A Lullaby From Hell

by Hideshi Hino, Zack Davisson (Translator)

A pioneering voice in Horror manga’s best works come roaring off the page.

Before there was Junji Ito there was Hideshi Hino. 

Hino A Lullaby From Hell is the first of two forthcoming collections by the master of classic Japanese horror. The atmosphere is relentlessly grim and the terror is ramped up on every page. Hino set a standard for pure grossness that still hasn’t been matched. His mixture of cute and terrifying remains a trademark of Japanese horror to this day. Characters with misshapen heads stare out at the reader with bugged-out and bloodshot eyes. Severed limbs abound and fluids spill across the pages. 

Hino’s mix of grimness and whimsy creates an unsettling oppressive atmosphere that has made his comics the most disgusting and most widely loved for decades. Each story in this collection unfolds like a fairy tale—a fairy tale soaked in pus and blood. Hino’s parade of malformed beasts, oozing corpses, and deviant killers is unmatched in Japanese horror.

Translated by Zack Davisson

Genres: Manga, Horror

368 pages, Paperback

Published October 27, 2026

About the author

Hideshi Hino (日野日出志 Hino Hideshi, born April 19, 1946) is a Japanese manga artist who specializes in horror stories. His comics include Hell Baby, Hino Horrors, and Panorama of Hell. He also wrote and directed two of the Guinea Pig horror movies which were based on his manga: Flower of Flesh and Blood, which he also starred in, and Mermaid in a Manhole.

Reviews

[Rebecca]

I know I regularly read Junji Ito, but this was way too gross for me.

[Stay · Rating 4 out of 5]

"From where I am, the evening glow of sunset appears as a sea of blood straight from Hell. I can see the writhing, tortured bodies of the dead."

I’ve read stories by Hideshi Hino previously, so I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew I was going to be disturbed and disgusted. Oh, boy, I wasn’t wrong.

This collection was very disturbing and covered in gore. And my sick dark soul enjoyed it. I now have to read something with sunshine and rainbows to clean my brain.

Please be advised that this most certainly will not be for most readers. If you’ve read ‘Woom’ then you’ll be fine.

[Kaycee McKee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book caught my attention because of its tagline: ‘Before there was Junji Ito, there was Hideshi Hino’. After reading it, I can definitely see some of the similarities between their work, while also appreciating that Hino has a very distinct horror style all his own. As someone who loves body horror, this was especially enjoyable for me. Hino illustrates grotesque transformations and unsettling imagery incredibly well, creating visuals that are both disturbing and fascinating to look at. His artwork has a unique style that gives the horror its own personality rather than simply reminding me of Junji Ito. Overall, this was a great introduction to more of Hideshi Hino’s work for me.