Top 10 Scariest Studio Ghibli Movie Moments

Heartwarming? More like Bone-chilling! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Scariest Moments in Studio Ghibli Movies.

For this list, we’ll be looking at those moments from the beloved studio that, intentionally or not, scared the pants off us.

“Spirited Away” (2001)
Babies are supposed to be cute right? Well not so much when they’re THIS big. Yubaba’s inexplicably gigantic infant, Boh, is hinted at early on in the film, and from the outset it’s obvious that he’s not your average rugrat. Once Chihiro actually meets Boh face to face however, it’s clear that he’s even more threatening than we imagined. Handling Chihiro in his enormous grip, Boh is nothing short of monstrous. If his size wasn’t bad enough, he’s also hyper-articulate for a toddler, and threatens to have his mother kill Chihiro. We’re glad that Boh gets turned into a mouse, because he was kind of asking for it.

“Princess Mononoke” (1997)
Despite being a divine force of elemental purity, we’d be lying if we said that the Forest Spirit from Princess Mononoke didn’t give us the willies! In our defence, the spirit is a super freaky looking deity. It's a large deer god with an unsettling red, human-like face, a fixed lifeless smile, and large unblinking eyes. Still, it’s not like we’d want anything bad to happen to it. When Lady Eboshi of Iron Town kills the spirit, it's extremely distressing, not only because we understand that there’ll be catastrophic ramifications, but also because of the way the spirit stares directly at the audience as it happens. Sad AND creepy!

“Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004)
The eponymous Howl of “Howl’s Moving Castle” is a handsome and charming wizard who, like our protagonist Sophie, we can’t help but love. This makes it doubly tragic when we learn that each time he turns into his bird form he has a harder time regaining his humanity. It also makes it doubly horrifying to see him huddled up deep inside his castle, trying to hide this side of himself from Sophie. During this scene we don’t get a complete look at Howl, but given what we can make out, that’s probably a good thing! With big fangs, a harsh voice, and black feathers, this was a pretty unnerving moment in a relatively light film.

“Tales from Earthsea” (2006)
Though it may be one of the least memorable Ghibli movies, it would be impossible to forget this scene from “Tales from Earthsea”. Throughout the movie, Cob is an ominous presence with his weird breathy voice and creepy poise. But it's after he kidnaps Tehanu and starts rapidly aging and deforming that he becomes total nightmare fuel. Cob’s transformation happens gradually throughout the climax, becoming more and more monstrous with each passing minute. By the end of the metamorphosis he has gaping black holes for eyes, his voice has turned into a shrill croak, and his body has swollen to a colossal size. As if being an evil dark wizard wasn’t bad enough!

“Princess Mononoke” (1997)
Princess Mononoke is one of Ghibli’s most morally complex movies. While we’re cheering for the side of nature and all of the forest’s inhabitants, many of the creatures are savage, vicious, and frankly pretty scary. The ape tribe, for example, is straight up terrifying. While protagonist Ashitaka is injured, the apes surround him as well as San and her wolf guardian Moro, intending to eat them. We don’t get a clear look at any of the apes and that just makes them all the more threatening. Shrouded in darkness, only their bulky silhouettes and glowing red eyes are discernable. Luckily, the wolves are able to chase the apes off before we’re scarred for life.

“Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” (1984)
Throughout “Nausicaa”, the Giant God Warriors are built up to be terrifying forces of destruction, who in the distant past destroyed civilization. When one is resurrected in the film’s finale, it’s easy to see why they’re so feared. The scene where the prematurely hatched God Warrior is unleashed against giant insectoids called Ohms is straight out of a monster movie. The thing is a glob of melting flesh with a protruding half-formed skelton and cold beady eyes. Not to mention, it also shoots out a devastating energy beam from its mouth!

“Grave of the Fireflies” (1988)
While a poignant and masterful piece of cinema, “Grave of the Fireflies” is straight up hard to watch due to its unending string of horrific scenes. One of the most disturbing moments is when teenage Seita sees his mother at the hospital following a catastrophic firebombing. Even wrapped in full-body bandages we can see the extent of her burns and how close she is to death. There’s no catharsis for Seita or the audience, as she’s unable to speak and dies soon after. This moment is gut-wrenching for both its sadness and its hopeless terror, as Seita has to bear witness to his mother’s death while more and more impossible responsibility falls into his lap.

“Spirited Away” (2001)
Spirited Away is infamous for scaring its intended audience of young people. This scene in particular gave kids plenty of reason to sleep uneasily for years to come. Setting the stressful tone for the first act, Chihiro discovers that her parents have been turned into pigs, after they ignored her warnings not to enter the abandoned amusement park. All alone, and with a river blocking Chihiro’s way back to her car, Chihiro is totally trapped. The scene preys on our childhood fears of being separated from our parents in an unfamiliar place. Almost too effectively!

“Princess Mononoke” (1997)
The consequences of corrupting nature is a recurring themes in “Princess Mononoke” - and the movie’s opening gets right to the point. Nago is a demon-possessed boar god who attacks Ashitaka’s village. The scene where Nago attacks is paced almost like something out of “Jurassic Park”, with the suspense building until he finally appears. And wow what an appearance! Covered in strange black wormlike goop, and seemingly half-decayed, Nago is even worse than he’s built up to be. While it’s unfortunate that Nago was originally an innocent deity, we have to admit to a sigh of relief when he’s taken down by Ashitaka.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

First Time Meeting Yubaba, “Spirited Away” (2001)
Yubaba Flies Directly at the Camera, Almost Like She’s Coming Straight for Us!

Arren’s Nightmare, “Tales from Earthsea” (2006)
This One Gave Us Nightmares of Our Own

The River Spirit’s Real Face, “Spirited Away” (2001)
Even Though It’s a Nice Moment, Come On, That Face Doesn’t Give You the Creeps?

Moro’s Laugh, “Princess Mononoke” (1997)
Moro's Unpredictability Makes It All the Creepier When She Laughs in Ashitaka’s Face

“Spirited Away” (2001)
From the moment we meet No-Face we don’t quite trust him. The combination of his disembodied mask, his strange moans, and his ominous idling outside of the Bathhouse immediately make him vaguely sinister. We watch No-Face become more and more explicitly threatening throughout the film’s first two acts, culminating in him eating one of the Bathhouse staff and then later chasing after Chihiro. By this point No-Face has swollen to monstrous size and has developed a menacingly large set of teeth, giving the chase a palpable sense of danger. His fury and the horror of his new look make this scene heart-racing even upon re-watching.