I've been rolling anime since about 1990. Back in the day the Sci-Fi channel used to be cool, partially because it was one of the first American networks to start showing anime. I saw a lot of greats from the Land of the Rising Sun but what really got me into anime was the legendary Vampire Hunter D.
A series of novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi since the 70s I believe, Vampire Hunter D was turned into an anime back in 1985. I saw it years later in 1991. I've been hooked on anime since.
Not only was Vampire Hunter D mindblowing, but I actually have to hand it to the Sci-Fi channel for their equally badass promos for the anime. Vampire Hunter D had a narrative, art style, action scenes, and music that were very unusual back in the day.
Granted there are a lot of anime out and there have been a ton since then. But the original Vampire Hunter D is the model horror anime.