Junji Ito Leads The Charge With Brand-New Horror Release Perfect For Halloween

Published Oct 17, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT

An experienced Editor representing Canada via ScreenRant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com.

His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023.

Human nature, at its most vulnerable, can be subject to the most disquieting bouts of dread imaginable. It's perhaps most commonly manifested during childhood, although most won't be able to articulate what terrifies them well into adulthood. It means that, while many might relate to some childhood impulses like imagining dangerous figures or uncomfortably human faces watching them in everyday objects, they're not necessarily ready to address that experience until adulthood. So, Junji Ito and a set of writer/artist duos are releasing a solid wave of 8.25x11" horror picture books for adults to properly tap into those childhood fears, or live through them vicariously, in the present.

Part of a set of three horror picture books, Junji Ito's original oil paintings will feature as the backdrop for Soshichi Tonari's Looking at Me, presenting a brief 32-page odyssey into the uncanny that underscores an otherwise ordinary world. Slated for release on October 20, 2026, Looking at Me will be available via book retailers and online marketplaces alongside Is It There or Not by writer Natsuhiko Kyogoku and artist Naoko Machida, with A Bad Book by Miyuki Mayabe and Hisanori Yoshida coming one week later on October 27. Each present gorgeous hand-painted visuals on with pristine internal color pages, with VIZ Media giving ScreenRant an early glimpse.

Junji Ito's Visuals Grace A Fittingly Creepy Picture Book

Unlike other, more innately kid-friendly picture books such as Naruto's Ninja ABCs release from last month, Junji Ito's work stands out particularly with even the cover evoking a sense of dread and an exaggerated experience of feeling watched. It strikes the usual notes of Ito's work despite it not actually being written by him, namely, a kid in an otherwise ordinary world, whose imagination prompts ordinary, naturally-occurring shapes to resemble eyes and mouths. As the child asks his mother about them, the faces suddenly become disconcertingly more human, their eyes watching him with malice, until he skins his knee and even the scab resembles a gnarly face, staring up at him.

Tonari's prose in this book is effective, concise, and taps into the real-world tendency among humans known as pareidolia, the concept of seeing familiar shapes, patterns, or faces in everyday objects. But paired with an overactive imagination or a troubled mind, this can understandably contribute to some people's earliest experiences with the uncanny with little to no control over it. As illustrated in the book, adults typically don't dwell on these thoughts nearly as long, adding to the isolating feeling as the young boy is surrounded by an increasingly pronounced array of faces that grow more hostile over time. Tonari's writing, and Ito's visual execution, combine well to create a stunningly ominous ending.

VIZ's Horror Picture Books Are A Solid Halloween Mood-Setter

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In addition to Ito's excellent painted visuals, the other two Horror Picture Books set for release this month similarly tap into the darkess and dread some people may experience while growing up without even realizing they're unique or indeed what drives them. Is It There or Not's premise is pretty self-explanatory, with the primary kid similarly having his gaze constantly drawn to a shadowy space above the rafters in his grandmother's house, fearing what, or who, may emerge from it if he looks away. It taps into similar psychological horror themes present in writer Natsuhiko Kyogoku's earlier work like The Summer of the Ubume, where dread comes from uncertainty under the shroud of darkness with one small sliver of light nearby constantly pulling attention its way.

But A Bad Book dives into a greater abstract sensibility with its delivery. Instead, it focuses less on a concrete narrative and more on the book itself living as a dark entity, illustrating the temptation of dark impulses like despair, revenge, malice, and dread, and how every human in some capacity faces this. Artist Hisanori Yoshida's visual renditions of a quaint, innocent home life with children's toys gradually corrupted by these concepts, guiding her to stare down this rite of passage with an uncannily terrifying teddy bear, may not be the most upsetting imagery of the three, but its concepts linger the longest.

Growing up, adults may forget about the understated darker aspects of childhood and its brushes with uncertainty. But much like Junji Ito illustrates in his own book, the moment one reexamines these memories, there's a possibility they might just be looking right back.

Looking at Me and Is It There or Not are set for release on October 20, 2026, with A Bad Book coming October 27, 2026. Each of these are available for pre-order through online or physical retailers, with the Horror Picture Books series likely to have more on the way beyond this initial set.