Best Batman Horror Stories, Ranked

Summary

• Batman horror stories feature dark themes, psychotic villains, and supernatural elements.
• The stories explore Arkham Asylum, gruesome plagues, Lovecraftian monsters, and psychological horrors.
• Comics like “Night Cries” tackle real-world issues like child abuse with Batman as the dark knight.

Since his first appearance in 1993, Batman has always been a dark and grittier superhero, especially compared to the likes of Superman. Since most of his stories take place in the dark and gothic Gotham City, it should be no surprise that Batman has had some great horror stories over the years.

With characters like the Joker, Professor Pyg, Scarecrow, Ra’s al Ghul, and a whole list of other psychopaths, murderers, and monsters, Batman writers have all they need to create truly thrilling, nail-biting, horror stories. Here are some of the best.

11

Arkham Asylum: Living Hell

Never Plead Insanity In Gotham

• Issue – Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #1 – #6
• Writer – Dan Slott
• Artist – Ryan Sook
• Released – 2003

Arkham Asylum: Living Hell follows the story of Warren White, a wealthy financier who makes the mistake of pleading insanity in an attempt to avoid jail. Unfortunately, Warren is sent to Arkham Asylum, where he finds himself being tormented by other inmates and slowly becoming more and more insane. The story showcases the effect Arkham Asylum can have on ordinary people.

Adding to the horror themes of this story, a supernatural element is added, essentially turning Arkham Asylum into an actual living hell with appearances from Etrigon the Demon and other hellish creatures. This story is great at showing Arkham from the perspective of a normal person as opposed to Batman or an insane rouge.

10

Contagion

Batman Struggles Against An Invisible Threat

• Issue – Batman: Shadow of the Bat #48, Detective Comics #695 , Robin (Volume 2) #27, Catwoman (Volume 2) #31, Azrael #15, Batman #529, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #49, Detective Comics #696, Batman Chronicles #4, Catwoman (Volume 2) #32, Azrael #16, Robin (Volume 2) #28
• Writer – Alan Grant, Chuck Dixon, Christopher Priest, Dennis O’Neil, Doug Moench, Garth Ennis
• Artist – Vincent Giarrano, Tommy Lee Edwards, Mike Wieiringo, Jim Balent, Barry Kitson
• Released – 1996

After the Order of St. Dumas releases a plague into Gotham City, It is up to Batman and his allies to help save the citizens from a horrifying death. It’s revealed that this plague is a strand of Ebola, genetically engineered by the Order of St. Dumas and known as the Sin Cleanser.

The plague would infect and mutate victims, causing their eyes to bleed as they went insane before they died, all within 12 hours. Although this story doesn’t have the traditional supernatural horror aspects, the artwork and the plague itself create a truly eerie and dark story.

9

The Doom That Came To Gotham

Batman Takes On The Cthulhu

• Issue – Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham #1 – #3
• Writer – Mike Mignola
• Artist – Troy Nixey
• Released – 2000

Batman: The Doom that Came to Gotham is a Lovecraftian-inspired horror/fantasy story that takes place in 1920’s Gotham, clearly taking inspiration from the classic Lovecraft story ‘The Doom That Came to Sarnath’ published in the 1920s. This story sees Batman take on a Cthulhu-type villain that will destroy Gotham and the world.

Being set in the 1920s, most characters have new and interesting takes that are more thematic for the time. The horror elements start to show when looking at some of Batman’s classic rouges in their new style. Two-Face for example, has half of his body severely deformed and covered in tumors, giving him a gross and monstrous appearance.

8

The Black Mirror

One Of Dick Grayson’s Best Stories

• Issue – Detective Comics #871 – #881
• Writer – Scott Snyder
• Artist – Francesco Francavilla
• Released – 2011

Batman: The Black Mirror sees Dick Grayson behind the cowl, and is one of the best Dick Grayson stories of all time, and one of the greatest Batman stories of the modern era. After a break-in at GCPD, it’s revealed that there’s a new player in Gotham known only as the dealer, who wears a gas mask to hide his identity.

The story opens with Batman attempting to foil the Dealer’s plans. While doing so he is exposed to hallucinogenic nerve gas, forcing him to have violent and horrific hallucinations, all while the Dealer’s men are trying to tear him apart. The rest of the story deals with similarly violent and dark themes, with Dick Grayson noting how much darker Gotham has become.

7

Damned

Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t

• Issue – Batman: Damned #1 – #3
• Writer – Brian Azzarello
• Artist – Lee Bermejo
• Released – 2018

Batman: Damned is one of the more confusing Batman stories in the modern era, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the best Batman horror stories. The story follows Batman as he wakes up in his version of Hell and tries to piece together why he ended up there.

The artwork in this story helps to convey the horror elements, with Batman’s skin slowly deteriorating as the story progresses. Classic supernatural characters like Enchantress, Zatanna, and Constantine make appearances, helping to convey the supernatural and horror feelings.

6

The Cult

This Story Highlights The Dark Side Of Bruce Wayne

• Issue – Batman: The Cult #1 – #4
• Writer – Jim Starlin
• Artist – Bernie Wrightson
• Released – 1988

The Cult is one of the best Batman stories that reveals the tortured and broken mind of Bruce Wayne, who suffers daily while hiding behind the Batman persona. This story isn’t for the light-hearted, dealing with themes of insanity, isolation, and mental decay as Batman gets broken down more and more as the story goes on.

The story opens at the deep end, showcasing Batman in a fever dream-style trance while he has visions of slaughtering the criminals of Gotham. The artwork perfectly reflects the themes of insanity and the overall story is mature when dealing with the idea that Batman, despite his skills and abilities, is just a man.

5

Gothic

A Modern-Day Horror Classic

• Issue – Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight #6 – #10
• Writer – Grant Morrison
• Artist – Klaus Janson
• Released – 1990

After a new serial killer in Gotham begins targeting crime bosses, they fashion their own make-shift Bat symbol and beg Batman for help. The Dark Knight chooses to ignore the mob bosses but eventually begins to investigate when almost all the mob bosses are killed. Throughout his investigation, Batman learns he has known the killer for a long time.

The rest of the story goes down a darker tone, dealing with aspects of Batman’s childhood, touching on themes of Devil-worshipping, as well as revealing the killer is a serial child killer. The artwork reflects these themes well and the story is a classic modern-day horror thriller.

4

Batman & Dracula Trilogy

A Classic Supernatural Horror Story

• Issue – Batman and Dracula: Red Rain, Batman and Dracula: Bloodstorm, Batman and Dracula: Crimson Mist
• Writer – Doug Moench
• Artist – Kelley Jones
• Released – 1992, 1995, 1999

The Batman and Dracula Trilogy has a great classic horror feeling, which is very fitting considering Dracula is a main character. The trilogy sees a unique take on Gotham City, as it is being overrun by vampires. The story sees Batman being infected and slowly becoming a vampire, with each entry showcasing the transformation more and more.

The art style is perfect for this story’s gothic and horror themes. The settings are very classic with simplistic designs for the Batmobile, the Batcave, and the classic long-eared Batman cowl. As Batman succumbs to his vampire side, he increasingly loses his morals, even breaking his one rule.

3

Arkham Asylum – A Serious House on Serious Earth

The Story That Inspired The Hit Game Batman: Arkham Asylum

• Issue – Batman: Arkham Asylum – A Serious House on Serious Earth
• Writer – Grant Morrison
• Artist – Dave McKean
• Released – 1989

Batman: Arkham Asylum – A Serious House on Serious Earth is a physiological thriller for both the character of Batman and the readers themselves. After a gang of inmates led by the Joker takes over the asylum for the criminally insane, Batman is forced to traverse the asylum and bring order to the chaos.

As the story progresses, the artwork becomes more and more skewed, reflecting the effect that the asylum is having on Batman. The artwork is almost fever-dream-like, making it somewhat difficult to follow, but reflects the horrors and insanity that many would face in Arkham Asylum. It is this story that inspired the hit game Batman: Arkham Asylum and the overall Arkham games.

2

Dark Knight, Dark City

The Riddler Takes A Dark Turn

• Issue – Batman #452, #454
• Writer – Peter Milligan
• Artist – Kieron Dwyer
• Released – 1990

Dark Knight, Dark City is one of the darkest Batman stories of all time and portrays a truly evil and sadistic version of the Riddler. This story is one of the first times the Bat-God, Barbatos, is mentioned, alluding to supernatural reasons behind the Wayne family murders and the creation of Batman.

This story sees the Riddler trying to recreate an ancient ritual to try and control Barbatos, as he puts Batman through a series of cruel and violent tests. Throughout the story, we see the Riddler do some truly horrific things, like kidnapping babies and putting them through terrifying situations.

1

Night Cries

There Are Some Crimes Even Batman Can’t Solve…

• Issue – Batman: Night Cries
• Writer – Archia Goodwin
• Artist – Scott Hampton
• Released – 1992

Batman: Night Cries is a true modern horror story that is often regarded as the most realistic and difficult Batman story to read, due to its real-life symbolism and themes. This Batman story does the opposite of what most comic book stories do. Instead of removing readers into a fantasy world, it shows readers how dark and horrifying real life can be.

This story deals with themes of child abuse and child exploitation, some of the worst crimes in the real world. The story is based around a serial killer who only goes after child abusers, brutally murdering them as revenge for their actions. Despite its difficult subject matter, the story is handled well and never feels like it is using these themes in poor taste. The story ends with both James Gordon and Batman realizing they will never be able to save everyone, especially those who are victims of crimes that happen in the privacy of their own homes.