Adam Levine Blasted -- Bloody Stalking Isn't Sexy

Blood-covered sex is NOT the most disturbing part of Maroon 5's new music video -- it's Adam Levine creepily stalking a woman all over town ... which glorifies rape ... according to victims' rights groups.

The "Animals" vid is getting a ton of attention -- from people who love it, and from those who think it's sending a dangerous message. If you haven't seen it ... Adam lurks in the shadows, trailing a beautiful woman he fantasizes about banging. Spoiler alert: he ends up having sex with the woman -- played by his wife Behati Prinsloo.

The Rape, Abuse Incest National Network is pissed about the happy ending, telling TMZ ... "no one should ever confuse the criminal act of stalking with romance." The vid also got low marks from

Lyrics like, "Baby, I'm preying on you tonight/Hunt you down eat you alive" ... probably don't help matters. Then again, plenty of people are praising the video as "art."