Seven terrifying sleeves not to sleep on Halloween

The month of October is ideal for those fans of the dark, the gloomy, the murky, the paranormal... In general, everything related to the inexplicable and the afterlife. Precisely, on October 31 we celebrate Halloween internationally, also nicknamed Night of the Dead, Halloween or even Samhain, where for a few hours we take advantage of the fact that the line between our reality and the afterlife is more diffuse to think about them, remember them , pay tribute to them… and even chat.

We don't hide: we love to be scared. But fear of the real one, of the one that makes us uncomfortable and terrifies us, of the one that leaves us breathless and pondering with regret how many possibilities we have of suffering the same bad luck as the characters we are reading, because everything seems very real to us. But it is always said that you have to be careful what you wish for, and playing with the supernatural does not always bring good consequences.

From Ramen Para Dos we bring you seven suggestions so that you can enjoy the best terror first hand, the constant sensation of that chill that runs through your spine..., or the certainty that today you will go to sleep knowing that under your bed is an unpleasant company ...

Terrifying Tales, by Kanako Inuki (by Cris)

What is terror as a concept? What is hidden in the depths of our bowels and is the true cause of our fears and fears? We have been led to believe that the monster in the closet or the vengeful spirit that haunts that perfect American family is what keeps us up at night. But doesn't it cause real discomfort on a day-to-day basis?

Kanako Inuki is clear that the most terrifying terror does not come from the most gruesome nightmares or the most impossible monsters, but from that shadow that seems to chase you when you turn the corner, from that classmate with the crooked smile, from your own breath in the silence of your room in the dark. And she shows it to us in Terrifying Tales, where there is room for six disturbing stories chosen by the author herself where, in an apparently innocuous reality, she transports us to a world of unease, madness and panic. Characters who want too much, who meddle where they shouldn't, who cast spells they shouldn't... and end up paying the consequences.

This volume of Terrifying Tales is a safe bet if you want to experience sick terror that sticks to your skin. Especially if you want to get to know Inuki first hand, because she brings together some of her best work and gives you the opportunity to get up close to her talented pen, full of mystery, sorrow, darkness and malice that you can't miss.

The Threshold of the Sinister, by Junji Ito (by Ainhy)

Junji Ito is a master of horror. He intends to scare his readers with both the terrifying stories of him and the very chilling drawing of him. In this unique volume, he compiles four different stories: The Mourners' Slope, The Madonna, The Spectral Current of Aokigahara, and The Sleeper.

Play with different types of inner fear, such as life and death, the passage of the dead to the afterlife, the Catholic religion and its beliefs, or nightmares that seem so real that you don't know if you dreamed it or not . Honestly, the first two stories have scared me more than I thought. This man has a gift for terrifying me, although I love that.

If you've been a Junji Ito fan for a long time, you can't miss The Threshold of the Sinister. You are going to be surprised and turn your head after reading the manga. It's the magic of this mangaka, it penetrates your mind and you can't stop thinking about him.

Fragments of Evil, by Junji Ito (by Sora Cross)

Of all the volumes and stories I've read to date, Junji Ito's Fragments of Evil is the collection that has surprised me the most, at the same time delighted. The volume contains the stories Futon, Wood Specters, Tomio and the Red Turtleneck Sweater, A Slow Separation, Miss Dissection, The Black Bird, Magami Nanakuse, and The Whispering Woman. Some are longer than others, and not all have the same level of fear or like the same. However, they all have a common element: they will leave you feeling bad and restless.

Ito is very good at creating short stories, with a perfect beginning and end in length. That is why the author is the god of fear as far as short distances are concerned. Furthermore, almost all of the stories included in this book will make you think in one way or another about the author's perspective on life, creating a unique atmosphere and characters.

The Vampire's Smile, by Suehiro Maruo (by Andrea)

Teen vampires, romance and blood wrapped in a veil of gothic aesthetics. It sounds like an exquisite and most classic combination in the world of terror. But, without being enough, Suehiro Maruo goes a little further and makes a work of adult content where the grotesque is the main engine of fear.

What impressed me the most in the first contact with this eroguro classic was how the unpleasant feeling of the murkiest scenes conflicts with the appeal of the striking visual metaphors and the use of such a neat drawing. In The Vampire's Smile we enter a story stuck in the night, in the gloomy tastes of the human mind and in the freedom of immortality under the premise of a couple of newly converted young people. With this, the manga works like a precious journey through a violent nightmare, and it is precisely this that fills the reader with a feeling that is less disturbing.

This integral that compiles the two volumes, becomes a perfect option to immerse yourself in a dark environment where you can lose yourself in the sinister beauty that is hidden in the horror. In addition, The Vampire's Smile is one of Maruo's most representative works, which is why it constitutes a perfect letter of introduction to those interested in the author.

Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart, by Syundei (by Gema)

Syundei completely changes register. From one of the sweetest works we have on the BL market in Spain (Don't give up Nakamura) we went to a BL with hints of terror that leaves no one indifferent. Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart, with a single volume, manages to leave you with a bad body, but we are in Halloween, right?

Maintaining his eighties style of drawing, a work that takes place between the beginning of the last century and our time is presented. Terumichi is a high school boy who every night has nightmares in which he sees a murderer killing his victims. Worst of all, these crimes actually happened in the 20th century and were never solved. Although, the young man's life becomes even more complicated when rumors begin to spread that he and Yamada, a mysterious boy who goes to his institute, are a couple. To avoid gossip, Terumichi tells her to stop seeing each other. Yamada refuses, and so he is stabbed, but does not die.

The intricate relationship between the two characters will begin there, revealing Yamada's past and his relationship with the unanswered murders. It is an enjoyable work to read, explicit in the most grotesque sense, but addictive. You will not be able to stop reading it and the ending will surprise you. If you are a BL lover, without a doubt this is the perfect one for this time of year.

Hideout, by Masasumi Kakizaki (by Cooperlynch)

Masasumi Kakizaki is already an author well established in the manga market in our country, with works as powerful as Rainbow, Bestiarius or Green Blood. But Milky Way Ediciones introduced us to this mangaka by the hand of a unique volume that firstly impressed us for the quality of its drawing, and secondly because Hideout is one of the best horror mangas that have been published in Spain.

With an aroma that is strongly reminiscent of some Stephen King stories, Kakizaki plunges us into a maelstrom of madness, restlessness, and fear at the hands of a tormented writer who plans to kill his wife during a vacation that was planned to save her marriage and find inspiration for her next novel. Instead of that, the work shows us an absolute descent into hell where we witness the worst of the human being without any type of filter. Rawness in its purest form.

In addition, Kakizaki's use of chiaroscuro, plots, expressions, elements such as rain, settings, their textures and gore is masterful. Hideout is a visual and terrifying spectacle that cannot be missing in any manga library with this kind of titles. A work that can share a shelf more than worthily with masters like Junji Ito, Suehiro Maruo or Kazuo Umezu.

In the mountains of madness, by Gou Tanabe (By Serra)

H. P. Lovecraft is one of the geniuses of terror, a must read for lovers of the sinister and cosmic horror. For some time now, we can enjoy it in the manga thanks to the work of Gou Tanabe, who manages to perfectly translate the spirit of the Providence author's work. A good example of this is In the mountains of madness.

The manga narrates the events surrounding a failed expedition to Antarctica in the 1930s. What seemed like a great discovery for mankind turns into humanity's worst nightmare. The brave adventurers will have to face a terror never seen on this planet... or maybe even in this dimension?

Gou Tanabe applies a totally filmic rhythm with a story that encourages the reader to devour it and face one of the most primal terrors: the unknown. All this with a masterful drawing, which plays with a variety of darks and grays to perfectly convey the atmosphere of the cold of Antarctica. If you like horror, don't hesitate.

These are our recommendations, but surely you can think of many others. Share them with us in the comments or on our social networks!