A spine-chilling, terrifying song. Japanese music that evokes madness and horror.
Don’t you ever feel like listening to scary songs? That sensation where curiosity about scary things wins out—like with horror movies, haunted houses, or famous ghost spots.
In this article, I’ll introduce tracks with chilling themes: horror-inspired worlds, madness and hidden psychology, twisted love, and more.
If you’re a horror-song freak, this is a must-read.
It might also help when you’re thinking, “There was a scary song I heard once long ago, but I don’t remember the title.”
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A spine-chilling, terrifying song. Japanese tracks that evoke madness and horror (1–10)
a May flyRADWIMPS
The hit song “Satsuki no Hae” by the hugely popular band RADWIMPS.
The melody is typical pop, but because the lyrics are themed around sexual assault, the song as a whole is quite scary.
That said, the lyrics themselves use straightforward, conversational language, so it’s still a catchy track.
It feels like a scary song for kids.
utter scumnakiso
It’s a Vocaloid track where madness and dependency intersect.
Nakiso used Kaai Yuki and released it in March 2022.
The lyrics, intertwining one-sided affection and a desire to control, leave a strong impression.
Commands and pleas appear in alternation, expressing the protagonist’s unstable state of mind.
The sudden, push-you-away sound arrangement gives you chills.
There’s also a remix version by STEAKA and even a novel adaptation, so check them out if you’re interested.
beast trailCocco
Cocco is known for having many works that sing of almost violent feminine passion, and this song in particular makes that tendency especially apparent.
From the dissonant intro and the screams in the interlude to the lyrics that somehow evoke a sense of bloodiness, an uneasy, grotesque atmosphere pervades from beginning to end.
A spine-chilling, terrifying song. Japanese tracks that evoke madness and horror (11–20)
It’s just a burning memoryNEW!The Caretaker
Shrouded in an indefinable sense of anxiety, this work exudes an ominous atmosphere.
Created by the solo project The Caretaker, it opens the album “Everywhere at the end of time,” which was released in September 2016.
Known for spreading online through videos and drawing widespread attention, the track builds on vintage dance music, with noise and worn, scratchy timbres expressing a unique blend of terror and beauty, as if memories are decaying.
It’s recommended for those who want to immerse themselves in the eerie world lurking beneath a gentle melody, or who wish to experience a cool, out-of-the-ordinary mood.
Ringtone of DeathNEW!Endō Kōji
This score is famous as part of the soundtrack to the smash-hit horror film One Missed Call.
It’s included on the album One Missed Call Original Soundtrack, released in January 2004, and was composed by Koji Endo.
It brilliantly captures the terror of a story that makes anyone shudder: a sound from a cell phone that foretells your own death from the future.
Though it’s only about a minute long, this piece maximizes a clinging sense of unease.
There’s also a behind-the-scenes twist—that it’s paired with another track on the same album that serves as the original song—which adds to the sense of madness.
Highly recommended for those who want to fully savor the chilly fear lurking in everyday life.
AstraZeneca “Atherosclerotic Disease Onset Prevention Awareness Campaign” TV Commercial SongNEW!Kaori Takeda
Here’s a song featured in AstraZeneca’s “Atherosclerotic Disease Prevention Awareness Campaign” commercial.
The vocalist is Kaori Takeda, who is also active with the unit TICA.
In a brief span of just about 35 seconds, it employs a structure where mysterious, incantation-like words are repeated, striking a captivating balance between unease and memorability.
The track was included on the compilation album “Magalog -Kaori Takeda CM Song Book-,” released in November 2011, and many listeners were likely captivated by the uncanny resonance that drifted from their TVs.
You can’t help but feel a chill run down your spine at the sense of the extraordinary suddenly appearing within the everyday and the eerily unsettling atmosphere.
FEELS LIKE HEAVENHIIH
This “FEELS LIKE HEAVEN,” famous as the theme song for the smash-hit horror film Ring.
Beyond its melody, the chorus lyrics are highly distinctive, so many of you probably still have them stuck in your heads.
Pay attention to how the song’s arrangement masterfully conveys a sense of fear.