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Hell Girl season one hits with a vengeance. The Wallflower complete revels in horror fandom. When They Cry complete is so shockingly violent it was banned in Japan. Ghost Hunt complete series celebrates things that go bump in the night and D.Gray-Man raises the dead.

I had the flu the first time I watched Ghost Hunt. I huddled under the covers in bed like a kid up past their bedtime and watched the first half of the series on my laptop. It made me giggle, jump, swoon, and grip the blanket in wide-eyed anticipation. Ghost Hunt had something of a quiet release, and there is no Godly reason why - it’s a fun, spooky show that will have you dying to solve the mystery and survive the night.

The story of a group of paranormal investigators, GH follows Mai, a high school girl, Kazuya, teen genius and the head of the gang, Lin, the quiet one, Takigawa, the cute one, Ayako, the bossy one, John, the priest and Masako, the medium as they take on the most gruesome hauntings around. From demons to murderers and some otherworldly monsters, this group will put their lives on the line for the case. The anime features a lot of the voice talent from Tsubasa/XxxHolic, so you know it’s a damn fine group.

Having trouble with someone? Being bullied? Do you feel the need for vengeance? Meet Ai: she’s a quiet gal, almost shy. Log onto her website at midnight and enter the name of your tormenter, and Ai will come to drag them away to hell. Sounds good, doesn’t it? There’s a catch: when you die, your soul will also go to hell.

Hell Girl is one of my favs. For the most part, the episodes are monster-of-the-week format, save the last handful of season one that delves into Ai’s past and shows us just how she got the gig as queen of revenge - and those episodes are stellar. I watched the end of season one in a frenzy; it’s that good. Add in excellent music, a little bit of folklore and some really pretty art and you’ve got a fantastic show.

Sunako has a bit of a problem: she’s not very pretty. She’s got zits, her hair is a mess, and her manners are just repulsive. Worst of all, she’s a horror fan on an epically bad scale - she lives with an anatomically correct dummy, obsesses over crime scenes and everything that is gruesome. So naturally, Sunako is forced to live with four of the prettiest pretty boys ever known and they are charged to turn Sunako into a lady, or their rent will be tripled.

Of course, I’m talking about The Wallflower. Recently released in a complete series box set, The Wallflower is zany romantic humor, lots of noses squirting blood and, of course, an homage to the passion of horror fanatics - just ask the little skeleton dude who dances at the end of every episode. The Wallflower is cute, funny, and a little irresistible - especially in the moments when Sunako’s beauty shines through and she catches everyone of the snooty pretty boys off guard. Little chibi Sunako is almost as adorable as her long-limbed counterpart, though, and the boys - well, the boys aren’t half bad themselves.

We’re used to the media making a big freaking deal over every little random thing, but when a sixteen year old girl in Japan hacked her police chief father apart with a hatchet, anime such as When They Cry were charged with being a bad influence. After watching the show, one can almost see their point, even if you used to protest those pesky little parental advisory stickers on Cds. When They Cry is the story of a murder told from different perspectives with different bad guys each time around. There is torture, neck stabbings, suicides, and so much violence that you just kind of go into shock. What makes the show even freakier is that it is a sick twist on a harem type show, and the girls are cutesy, which just makes it weirder when the blood starts flying. Oh, and watch the volume control - they’re all screamers. And I don’t mean in the sack.

After you’ve been thoroughly scarred by When They Cry, you can turn to something a little sweeter, a little more upbeat, and still have some excellent monster fun. D.Gray-Man season two part one hits in October, and I am superbouncyexcited about it. Allen Walker is an exorcist - he uses a material called innocence to banish evil creatures called Akuma that have been brought to Earth to kill by the evil Millennium Earl. There’s so much spooky cute awesomeness in this show that I hardly know where to begin. The music is reminiscent of Buffy. There are bits of Nightmare Before Christmas in the conceptual art, as well as a bit of Kingdom Hearts. Also, Allen has a helpful little creature\device thing that follows him around that could easily be a Golden Snitch.

With all the influences from other major bits of pop culture, it’s amazing how original D.Gray-Man feels. The villains are bad but adorable, Allen’s main squeeze, Lenalee, is hotness with her sexy super powered boots and I can’t help but squeal with fan girl joy every time Lavi makes his big hammer little hammer grow grow grow! And no, that wasn’t a sex joke - his weapon really is a hammer. Everything where D.Gray-Man is concerned is fun and perfect for a happy, spooky month of October.