Too Dark for TV: The Horror Manga That'll Never Get an Anime
When it comes to horror anime, most of what we see leans heavily into the supernatural. Big shows like Jujutsu Kaisen, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Black Clover mix magic and horror together. On the manga side, stories like Uzumaki, Perfect Blue, and Devilman Crybaby dive deep into psychological and creepy themes. But there’s one type of horror that’s still pretty rare — slashers. You know, like Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) or Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street).
Freak Island was created by Hokazono Masaya and started in 2013, eventually running for 24 volumes. It follows a group of university students who find themselves trapped on what seems like an empty island. But it’s not empty at all. It turns out, the island is used as a dumping ground by the Yakuza, and it’s home to a terrifying family of killers.
The family members each have their own twisted style. One of the main villains, Kaoru, wears a creepy pig mask and uses deadly weapons like a chainsaw — very similar to Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Despite looking less evil than some of his family, Kaoru still causes brutal damage.
Then there’s Mari, Kaoru’s older sister. She carries a glove with knives, just like Freddy Krueger. Her face is twisted and scary, and she enjoys hunting down the unlucky visitors. But the real monster of the family is their father, Yoshikazu, who not only murders for fun but encourages his children to do the same.
As if this wasn’t bad enough, Freak Island adds an even more horrifying twist: the family can’t die. Thanks to some strange power tied to the island, they instantly recover from even the worst injuries — like losing their heads! This mystery is one of the biggest in the story and leads to some mind-blowing reveals later on.
Beyond all the slasher violence, the manga dives into other disturbing themes too. There’s lots of body horror (think gruesome changes to people’s bodies), and the story explores dark ideas like isolation, religious fanaticism, and hopelessness.
Freak Island doesn’t hold back. It’s extremely graphic, bloody, and often very uncomfortable to read — which is exactly why it’s unlikely to ever get an anime adaptation. In today’s anime industry, something this brutal would be almost impossible to bring to mainstream TV or streaming.
Still, for hardcore horror fans who love bloody, brutal stories, Freak Island is a must-read. It’s rare to find a manga that captures the pure terror of slasher movies, but this one absolutely nails it — even if it leaves you sleeping with the lights on.