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-chillingly scary song. Japanese tracks that evoke madness and horror (21–30)
COTTON COLORTaniyama Hiroko
A piece by Hiroko Taniyama, unmatched when it comes to crafting songs that carry an eerie undertone within a fantastical atmosphere.
If you just listen casually, it sounds like an innocently charming tune, but in fact, if you read the mysterious language in the lyrics backward, a terrifying truth is revealed.
Hymn in Devotion to the DeityYuzura Yui
A song used in the horror game SIREN.
The lyrics are actually in Japanese, but both the language—which is hard to identify at first listen—and the melody make you feel increasingly uneasy the more you hear it.
As the title suggests, the song carries a kind of divine, otherworldly fear.
It’s you.Midorikawa Shobō
Claiming to be the maverick of the J-pop world, Midorikawa Shobō has released many distinctive songs that cut into taboos.
This track takes the form of an interrogation room statement by a man who accidentally caused the death of his wife’s stepchild, and the lines spoken by the wife within it are downright terrifying.
Coupled with the clinging, frenetic guitar sound toward the end, it’s a depressingly haunting song that you can’t get out of your head once you’ve heard it.
MomFumizuki Mei
It’s a hard-hitting song that tackles the delicate issue of child abuse.
Released in October 2013 as Mei Fumizuki’s debut single, it drew a great deal of attention.
Sung from the perspective of a child who has become an angel, the lyrics convey complex feelings toward the mother and leave a deep impression on listeners.
Although it gained traction on video sites at the time of release, there’s an anecdote that it was passed over by cable broadcasting due to its extreme content.
The track was also included on the album “She is.” released in February 2014.
It’s a piece that showcases Mei Fumizuki’s sharp insight and expressive power.
E1evat0rShikufoni
This is a track released in December 2025 by the 2.5D talent group, Ciqufony.
The lyrics were written by member Hima72, who uses distinctive word choices to portray wavering self-identity and psychological instability.
Heavy, claustrophobic sound design fuses with vocals that feel like an emotional outburst, making you feel, true to the title, as if you’re trapped in an elevator.
Immerse yourself in its dark world.
pomegranatesuiren
If the title already gave you a bad feeling, you’re absolutely right.
Why is it that in the world of songs, people maddened by love tend to veer into cannibalism…? With lyrics that seem to reek of blood and an anxiety-inducing sound, this is the kind of track you should absolutely not listen to alone at night.
When They Cry: HigurashiShimamiy a Eiko
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, one of Eiko Shimamiya’s signature songs.
As the title suggests, it was used as the opening theme for the popular violence-themed anime Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.
Many listeners have likely found themselves hooked by its highly immersive melody and striking lyrics.
