and the entire team slowly turning into cats; yes, cats, that silly superstition doesn’t seem to be so far-fetched anymore. It seems like the only answer to the strange cat-ifying phenomenon is to face it head on and take a stroll through the cat mansion. But Team E will have to work fast, for soon they’ll fall into the paws of those darn evil felines.

When samurai are accidentally removed from a parallel universe, they find themselves misplaced in the modern-day world of Tokyo. Despite what you may be inclined to believe, the inhabitants of this world do not appear as the masculine warriors from our well known history; but instead look like high school girls. Coming from the medieval era and being placed in a bustling modern environment, urges them to become best friends as they embark on a handful of misadventures. Some of which, are downright creepy. Long halls that just span onwards without end. A view that only stretches a few feet ahead before falling to complete darkness, pest-ridden with ghastly nooks and crannies. At this point the building itself brings on enough chill that a ghost is nothing more than a merciless overkill. When Yoshiaki’s friends begin disappearing one by one, the horror mystery starts to unfold. Episode 15 gives us a bite into nostalgia as they gape down the stairs into a deep abyss, welcoming them to their horrid demise. This was the same late night fun that grew hairs on your chest as a kid, and now it’s back to crawl up the nape of your neck yet again. Luckily we’re only watching it this time around.

Telling ghost stories amongst your friends may be all fun and games, but when the stories become real, suddenly the thrill isn’t as exciting. When Mai Taniyama is hired by 17-year old Kazuya Shibuya; president of the Shibuya Psychic Research Company, Mai gets a taste of just how terrifying some of those around-the-campfire stories actually are. Forced to work in order to pay back a broken camera, Mai uptakes the world of the supernatural and dives into the profession of ghost hunting. Ghost Hunt brings us the good ol’ fashioned ghastly household that seems to be further beneath the darkness then they’d ever imagined. The confines of this house were spewing poison at its occupants. Creepy dolls and strange children, all within the aura of a deep rooted vengeance that knows no direction. As the SPR team take rudimentary steps at the onset of episode 4 towards discovering the culprit behind the house’s hauntings, we get a taste of that true to form spine-chilling fear that is a staple in the world of horror. Taking everything we know horror to be and placing it on the table in a refreshing manner is why we couldn’t let this old school haunting miss a stop on our list of top haunted buildings.

Following the story of an individual known only as “Medicine Seller”, Mononoke tells a magnificent story of the encounters of “mononoke”. A type of unnatural spirit lingering within the living world. As the seller seeks to fend the spirits off, he pours his knowledge into learning the mononoke’s Form, Truth, and Reasoning before unsheathing his sword and exorcising them. A transcending tale of the supernatural blended within the philosophy of our perception of the world around us. Public places can carry some of the most weighted fragments of history. Infested in the rugs, and stained onto the walls. The sound of something terrible calling from the past can bring about a twisted sense of torture. After checking into a room at a traditional inn, a pregnant woman is faced with a terrifying history that doesn’t seem to want to stay in the past. Apparently saving the lady from an assassin, the mononoke of the inn attract the attention of the Medicine Seller. A person only helps another in order to help themselves, and the Medicine Seller soon discovers that mononoke aren’t any different. The spirits of unborn children; they only want to experience the life that was ripped away from them. They are lost voices that hawk over the natural facet of life; fertility. Forever existing within this inn awaiting their ticket into this vile world. The questions that loom after watching this episode will wrap around your head and open your eyes to a new viewpoint. Every element, from the atmosphere to the obscure meanings, are what makes episode 1 of Mononoke a perfect fit for this list.

The Devil is feared by many, thus when the Demon Lord Satan and his armies take strides to conquer the continent of Ente Isla; success seems almost certain. That is, until the evil conqueror is bested and forced to quickly retreat. This; however, placed him in none other than the human world. Now stranded in Tokyo, he eagerly fights to find a way back. Undertaking the guise of a human named Sadao Maou, the Demon Lord works to make ends meet by taking on a part-time job at MgRonald’s. Powerless in a world without magic, this evil ruler will know the face of true struggle as he shifts gears from conquering Enta Isla, to conquering Earth. To think that there wouldn’t be any disturbing buildings in an anime with “devil” in its title is a fool’s mistake, for when the creepy gets creepy, it gets creepy. Strolling into an old mansion should be aborted at the birth of the thought. The first foot through the doors of episode 10 will land you right into literal hell. Straight from the get-go things get eerie. Seemingly taking a liking to oddly sitting in corners; deviously covered in a hoody, a child straight from the devil’s den mumbles off his cursed words of pain, causing these girls’ hearts to leap from their chests. Now, contemplate if you’re built to watch a show about the devil in the first place.

Diving into the iconic world of Pokémon, Pokémon: XY presents the bustling world of Miare City. As Ash and Pikachu seek to continue their efforts of becoming the best, things get a little sticky as Team Rocket’s mischief cause trouble yet again. This time around, however, their attention grabbing antics may have connected lives in an apparent call of fate. Ash and Pikachu continue their journey, while geniuses Citron and Eureka take life from a new perspective; meanwhile young Serena travels to Miare City in search of a close friend from her past. As these people look to fulfill their goals, the world of Pokémon XY takes you down an eccentric ride of classic Pokémon storytelling atop a sea of new and exciting adventures. You’re probably wondering what could be so creepy about a world filled with Pokémon. Learning; at episode 72, that a few Pokémon remained alongside their master Lon for over 200 years is like an old Japanese tale of eternal loyalty. Most people don’t live for that long, and neither did this homeowner. Discovering that the person you were just conversing with was already dead may take some time to sink into your skin; but when it hits you, it hits you hard. Some of the most terrorizing horrors are ones that lurk in plain sight, as though it’s something straight out of the ordinary. Killing your sense of reality in the process, and single handedly pushing you inch by inch into insanity. You can never truly trust what’s right beside you.

They are considered the rudimentary forms of life; beings that just are. They transcend human understanding and are above our judgments. They can exist anywhere and everywhere, and can present themselves in numerous forms. They, are known as “mushi”, and in the world of MUSHI-SHI, are at the heart of the questions that Ginko hopes to have answered. Chasing after mushi by following occurrences such as dreams turning into reality, Ginko searches for the true meaning behind these anomalies. For the reasoning behind mushi, could lead to the reasoning behind this very world itself. Just as mind debauching as they are, these mushi can cause some of the most bizarre situations at times. Such as in episode 16, where Izumi is seemingly lost within a mirrored world. Hidden in a space where it’s always night time, she goes about her day in a house no different than her usual one; except that she is the only occupant. In the real world, her mother desperately clings to the idea that she’s still alive, and her sister; sensing her presence, continually engages with her through a doll that somehow exists between the two realms. It’s almost as though Izumi is lost within a phantom world, doomed to roam that house endlessly as only faint traces of her remain; presenting herself akin to a spirit in a haunted house. This, is of course the result of mushi, as these critters can cause reality warping effects by just simply being. Not much of an actual ghost story being told, but still one of unique taste, echoing that same skin-ruffling, uncanny essence. To be here, and not be here at the same time. Lost to the point that you even forget to come home. In a sense, this may be the most haunting of them all.