Kiwi Farms

Junji Ito is pretty much Japan's Stephen King. Even if you don't like manga, you just have to read his works if you have even a passing interest in horror. You might even recognize some of his work even if you've never heard of him before:


Although he has created a few actual series, Junji Ito mostly specializes in short, stand-alone stories. Body horror is pretty much the staple of all of his stuff, as you can see in the above pictures.

A complete index of his works and where you can read them can be found here; also, the vast majority of his short stories can be read here. I'll give some recommendations about which ones you should definitely read first!

• The Enigma of Amigara Fault: An earthquake leads to the discovery of a mountainside full of human-shaped holes, which soon attract people from all over Japan as they're convinced that the holes are shaped specifically for them. This is probably Ito's most famous work, and for good reason. You should definitely read this story first if you want a taste of what the rest of his stories are like.
• Uzumaki: Not a one shot, but rather a collection of inter-connected stories that all revolve around a town that's been cursed by spirals. Uzumaki is tied with The Enigma of Amigara Fault for being Ito's most famous and beloved work.
• Tomie: A series of macabre stories that all focus on Tomie, a gorgeous yet incredibly vain and petty girl who seemingly can't die. Wherever she goes she spreads lust, murder, and chaos.
• Mimi's Ghost Stories: Six connected stories that revolve around a girl named Mimi and the strange, unnatural events that seem to follow her wherever she goes.
• The Back Alley: A boy rents a room from a family and hears the sound of children playing in the back alley late at night.
• The Thing That Drifted Ashore: A strange, deep-sea monster washes up on the beach.
• Human Chair: An author, having trouble writing due to her uncomfortable desk chair, goes on a search for a new chair.
  
• Red Turtleneck: A man struggles to hold his almost-decapitated head to his neck without severing nerves or blood vessels.
• Hanging Balloons: After an idol’s suicide, Tokyo’s citizens are tormented by malicious balloon versions of their own heads that have nooses instead of strings.
• The Chill: A boy is curious about his sick neighbor, which leads him to question his grandfather’s death.
• Long Dream: A man is hospitalized for dreams that continue to feel longer and longer until he is dreaming for millennia.